The last entrance plane method for contact indeterminacy between convex polyhedral blocks

摘要

This study proposes the last entrance plane (LEP) principle to identify the physical contact plane, which is applicable to resolve contact indeterminacy between convex polyhedral blocks. Based on contact theory, the LEP principle reveals that the physical contact point lies on the last entrance plane. The LEP method is developed to identify the physical contact plane before penetration considering the geometrical and kinematical information. It offers a unified solution to contact indeterminacy between 2D convex polygonal and 3D convex polyhedral blocks. Using discontinuous deformation analysis, several numerical tests are evaluated to validate the accuracy and robustness of the LEP method.