Abstract
Stress distributions beneath the contact surface of ceramic plat in contact with round bar were analyzed by 3-D FEM. On the basis of analytical results, the contact strength was evaluated by considering varied sizes and positions of pre-existing defects from a viewpoint of fracture mechanics. The contact rupture occurs from a surface defect that pre-exists in the vicinity of the edge of the plate. If we posit the premise that a defect size and a distance from contact boundary to its defect, the contact rapture load can be evaluated by using the proposed equation.
