Symmetrical node-to-node formulation for thermal contact problems between non-conforming or non-matching meshes

摘要

The aim of this paper is to propose a symmetrical finite element formulation for the numerical treatment of thermal contact problems without any constraint on the shape, size and order of approximation of the meshes in contact. The new formulation implicitly ensures the heat balance through the contact and it is well adapted for the use of non-linear symmetric solvers minimizing the matrix storage. Examples are presented to show the relevance of the formulation developed.