Abstract：Thermoelectric materials can convert thermal energy into electricity, and vice versa. This excellent performance will contribute to the development of more cost-effective equipment and devices. The contact problem of thermoelectric materials has aroused widespread concern due to its possible application in various structures of practical significance. The frictionless contact problem of rigid conductive circular punch acting on half plane of thermoelectric materials is studied in this paper. Assume that the punch is an electric conductor and a thermal conductor, and the depth of the pressure and the width of the contact area are unknown. First, for the electric fields and temperature fields, starting from the constitutive equation of the thermal electric field, the analytical expressions of potential function, temperature, electric current density and energy flux are obtained by using Fourier transform. Then, for the elastic field, starting from the Duhamel-Neumann constitutive relations for plane thermoelasticity, the thermoelastic contact problem is transformed into the first kind of singular integral equation and solved numerically by using integral transformation and boundary conditions. The effects of the punch radius and thermoelectric load on the normal contact stress, electric current intensity factor and energy flux intensity factor are discussed. The results show that the normal electric current density and the normal energy flux of thermoelectric materials show high singularity in the vicinity of the contact edge, while the normal contact stress of the surface is zero at the contact edge. It is found that the research model established in this paper helps to understand the contact behavior of thermoelectric materials in a deeper level. It is a great significance to explore methods to suppress contact deformation and contact damage and to realize the optimal design of materials.
2021, Vol. 42 
