Automation and Assessment of Augmented Lagrangian Algorithms for Frictional Contact Problems

In recent work, the augmented Lagrangian approach to large deformation frictional contact problems has been advocated for finite element calculations. The resulting algorithms have been shown to facilitate accurate constraint enforcement in a robust manner, while providing an effective technique for removal of the nonsymmetry associated with most frictional constitutive laws. In this work, we examine automation schemes for the algorithm, such that multipliers can be determined to a specified degree of accuracy without user intervention. The performance of the resulting automatic augmentation algorithm is then examined, providing important information about practical attributes of the procedure.