The current study uses the finite element approach to analyze the elastic-plastic contact between a deformable sphere and a stiff flat. Using the commercial finite element program ANSYS, it is possible to examine the impact of strain hardening on the contact behavior of a non-adhesive frictionless elastic-plastic contact. We have used several tangent modulus values to study the strain hardening impact. Because the effect of strain hardening varied in how it affected the contact parameters, the resultant data clearly demonstrates that a generalized approach cannot be applied to all types of materials. This effect likewise gets stronger if the hardness parameter value gets bigger. The influence of strain hardening on contact characteristics is severe at higher values of the hardening parameter. The resistance of a material to deformation increases with strain hardening, and the material is able to carry a higher load in a smaller contact area

The current study uses the finite element approach to analyze the elastic-plastic contact between a deformable sphere and a stiff flat.