Axisymmetric frictionless contact problem of a functionally graded coating with exponentially varying modulus

This paper is concerned with the problem of a functionally graded coated half-space indented by an axisymmetric smooth rigid punch. The shear modulus of the graded coating is assumed to be an exponential function and the Poisson’s ratio is a constant. With the use of Hankel integral transform technique, the axisymmetric frictionless contact problem is reduced to a Cauchy singular integral equation. The contact pressure, contact radius and penetration depth are calculated for various indenters by solving the equations numerically. The results show that these quantities are greatly affected by the gradient of the coating.