{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T15:31:31Z","timestamp":1787585491048,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787529600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"sub-project of a major science and technology project"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In the thermal insulation winding process of solid rocket motors, the roller-tape contact pressure is a critical factor determining bonding quality. However, accurately predicting this pressure is challenging due to the complex three-dimensional contact involving a thin, nearly incompressible rubber tape and an elliptical concave press roller. This paper proposes a theoretical model extending the classical elastic foundation model by incorporating correction strategies to account for material incompressibility and geometric confinement. A finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the contact and verified against Hertz theory. Two key parameters of the theoretical model were calibrated using the FE results and justified through a parametric study on Poisson\u2019s ratio and a theoretical analysis of the contact half-width. The theoretical predictions of deformation, contact pressure distribution, and pressing force agree well with the FE results under different applied displacements and mandrel radii without parameter recalibration, demonstrating the model\u2019s generality. Experimental validation employing hybrid inverse analysis confirms the model\u2019s global accuracy, yielding &lt;11% relative error between the predicted and measured pressing forces. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for pressure control in the winding process and provides insights into contact problems for thin elastic layers with high Poisson\u2019s ratios (\u22650.45).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma19173599","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T14:49:34Z","timestamp":1787582974000},"page":"3599","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Validation of Contact Pressure in the Solid Rocket Motor Thermal Insulation Winding Process"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-3628-9937","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Weichao","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Performance Precision Manufacturing, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zengxuan","family":"Hou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of High-Performance Precision Manufacturing, School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Twichell, S.E., and Keller, R.B. 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Sensors, 19.","DOI":"10.3390\/s19061310"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"156","DOI":"10.1515\/crll.1882.92.156","article-title":"On the contact of elastic solids","volume":"92","author":"Hertz","year":"1882","journal-title":"J. Reine Angew. Math."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15989","DOI":"10.1002\/pc.70023","article-title":"Modeling and analyzing of rolling contact behavior between the striped roller and the tow in automated fiber placement","volume":"46","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Polym. Compos."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnson, K.L. (1985). Contact Mechanics, Cambridge University Press.","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9781139171731"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barber, J.R. (2018). 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