Deformation of an elastic helix in contact with a rigid cylinder

Summary

The deformation of a short helix in contact with a rigid cylinder is investigated. Deformations occur due to bending, torsion and longitudinal elasticity of the helix. Shear deformation is neglected. Some of the equations describing the problem have been given already in Love's Treatise on the Mathematical Theory of Elasticity, in terms of curvature changes. Nevertheless, the equations for small deformations have to be reformulated in terms of displacements and rotations, because contact constraints cannot be expressed in terms of curvature. Friction is neglected, thus the problem is symmetric, and it is sufficient to determine its solution for one half of the helix.

Without friction between the cylinder and the helix, the contact problem arises only for a helix longer than one length of twist. For a shorter helix, the global equilibrium conditions cannot be satisfied for nonvanishing contact forces. For the minimum length, there are two noncontact zones, and the helix is in contact with the cylinder only at three points: at the ends and in the middle. For a slightly longer helix, four contact points and three noncontact regions are found. The dependence of the noncontact zones and the contact forces, which are of practical interest, can be calculated as a function of the length of the helix and its geometrical parameters. The case of a very long helix with more than four contact points remains unsolved.