Solving contact problems using Fiber Monte Carlo

Abstract Computational modeling of contact is fundamental to many engineering applications, yet accurately and efficiently solving complex contact problems remains challenging. In this work, we consider a contact model that computes contact forces by taking the gradient of an energy function of the contact volume (overlap) with respect to the geometry descriptors. While elegant in concept, evaluating this gradient is non-trivial due to the arbitrary geometry of the contact region. Inspired by the recently proposed Fiber Monte Carlo (FMC) method, we develop an algorithm that accurately computes contact forces based on the overlap volume between bodies with complex geometries. Our computational framework operates independently of mesh conformity, eliminating the need for master–slave identification and projection iterations, thus handling arbitrary discretizations. Moreover, by removing explicit complementarity constraints, the method retains a simple structure that can be easily incorporated into existing numerical solvers, such as the finite element method. In this paper, numerical examples cover a wide range of contact scenarios, from classical small-deformation static contact to complex large-deformation dynamic contact in both two- and three-dimensional settings with nonlinear material behavior. These cases include Hertzian contact for small-deformation verification; contact between wedge- and cone-shaped bodies to assess pressure and displacement predictions at non-smooth boundaries; contact involving Neo-Hookean hyperelastic materials for evaluating nonlinear responses under finite deformation; and dynamic collision cases to examine transient behavior.