Influence of Contact Friction on the Experimental Determination of the Balanced Biaxial Strain-Ratio Using the Disc Compression Test

Abstract

In the present work the disc compression test used to determine the balanced biaxial strain-ratio $r_b$ is analyzed in terms of the influence of contact friction using non-linear finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA results reveal an unexpectedly strong sensitivity of the $r_b$-value on contact friction, which is discussed in detail. The most important outcome of the present work is that the FEA can reproduce the $r_b$-value imposed by the utilized yield function very well, but only when the prescribed Coulomb friction coefficient has a very small value; for increasing friction coefficients a gradual deviation from the imposed $r_b$-value can be observed. This finding implies that in experiments contact friction must be eliminated to a larger extent than commonly expected, otherwise the determined $r_b$-value using disc compression testing will considerably deviate from the actual one, particularly when $r_b$ is far from one.