Finite element methods for contact problems with friction

The numerical treatment of contact problems involves the formulation of the geometry, the statement of interface laws, the variational formulation and the development of algorithms. In this paper an overview with regard to the numerical simulation of frictional problems is presented when general constitutive equations are formulated in the contact interface. To be most general we will apply a geometrical model and its discretization for contact which is valid for large deformations. Furthermore the algorithms to integrate the interface laws will be discussed for the tangential stress components. Special emphasis is laid on the development of algorithms which allow an efficient treatment of frictional contact problems.