RESPONSE OF COUPLED FRICTIONAL CONTACTS TO CYCLIC LOADING by Young Ju Ahn A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering) in The University of Michigan 2009 Doctoral Committee: Professor James R. Barber, Chair Professor Radoslaw L. Michalowski Professor Noel C. Perkins Professor Nicolas Triantafyllidis Professor Alan S. Wineman