02/05/2026
Hertzian contact stress with PrePoMax
Hertzian contact stress occurs when two curved, elastic bodies are pressed together. German physicist Heinrich Hertz formulated this theory in 1881 to calculate the resulting pressures and deformations. The theory assumes linear-elastic, isotropic materials and frictionless contact.
There are two primary configurations:
- Point Contact: Sphere on sphere or sphere on a flat plane.
- Line Contact: Cylinder on cylinder or cylinder on a flat plane.
Hertzian contact stress | PrePoMax