Contact and interface modeling in nonlinear solid mechanics using mortar finite element methods

The main objective of this seminar is to convey modern techniques and the latest state-of-the-art with regard to computational contact and interface mechanics. Mortar finite element methods have meanwhile been widely accepted as the discretization method of choice for modeling contact and interface effects, especially in the framework of 3D solid mechanics with finite deformations and large frictional sliding. The fundamental concepts of the mortar approach will be presented along with an increasingly complex hierarchy of application scenarios ranging from simple mesh tying to unilateral contact, friction, thermo-mechanical interfaces and wear.