Evaluation of Interface Reduction Techniques for Systems with Frictional Contacts Within the Scope of the Harmonic Balance Method

Accurately analyzing systems with frictional contact interfaces poses computational challenges due to the large number of degrees of freedom involved. Although component mode synthesis can effectively reduce internal degrees of freedom, it does not apply to nonlinearly coupled degrees of freedom required for evaluating the nonlinear force law. Consequently, when using methods like the harmonic balance method, a considerable computational effort is needed to compute a large number of variables, specifically the Fourier coefficients. To tackle this issue, we present several interface reduction techniques suitable for implementation within the framework of the harmonic balance method. These reduction techniques can be categorized as either polynomial-based or mode-based approaches. By employing these methods, our objective is to decrease the computational effort associated with calculating numerous Fourier coefficients while retaining sufficient accuracy. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed reduction methods, we compare them in terms of computational efficiency and the accuracy of computed results. We utilize example systems to evaluate the performance of these reduction techniques. Our findings demonstrate that the interface reduction methods significantly enhance computational efficiency by reducing the number of variables. By comparing the solutions with reduced interfaces degrees of freedom to those with full interfaces, we provide insights into the trade-offs between accuracy and computational efficiency.