The simultaneous effects of mechanical and thermal surface loadings on the deformation of layered media were analyzed with the finite element method. A three-dimensional model of an elastic sphere sliding over an elastic-plastic layered medium was developed and validated by comparing finite element results with analytical and numerical solutions for the stresses and temperature distribution at the surface of an elastic homogeneous half-space. The evolution of deformation in the layered medium due to thermomechanical surface loading is interpreted in light of the dependence of temperature, von Mises equivalent stress, first principal stress, and equivalent plastic strain on the layer thickness, Peclet number, and sliding distance. The propensity for plastic flow and microcracking in the layered medium is discussed in terms of the thickness and thermal properties of the layer, sliding speed, medium compliance, and normal load. It is shown that frictional shear traction and thermal loading promote stress intensification and plasticity, especially in the case of relatively thin layers exhibiting low thermal conductivity.
