Ansys Mechanical Apdl Contact Technology Guide PDF

ANSYS Mechanical APDL Contact Technology
Guide
ANSYS, Inc. Release 18.2

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Table of Contents
1. Contact Overview .................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Contact Analysis Types ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact .................................................................... 2
1.2.1. Choosing Between Pair-Based Contact and General Contact ..................................................... 4
1.2.2. Difference in Default Settings ................................................................................................... 5
1.2.3. Features Not Supported by General Contact ............................................................................. 5
1.3. Contact Element Capabilities ............................................................................................................ 6
1.3.1. Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements ........................................................................................ 7
1.3.2. Node-to-Surface Contact Elements ........................................................................................... 8
1.3.3. 3-D Line-to-Line Contact .......................................................................................................... 8
1.3.4. Line-to-Surface Contact ............................................................................................................ 9
1.3.5. Node-to-Node Contact Elements .............................................................................................. 9
2. GUI Aids for Contact Analyses ............................................................................................................... 11
2.1. The Contact Manager ...................................................................................................................... 11
2.2. The Contact Wizard ......................................................................................................................... 12
2.3. Managing Contact Pairs .................................................................................................................. 13
3. Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) .............................................................................................. 15
3.1. Using Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements ..................................................................................... 15
3.2. Steps in a Contact Analysis .............................................................................................................. 15
3.3. Creating the Model Geometry and Mesh ......................................................................................... 16
3.4. Identifying Contact Pairs ................................................................................................................. 16
3.5. Designating Contact and Target Surfaces ........................................................................................ 17
3.5.1. Asymmetric Contact vs. Symmetric Contact ............................................................................ 18
3.5.1.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 18
3.5.1.2. Using KEYOPT(8) ............................................................................................................ 19
3.6. Defining the Target Surface ............................................................................................................. 19
3.6.1. Pilot Nodes ............................................................................................................................ 19
3.6.2. Primitives ............................................................................................................................... 19
3.6.3. Element Types and Real Constants .......................................................................................... 20
3.6.3.1. Defining Target Element Geometry ................................................................................ 20
3.6.4. Using Direct Generation to Create Rigid Target Elements ......................................................... 21
3.6.5. Using Meshing Tools to Create Rigid Target Elements .............................................................. 22
3.6.5.1. Some Modeling and Meshing Tips ................................................................................. 24
3.6.5.2. Verifying Nodal Number Ordering (Contact Direction) of Target Surface .......................... 25
3.7. Defining the Deformable Contact Surface ....................................................................................... 26
3.7.1. Element Type ......................................................................................................................... 26
3.7.2. Real Constants and Material Properties ................................................................................... 28
3.7.3. Generating Contact Elements ................................................................................................. 28
3.8. Geometry Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces ...................................................................... 29
3.8.1. Surface Smoothing ................................................................................................................ 30
3.8.2. User-Defined Contact Surface Normal ..................................................................................... 31
3.8.3. Simplified Bolt Thread Modeling ............................................................................................. 32
3.9. Set the Real Constants and Element KEYOPTS .................................................................................. 34
3.9.1. Real Constants ....................................................................................................................... 35
3.9.1.1. Positive and Negative Real Constant Values .................................................................... 39
3.9.1.2. Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format ..................................................................... 40
3.9.1.3. Defining Real Constants via a User Subroutine ............................................................... 41
3.9.2. Element KEYOPTS ................................................................................................................... 42
3.9.3. Selecting a Contact Algorithm (KEYOPT(2)) ............................................................................. 44
3.9.3.1. Lagrange Multiplier Method Considerations ................................................................... 45
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Contact Technology Guide
3.9.4. Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration ....................................................... 45

3.9.4.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 46
3.9.4.2. Using FKN and FTOLN .................................................................................................... 46
3.9.4.3. Using FKT and SLTO ....................................................................................................... 47
3.9.4.4. Additional Considerations for Specifying Contact Stiffness ............................................. 48
3.9.4.5. Using KEYOPT(10) .......................................................................................................... 49
3.9.4.6. Using KEYOPT(6) ............................................................................................................ 49
3.9.4.7. Chattering Control Parameters ....................................................................................... 50
3.9.5. Choosing a Friction Model ...................................................................................................... 51
3.9.5.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 51
3.9.5.2. Coefficient of Friction .................................................................................................... 51
3.9.5.3. Using TAUMAX, FACT, DC, and COHE ............................................................................... 52
3.9.5.4. Static and Dynamic Friction Coefficients ......................................................................... 52
3.9.5.5. Forced Frictional Sliding Using Velocity Input ................................................................. 54
3.9.6. Selecting Location of Contact Detection ................................................................................. 55
3.9.6.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 55
3.9.6.2. Using KEYOPT(4) and TOLS ............................................................................................. 56
3.9.6.3. Using the Surface Projection Based Contact Method (KEYOPT(4) = 3) .............................. 57
3.9.7. Selecting a Sliding Behavior ................................................................................................... 58
3.9.7.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 59
3.9.7.2. Finite-Sliding Option ..................................................................................................... 59
3.9.7.3. Small-Sliding Option ...................................................................................................... 59
3.9.8. Adjusting Initial Contact Conditions ........................................................................................ 59
3.9.8.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 60
3.9.8.2. Using PMIN, PMAX, CNOF, ICONT, STRM. KEYOPT(5), and KEYOPT(9) .................................. 60
3.9.9. Modeling Interference Fit ....................................................................................................... 66
3.9.10. Physically Moving Contact Nodes Towards the Target Surface ................................................ 67
3.9.10.1. Adjusting Small Gaps and Penetrations ........................................................................ 68
3.9.10.2. Adjusting Large Gaps and Penetrations ........................................................................ 69
3.9.11. Determining Contact Status and the Pinball Region .............................................................. 70
3.9.11.1. Contact Element Status ................................................................................................ 71
3.9.11.2. Defining the Pinball Region (PINB) ............................................................................... 71
3.9.12. Avoiding Spurious Contact in Self Contact Problems ............................................................. 71
3.9.13. Selecting Surface Interaction Models .................................................................................... 72
3.9.13.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 72
3.9.13.2. Using KEYOPT(12) ........................................................................................................ 72
3.9.13.3. Using FKOP .................................................................................................................. 73
3.9.13.4. Specifying Linear Contact ............................................................................................ 74
3.9.13.5. Using TBND ................................................................................................................. 74
3.9.13.6. Bonded Contact for Shell-Shell Assemblies ................................................................... 75
3.9.14. Modeling Contact with Superelements ................................................................................. 76
3.9.14.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 76
3.9.14.2. Using KEYOPT(3) in a 2-D Analysis with Superelements ................................................. 76
3.9.15. Applying Contact Stabilization Damping .............................................................................. 77
3.9.15.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 77
3.9.15.2. Using FDMN, FDMT, and KEYOPT(15) ............................................................................ 78
3.9.15.3. Checking Results After Applying Contact Stabilization .................................................. 79
3.9.16. Modeling Interface Damping in Assembled Structures .......................................................... 80
3.9.17. Accounting for Thickness Effect ............................................................................................ 81
3.9.17.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 81
3.9.17.2. Using KEYOPT(11) ........................................................................................................ 82
3.9.18. Using Time Step Control and Impact Constraints ................................................................... 82
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3.9.18.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 82

3.9.18.2. Using KEYOPT(7) .......................................................................................................... 82
3.9.19. Using the Birth and Death Option ......................................................................................... 83
3.10. User-Defined Subroutines for Contact Interfacial Behaviors ............................................................ 83
3.10.1. Defining Your Own Real Constant (USERCNPROP) ................................................................ 84
3.10.2. Writing Your Own Friction Law (USERFRIC) ......................................................................... 87
3.10.3. Defining Your Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER) .......................................................... 90
3.10.4. Defining Your Own Contact Surface Wear Behavior (USERWEAR) ........................................... 96
3.11. Controlling the Motion of the Rigid Target Surface ......................................................................... 96
3.12. Applying Necessary Boundary Conditions to the Deformable Elements .......................................... 97
3.13. Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads .................................................................................... 98
3.13.1. Applying Fluid Penetration Pressure ..................................................................................... 98
3.13.2. Specifying Fluid Penetration Starting Points ........................................................................ 100
3.13.3. Specifying a Pressure-Penetration Criterion ......................................................................... 101
3.13.4. Specifying a Fluid Penetration Acting Time .......................................................................... 101
3.13.5. Redefining or Modifying the Pressure-Penetration Loads ..................................................... 102
3.13.6. Postprocessing Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads ................................................................ 103
3.14. Defining Solution and Load Step Options .................................................................................... 103
3.15. Solving the Problem .................................................................................................................... 104
3.16. Reviewing the Results ................................................................................................................. 105
3.16.1. Points to Remember ........................................................................................................... 106
3.16.2. Reviewing Results in POST1 ................................................................................................ 106
3.16.3. Reviewing Results in POST26 .............................................................................................. 108
3.16.4. Reviewing Contact Results in the Jobname.CND File ......................................................... 108
4. Node-to-Surface Contact .................................................................................................................... 109
4.1. The Node-to-Surface Contact Element ........................................................................................... 109
4.2. Performing a Node-to-Surface Contact Analysis ............................................................................. 110
4.2.1. CONTA175 KEYOPTs ............................................................................................................. 110
4.2.1.1. KEYOPT(3) ................................................................................................................... 110
4.2.1.2. KEYOPT(4) ................................................................................................................... 111
4.2.2. CONTA175 Real Constants .................................................................................................... 111
4.3. Using CONTA175 for Multiphysics Contact ..................................................................................... 111
5. 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact (Pair-Based) ............................................................................................ 113
5.1. The 3-D Line Contact Element ....................................................................................................... 113
5.2. Modeling Beam-to-Beam Contact ................................................................................................. 114
5.3. Performing a 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact Analysis ......................................................................... 115
5.3.1. KEYOPTs and Real Constants ................................................................................................. 116
5.3.1.1. Real Constants R1, R2 ................................................................................................... 116
5.3.1.2. KEYOPT(3) ................................................................................................................... 117
5.3.1.3. Real Constant TOLS ...................................................................................................... 118
5.3.1.4. KEYOPT(4) ................................................................................................................... 118
5.3.1.5. KEYOPT(14) ................................................................................................................. 118
6. Line-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) .................................................................................................. 121
6.1. The 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Element ...................................................................................... 121
6.2. Performing a 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Analysis ........................................................................ 122
6.2.1. KEYOPTs and Real Constants ................................................................................................. 123
6.2.1.1. KEYOPT(3) ................................................................................................................... 123
6.2.1.2. Accounting for Thickness Effect (KEYOPT(11)) ............................................................... 124
6.2.1.3. Real Constants R1 and R2 ............................................................................................. 124
6.2.1.4. Real Constant TOLS ...................................................................................................... 125
6.2.1.5. KEYOPT(4) ................................................................................................................... 125
6.2.1.6. KEYOPT(14) ................................................................................................................. 125
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7. Multiphysics Contact ........................................................................................................................... 127

7.1. Modeling Thermal Contact ............................................................................................................ 127
7.1.1. Thermal Contact Behavior vs. Contact Status ......................................................................... 127
7.1.2. Free Thermal Surface ............................................................................................................ 128
7.1.3. Temperature on Target Surface ............................................................................................. 128
7.1.4. Modeling Conduction .......................................................................................................... 128
7.1.4.1. Using TCC .................................................................................................................... 128
7.1.4.2. Using the Quasi Solver Option ..................................................................................... 129
7.1.5. Modeling Convection ........................................................................................................... 130
7.1.6. Modeling Radiation .............................................................................................................. 130
7.1.6.1. Background ................................................................................................................. 130
7.1.6.2. Using SBCT and RDVF .................................................................................................. 130
7.1.7. Modeling Heat Generation Due to Friction ............................................................................ 131
7.1.7.1. Background ................................................................................................................. 131
7.1.7.2. Using FHTG and FWGT ................................................................................................. 131
7.1.8. Modeling External Heat Flux ................................................................................................. 132
7.1.9. Modeling Heat Transfer Among Thermal Shells ..................................................................... 132
7.2. Modeling Electric Contact ............................................................................................................. 133
7.2.1. Modeling Surface Interaction ................................................................................................ 133
7.2.1.1. Background ................................................................................................................. 133
7.2.1.2. Using ECC .................................................................................................................... 133
7.2.2. Modeling Heat Generation Due to Electric Current ................................................................ 134
7.3. Modeling Magnetic Contact .......................................................................................................... 135
7.3.1. Using MCC ........................................................................................................................... 135
7.3.2. Modeling Perfect Magnetic Contact ...................................................................................... 136
7.4. Modeling Pore Fluid Flow at the Contact Interface ......................................................................... 136
7.4.1. Pore Fluid Permeability Across Two Contacting or Near-Field Surfaces ................................... 136
7.4.1.1. Using PCC .................................................................................................................... 136
7.4.1.2. Pore Pressure on the Target Surface .............................................................................. 137
7.4.2. Pore Fluid Volume Flow for Near-Field Contact ...................................................................... 137
7.4.2.1. Using FPFT and FPWT .................................................................................................. 138
7.4.3. Pore Fluid Flow from Far-Field Contact to the Environment .................................................... 138
7.4.3.1. Using ABPP and PSEE ................................................................................................... 139
7.4.4. Coupled Heat Transfer with Pore Fluid Flow ........................................................................... 139
7.5. Modeling Diffusion Flow at the Contact Interface .......................................................................... 140
7.5.1. Diffusion Flow Across Two Contacting or Near-Field Surfaces ................................................. 140
7.5.1.1. Using DCC ................................................................................................................... 140
7.5.1.2. Concentration on the Target Surface ............................................................................ 141
7.5.2. Diffusion Flow from Far-Field Contact to the Environment ..................................................... 141
7.5.2.1. Using ABDC and DCON ................................................................................................ 141
8. General Contact ................................................................................................................................... 143
8.1. General Contact Overview ............................................................................................................ 143
8.2. Modeling General Contact - Basic Procedure .................................................................................. 144
8.3. Creating Rigid Target Surfaces ....................................................................................................... 146
8.4. Generating General Contact Surfaces (GCGEN Command) ............................................................. 147
8.4.1. GCGEN Command Action (Option) .................................................................................... 147
8.4.2. Edge Control Key (EdgeKEY) ............................................................................................... 148
8.4.3. Surface Splitting Key (SplitKEY) ........................................................................................ 149
8.4.4. Feature Angle (FeatureANGLE) ......................................................................................... 150
8.4.5. Base Element Selection (SelOpt) ........................................................................................ 152
8.5. Identifying General Contact Surfaces ............................................................................................. 154
8.5.1. Using Section IDs to Identify Surfaces ................................................................................... 154
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8.5.2. Using Nodal Components to Identify Surfaces ....................................................................... 155

8.6. Applying Surface Geometry Correction ......................................................................................... 159
8.7. Defining Non-Default Contact Settings .......................................................................................... 160
8.8. Defining Contact Interactions (GCDEF Command) ......................................................................... 163
8.8.1. Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Surfaces .................................................... 164
8.8.2. Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Nodal Components ................................... 164
8.8.3. Specifying General Contact Interactions for the Entire Model ................................................ 165
8.8.4. Specifying Contact Exclusions ............................................................................................... 166
8.8.4.1. Automatic Contact Exclusions ...................................................................................... 168
8.8.5. Assigning Interface Pairing Options ...................................................................................... 168
8.8.6. Deleting Specified General Contact Interactions .................................................................... 170
8.9. Managing Contact Interactions Between Surfaces ......................................................................... 170
8.9.1. GCDEF Command Entries and Execution ............................................................................... 171
8.9.2. The LIST and TABLE Options of GCDEF ................................................................................... 171
8.9.3. Example of How to Use the LIST and TABLE Options .............................................................. 172
8.9.4. Retrieving Information with *GET Commands ....................................................................... 179
8.10. Defining Interface Behavior ......................................................................................................... 180
8.10.1. Friction .............................................................................................................................. 180
8.10.2. Contact Interaction Options Specified by TB Command ....................................................... 181
8.11. Assigning Contact Properties via Real Constants .......................................................................... 182
8.12. Other Useful Tools for General Contact ........................................................................................ 186
8.12.1. Checking Initial Contact Status (CNCHECK Command) ......................................................... 186
8.12.2. Tracking Contact Results (NLHIST Command) ...................................................................... 186
8.12.3. Setting Contact Diagnostics (NLDIAG Command) ................................................................ 187
8.12.4. Creating General Contact Elements Manually ...................................................................... 187
8.12.5. Converting Pair-Based Contact to General Contact .............................................................. 187
9. Node-to-Node Contact ........................................................................................................................ 189
9.1. Node-to-Node Contact Elements ................................................................................................... 189
9.2. Performing a Node-to-Node Contact Analysis ................................................................................ 190
9.2.1. Creating Geometry and Meshing the Model .......................................................................... 190
9.2.2. Generating Contact Elements ............................................................................................... 190
9.2.2.1. Generating Contact Elements Automatically at Coincident Nodes ................................. 190
9.2.2.2. Generating Contact Elements Automatically at Offset Nodes ........................................ 191
9.2.2.3. Node Ordering ............................................................................................................ 191
9.2.3. Defining the Contact Normal ................................................................................................ 191
9.2.4. Defining the Initial Interference or Gap ................................................................................. 192
9.2.5. Selecting the Contact Algorithm ........................................................................................... 193
9.2.6. Applying Necessary Boundary Conditions ............................................................................. 193
9.2.7. Defining the Solution Options .............................................................................................. 193
9.2.8. Solving the Problem ............................................................................................................. 194
9.2.9. Reviewing the Results ........................................................................................................... 195
10. Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies ............................................................................................ 197
10.1. Modeling Solid-Solid and Shell-Shell Assemblies .......................................................................... 198
10.1.1. Choosing the Nodal Detection Method ............................................................................... 198
10.1.2. Controlling Behavior at the Contact Surface ........................................................................ 199
10.1.3. Controlling Degrees of Freedom Used in the MPC Constraint ............................................... 199
10.1.3.1. Modeling a 3-D Solid-Solid Assembly ......................................................................... 200
10.1.3.2. Modeling a 3-D Shell-Shell Assembly .......................................................................... 200
10.1.3.3. Additional Hints and Recommendations .................................................................... 200
10.1.4. Using the MPC Approach for Multiphysics Applications ....................................................... 201
10.2. Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly ................................................................................................. 201
10.3. Surface-Based Constraints ........................................................................................................... 205
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10.3.1. Defining Surface-Based Constraints .................................................................................... 208

10.3.2. Defining Influence Range (PINB) ......................................................................................... 209
10.3.3. Degrees of Freedom of Surface-Based Constraints ............................................................... 209
10.3.4. Specifying a Local Coordinate System ................................................................................. 210
10.3.5. Additional Guidelines for a Force-Distributed Constraint ..................................................... 211
10.3.6. Additional Guidelines for a Rigid Surface Constraint ............................................................ 212
10.3.7. Additional Guidelines for a Coupling Constraint .................................................................. 212
10.3.8. Modeling a Beam-Solid Assembly ....................................................................................... 213
10.4. Modeling Rigid Bodies ................................................................................................................ 213
10.4.1. Modeling Contact between Rigid Bodies ............................................................................. 214
10.5. Overconstraint Detection and Elimination ................................................................................... 214
10.6. Restrictions and Recommendations for Internal MPC ................................................................... 215
11. Dynamic Contact and Impact Modeling ........................................................................................... 217
11.1. Energy and Momentum Conserving Contact ............................................................................... 217
11.1.1. Energy Conservation .......................................................................................................... 218
11.1.2. Automatic Time-Stepping ................................................................................................... 218
11.1.3. Penetration and Relative Velocity ........................................................................................ 218
11.1.4. Impact Between Rigid Bodies ............................................................................................. 219
12. Spot Welds ......................................................................................................................................... 221
12.1. Defining a Spot Weld Set ............................................................................................................. 222
12.1.1. Creating a Basic Spot Weld Set with SWGEN ........................................................................ 222
12.1.2. The Components of a Spot Weld ......................................................................................... 225
12.1.3. Adding Surfaces to a Basic Set ............................................................................................ 226
12.2. Listing and Deleting Spot Welds .................................................................................................. 228
13. Debonding ........................................................................................................................................ 231
13.1. Including Debonding in a Contact Analysis .................................................................................. 231
13.2. Cohesive Zone Materials Used for Debonding .............................................................................. 232
13.2.1. Bilinear Material Behavior - Contact (TBOPT = CBDD and CBDE) .......................................... 232
13.2.1.1. Bilinear Material Behavior with Tractions and Separation Distances (TBOPT = CBDD) .... 232
13.2.1.2. Bilinear Material Behavior with Tractions and Critical Fracture Energies (TBOPT =
CBDE) ..................................................................................................................................... 233
13.2.1.3. Debonding Modes ..................................................................................................... 233
13.2.1.4. Other Considerations for Debonding .......................................................................... 234
13.2.1.5. Postprocessing .......................................................................................................... 235
13.2.2. Bilinear Material Behavior - Interface (TBOPT = BILI) ............................................................ 235
13.2.2.1. Debonding Modes ..................................................................................................... 235
13.2.2.3. Postprocessing .......................................................................................................... 236
13.2.3. Exponential Material Behavior ............................................................................................ 236
13.2.3.2. Postprocessing .......................................................................................................... 237
13.3. Post-Debonding Behavior of Cohesive Zone Material ................................................................... 237
14. Contact Surface Wear ........................................................................................................................ 239
14.1. Including Wear in a Contact Analysis ............................................................................................ 239
14.1.1. Wear Models ...................................................................................................................... 239
14.1.1.1. Archard Wear Model .................................................................................................. 239
14.1.1.2. User-Defined Wear Model (USERWEAR) ...................................................................... 241
14.1.2. Geometry Update Due to Wear ........................................................................................... 242
14.1.3. Improving Mesh Quality During Wear ................................................................................. 243
14.1.4. Assumptions and Restrictions ............................................................................................. 243
14.1.5. Postprocessing ................................................................................................................... 244
A. Example 2-D Contact Analysis with Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loading .................................................. 245
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A.1. Problem Description ..................................................................................................................... 245

A.2. Input File ...................................................................................................................................... 247
Index ........................................................................................................................................................ 251
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List of Figures
2.1. Contact Manager Toolbar ...................................................................................................................... 11
2.2. Example of a Contact Wizard Dialog ...................................................................................................... 13
3.1. Localized Contact Zones ....................................................................................................................... 17
3.2. Geometric Entities and Their Corresponding Rigid Target Elements ........................................................ 23
3.3. A Single Circular Target Segment Created From Arc Line Segments ........................................................ 23
3.4. Meshing Patterns for Arbitrary Target Surfaces ....................................................................................... 24
3.5. Smoothing Convex Corner .................................................................................................................... 25
3.6. Correct Node Ordering .......................................................................................................................... 25
3.7. Contact Element Types .......................................................................................................................... 27
3.8. Specification of the Contact Surface's Outward Normal .......................................................................... 29
3.9. Geometry Correction Applied to Revolute and Spherical Surfaces .......................................................... 31
3.10. User-Defined Contact Surface Normal (Shift Direction) ......................................................................... 32
3.11. Bolt Thread Dimensions ...................................................................................................................... 33
3.12. Depth of the Underlying Element ........................................................................................................ 39
3.13. Sliding Contact Resistance .................................................................................................................. 52
3.14. Friction Decay ..................................................................................................................................... 53
3.15. Contact Detection Located at Gauss Point ........................................................................................... 55
3.16. Contact Detection Point Location at Nodal Point ................................................................................. 56
3.17. Node Slippage Using Nodal Detection KEYOPT(4) = 1 or 2 .................................................................... 57
3.18. Surface Projection Based Contact ........................................................................................................ 58
3.19. Contact Surface Adjustment With ICONT ............................................................................................. 62
3.20. Contact Surface Adjustment (PMIN, PMAX) .......................................................................................... 63
3.21. A Scenario in Which Initial Adjustment Will Fail .................................................................................... 63
3.22. Ignoring Initial Penetration, KEYOPT(9) = 1 ........................................................................................... 65
3.23. Components of True Penetration ......................................................................................................... 65
3.24. Ramping Initial Interference ................................................................................................................ 66
3.25. Effect of Moving Contact Nodes via the ADJUST Option ....................................................................... 69
3.26. Comparison of the MORPH and ADJUST Options ................................................................................. 69
3.27. Effect of Boundary Conditions on the Morph Option ............................................................................ 70
3.28. Auto Spurious Prevention ................................................................................................................... 72
3.29. Penalty-Based Shell-Shell Assembly ..................................................................................................... 76
3.30. A Simple Assembled Structure with Two Bonded Contact Pairs at the Interface .................................... 81
3.31. Path Dependent Fluid Penetration Loading ......................................................................................... 98
3.32. Free End Points (2-D) and Free Open Edges (3-D) ............................................................................... 100
3.33. Fluid Penetration Acting Time (FPAT) Greater Than Substep ................................................................ 102
3.34. Fluid Penetration Acting Time (FPAT) Less Than Substep .................................................................... 102
4.1. Node-to-Surface Contact Elements ...................................................................................................... 109
5.1. Line-to-Line Contact ........................................................................................................................... 113
5.2. Internal Contact (One Beam Sliding Inside Another) ............................................................................. 114
5.3. External Contact (Two Beams Roughly Parallel) .................................................................................... 114
5.4. External Contact (Two Beams Cross Each Other) .................................................................................. 114
5.5. Continuous Line Segments ................................................................................................................. 115
5.6. Equivalent Circular Cross Section ......................................................................................................... 117
5.7. Using KEYOPT(14) ............................................................................................................................... 120
6.1. Line-to-Surface Contact ...................................................................................................................... 121
6.2. Continuous Line Segments ................................................................................................................. 122
6.3. Equivalent Circular Cross Section ......................................................................................................... 124
7.1. Target Temperature ............................................................................................................................. 128
8.1. Piston Assembly .................................................................................................................................. 145
8.2. General Contact Surfaces: SplitKEY = PART ...................................................................................... 149
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. xi
8.3. General Contact Surfaces: SplitKEY = SPLIT ..................................................................................... 150

8.4. Angle Between Normals of Adjacent Element Faces ............................................................................. 151
8.5. Convex and Concave Edges ................................................................................................................. 151
8.6. General Contact Surfaces Created by Using Default GCGEN Settings .................................................... 152
8.7. Rubber Seal Example .......................................................................................................................... 153
8.8. 2-D Example - Section IDs at the Contact Surfaces ............................................................................... 154
8.9. 2-D Example - Node Components at the Contact Surfaces .................................................................... 155
8.10. Nodes Associated with More Than One Section ID ............................................................................. 156
8.11. 3-D Example - A Shell Body Between Two Solid Bodies ....................................................................... 157
8.12. 3-D Example - Node Components at the Contact Surfaces .................................................................. 157
8.13. 3-D Example - Identifying Edge and Vertex Elements .......................................................................... 158
8.14. Contact Between Two Shell Boxes ...................................................................................................... 167
9.1. Node-to-Node Contact Element .......................................................................................................... 189
9.2. Contact Between Two Concentric Pipes ............................................................................................... 191
9.3. Two Concentric Pipes, Normals Rotated Properly .................................................................................. 192
9.4. Example of Overconstrained Contact Problem ..................................................................................... 193
10.1. Example of Shell-Solid Assembly ....................................................................................................... 202
10.2. Shell-Solid Assembly (Original Mesh) ................................................................................................. 203
10.3. Shell-Solid Assembly with Force-Distributed Constraint, Normal Projection Option ............................. 203
10.4. Force-Distributed Constraint - No Intersection (use KEYOPT(5) = 4 or 5) .............................................. 204
10.5. Shell-Solid Assembly with KEYOPT(5) = 1 ........................................................................................... 205
10.6. Shell-Solid Assembly with KEYOPT(5) = 2 ........................................................................................... 205
10.7. Rigid Surface Constraint .................................................................................................................... 206
10.8. Force-Distributed Constraint ............................................................................................................. 207
10.9. Coupling Constraint .......................................................................................................................... 207
10.10. Slider Link ....................................................................................................................................... 210
10.11. Free Radial Expansion Under Torque Load ........................................................................................ 211
10.12. Defining Symmetry Conditions for Force-Distributed Constraints ..................................................... 212
10.13. Beam-Solid Assembly Defined by Rigid Surface Constraint ............................................................... 213
10.14. Beam-Solid Assembly Defined by Force-distributed Constraint ......................................................... 213
12.1. Example Spot Weld Configuration ..................................................................................................... 221
12.2. Default Projection Direction for Node 1 ............................................................................................. 223
12.3. Default Projection Direction for Nodes 1 and 2 ................................................................................... 223
12.4. User-specified Projection Direction, Node 1 ....................................................................................... 224
12.5. User-specified Projection Direction, Nodes 1 and 2 ............................................................................. 224
12.6. Search Radius for Spot Weld .............................................................................................................. 224
12.7. Nodes Included in Constraint Equations ............................................................................................ 225
12.8. Beam Element Created for Spot Weld ................................................................................................ 226
12.9. Surfaces Added to Basic Spot Weld Set .............................................................................................. 227
12.10. Node Reordering for Beam Elements ............................................................................................... 228
1. Diagram of Planar Seal Model ................................................................................................................ 245
2. Meshed Planar Seal Model ..................................................................................................................... 245
3. Fluid Pressure Loading on Planar Seal ..................................................................................................... 246
4. Intermediate Fluid Pressure Distribution ................................................................................................ 246
5. Final Fluid Pressure Distribution ............................................................................................................. 247
6. Time History of Fluid Pressure for Three Contact Elements ...................................................................... 247
xii of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
List of Tables
1.1. Contact Support ..................................................................................................................................... 6
3.1. Summary of Real Constant Defaults in Different Environments ............................................................... 37
3.2. Real Constants and Corresponding Primary Variables for CONTA171-CONTA177 ..................................... 40
3.3. Summary of KEYOPT Defaults in Different Environments ........................................................................ 43
5.1. Number of Interactions Allowed at Contact Detection Points ............................................................... 118
6.1. Number of Interactions Allowed at Contact Detection Points ............................................................... 125
8.1. KEYOPT Settings for Pair-Based vs. General Contact .............................................................................. 160
8.2. Real Constant Defaults for Pair-Based vs. General Contact .................................................................... 183
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. xiii
xiv of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 1: Contact Overview
Contact problems are highly nonlinear and require significant computer resources to solve. It is important
that you understand the physics of the problem and take the time to set up your model to run as effi-
ciently as possible.
Contact problems fall into two general classes: rigid-to-flexible and flexible-to-flexible. In rigid-to-flexible
contact problems, one or more of the contacting surfaces are treated as rigid (that is, it has a much
higher stiffness relative to the deformable body it contacts). In general, any time a soft material comes
in contact with a hard material, the problem may be assumed to be rigid-to-flexible. Many metal
forming problems fall into this category. The other class, flexible-to-flexible, is the more common type
of contact. In this case, both (or all) contacting bodies are deformable (that is, they have similar stiff-
nesses). An example of a flexible-to-flexible contact is bolted flanges.
Contact problems present two significant challenges. First, you generally do not know the regions of
contact until you've run the problem. Depending on the loads, material, boundary conditions, and
other factors, surfaces can come into and go out of contact with each other in a largely unpredictable
and abrupt manner. Second, most contact problems need to account for friction. There are several
friction laws and models to choose from, and all are nonlinear. Frictional response can be chaotic,
making solution convergence difficult.
In addition to these two considerations, many contact problems must also address multi-field effects,
such as the conductance of heat, electrical currents, and magnetic flux in the areas of contact.
If you do not need to account for friction in your model, and the interaction between the bodies is always
bonded, you may be able to use the internal multipoint constraint (MPC) feature (available for certain
contact elements) to model various types of contact assemblies and surface-based constraints (see
Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies (p. 197) for more information). Another alternative is to use con-
straint equations or coupled degrees of freedom instead of contact to model these situations (see
Coupling and Constraint Equations in the Modeling and Meshing Guide for more information). The ex-
ternal constraint equations or coupling equations are only suitable for small strain applications.
In addition to the implicit contact capabilities discussed in this guide, the Mechanical APDL application
offers explicit contact capabilities with the ANSYS LS-DYNA explicit dynamics product. Explicit capabil-
ities are ideally suited for short-duration contact-impact problems. For more information on the ANSYS
LS-DYNA product and its contact capabilities, see the ANSYS LS-DYNA User's Guide.
The following contact overview topics are available:

1.1. Contact Analysis Types
1.2. Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact
1.3. Contact Element Capabilities
1.1. Contact Analysis Types

ANSYS Mechanical APDL provides the following approaches for defining contact interactions:
• Pair-based contact definition
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 1
Contact Overview
• General contact definition
• Node-to-node contact elements
The pair-based contact definition and general contact definition both use surfaces to define contact.
They are suitable for solving either small-sliding or large-sliding contact applications.
The node-to-node contact elements are often used in situations where the location of contact is known
beforehand. These types of contact problems usually involve small relative sliding between contacting
surfaces.
Each approach has unique advantages and limitations. In general, it is recommended that you use pair-
based contact or general contact whenever possible.
A contact simulation using pair-based contact or general contact is defined by specifying the following:
• Surface definitions for the bodies/parts that could potentially be in contact. The surfaces can be either de-
formable or rigid.
• Contact pairing and interaction for the surfaces that interact with one another.
• Contact interface behaviors such as friction coefficient. These are specified via MP and TB commands.
• Contact properties and control parameters. These are specified via element real constants (R command).
• Contact formulations and settings. These are specified via contact element key options (KEYOPT command).
1.2. Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact

In a pair-based contact definition, the contact interaction is defined between a contact surface consisting
of contact elements (CONTA171 through CONTA177) and a target surface consisting of target elements
(TARGE169, TARGE170). Contact elements and target elements from these two surfaces are assigned
the same real constant set ID number, which must be greater than zero. The program looks for contact
interaction only between surfaces with the same real constant set ID. The material ID of the contact
elements is used to specify interaction properties (such as friction coefficient) via MP or TB commands.
In a general contact definition, general contact surfaces are defined. The contact elements (CONTA171,
CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174) are overlaid on the exterior surfaces of deformable bodies, and the
target elements (TARGE169, TARGE170) are used to cover standalone rigid bodies. The 3-D line contact
elements (CONTA177) are overlaid on 3-D beams and on feature edges of 3-D deformable bodies and/or
perimeter edges of shell structures. The contact vertex elements (CONTA175) are overlaid on convex
corners of 2-D or 3-D solid bodies and/or shell structures and on endpoints of beam structures. A zero
real constant ID and a zero material ID are assigned to the contact and target elements. However, dif-
ferent section IDs and contact/target element type IDs are assigned to different general contact surfaces.
In other words, each surface consists of contact or target elements that have a unique section ID. The
program looks for contact interaction among all surfaces, including self-contact (contact within a surface).
The table below compares characteristics of pair-based contact and general contact definitions.
Contact Pair-Based Contact Definition General Contact Definition

Characteristic
Contact Real ID > 0 for contact pair Real ID = 0 for general contact
Element identification identification
2 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact
Contact Pair-Based Contact Definition General Contact Definition

Characteristic
Real
Constant ID
Contact Arbitrary Section ID, used Unique Section ID for each general
Element as-needed for geometry contact surface (for surface
Section ID corrections; identification);
SECTYPE/SECDATA required SECTYPE/SECDATA may not be

needed
Contact Used for interaction definition; Mat ID = 0 (not used by contact
Element element)
Material ID Mat ID > 0 assigned as an
element attribute
Target Real ID > 0 for contact pair Real ID = 0 (not used by target
Element identification; element);
Rigid or deformable surface Unique Section ID > 0 for each rigid

surface
Interactions Based on Mat ID and Real ID of Defined via GCDEF command
and Contact contact element between two general contact
Controls surfaces (identified by Section IDs).
The material ID and real constant ID

supplied on the GCDEF command
identify properties associated with
the interaction but are not assigned
directly as element attributes.
Asymmetric KEYOPT(8) GCDEF,OPTION
Contact
Selection
Interface KEYOPT(12) TB,INTER,,,TBOP
Behaviors
and KEYOPT(9) TBDATA,,C1
Treatment
Contact/Target Real constants R1, R2 SECTYPE,,CONTACT,RADIUS
Radii
SECDATA,R1,R2
Contact Within each pair Among all general contact surfaces
Search
Contact ESURF command GCGEN command
Surface
Generation
Tool
General contact and pair-based contact definitions can coexist in a finite element model. For example,
you may choose to use pair-based contact to model contact interactions involving cohesive debonding
behavior, but model other contact interactions with a general contact definition.
Contact Overview
If both pair-based contact and general contact are defined in a model, the pair-based contact definitions
are always preserved, and the general contact definition automatically excludes overlapping interactions
wherever pair-based contact exists.
The pair-based contact definition is usually more efficient and robust than the general contact definition.
Some contact capabilities are not available with the general contact definition (see Features Not Sup-
ported by General Contact (p. 5)).
Following are advantages of general contact over pair-based contact:
• The general contact surfaces are formed automatically (see the GCGEN command) based on physical parts
and geometric shapes in the model. General contact fully identifies all possible contact (including self-contact)
and minimizes user intervention. This alleviates some of the problems you my encounter when using pair-
based contact (for example, the contact and target surfaces may not be extended enough to include all
potential contact regions, such as corners and edges, during deformations).
• Contact searching takes place among all general contact surfaces so that contact between multiple, very
thin layers is accounted for. For general contact, pinball radius is critical in some situations such as bonded
contact and initial interference fit.
• General contact, by default, automatically designates contact and target pairing for contact interactions.
The automatic asymmetric pairing logic is based mainly on the relative mesh refinement and material rigidity.
The logic is also applied to self-contact within a general contact surface. For example when a user-defined
surface overlays several unconnected parts, the self-contact implies contact between the parts as well as
contact of each part with itself.
• In a 3-D general contact definition, the surface-to-surface contact formulation (CONTA173 and CONTA174)
may be combined with the 3-D edge-to-surface formulation (CONTA177) and the 3-D vertex-to-surface
formulation CONTA175. CONTA173 and CONTA174 are used as the primary contact constraints and CONTA177
and CONTA175 are used as supplemental constraints. The additional 3-D edge-to-surface contact can more
accurately resolve contact involving feature edges of solid bodies and perimeter edges of shell structures
penetrating into other surfaces. The 3-D vertex-to-surface contact formulation is intended to prevent pen-
etrations between convex corners of solid bodies and shell surfaces, as well as the endpoints of beam
structures, into other surfaces.
1.2.1. Choosing Between Pair-Based Contact and General Contact

Most contact models can employ either the pair-based contact method or the general contact method.
It is up to you do decide which contact method suits your purposes. The main difference between the
two methods is in the input syntaxes. However, both definitions share the same contact algorithms.
Pair-based contact usually provides a more efficient and robust solution compared to the general contact
definition. General contact offers a highly-automated contact definition procedure with limited user
intervention. Therefore, the choice is a trade-off between ease of defining contact and solution robustness
and performance.
General contact is mainly useful for models in which determining contact pairs between many parts is
difficult or even impossible. However, if the identification of all potential contact interfaces is obvious,
using contact pairs is recommended.
Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact
1.2.2. Difference in Default Settings

Notable differences in default element settings (key options) between pair-based contact and general
contact are listed below. The general contact defaults apply when the GCGEN command is used to
create the general contact elements.
Control Parameter Pair-Based Contact Default General Contact Default

Degree of freedom User-specified Automatic based on the underlying
selection: elements
KEYOPT(1)
Contact algorithm: Augmented Lagrange method Penalty method
KEYOPT(2)
Asymetric contact No automatic pairing by default Automatic assignment of
selection: contact/target pairing for any two
surfaces coming into contact
KEYOPT(8)
Effect if initial Included (controlled by KEYOPT(9)) Excluded (controlled by TBDATA,,,C1
penetration/gap in conjunction with TB,INTER)
KEYOPT(9)
Beam/shell thickness Excluded Automatically included
effect:
KEYOPT(11)
For more information on default element key options for pair-based and general contact, see Defining
Non-Default Contact Settings (p. 160).
1.2.3. Features Not Supported by General Contact

The following contact features are not available in a general contact definition:
• Debonding and cohesive contact behavior (TB,CZM)
• Contact surface wear (TB,WEAR)
• Impact constraints (KEYOPY(7) = 4)
• Brake squeal analysis (CMROTATE)
• Fluid pressure penetration loading (SFE,,,PRES).
• 3-D thermal contact involving TBOT and TTOP degrees of freedom (KEYOPT(13))
• Rezoning
• Contact modeling for general axisymmetric solids and superelements
In addition, the Contact Wizard and the Contact Manager do not support general contact.
Contact Overview
1.3. Contact Element Capabilities

Five contact models are available: node-to-node, node-to-surface, surface-to-surface, line-to-line, and
line-to-surface. Each type of model uses a different set of contact elements and is appropriate for spe-
cific types of problems as shown in the following table:
Table 1.1: Contact Support
Note-to- Node-to- Surface-to-Surface Line-to- Line-to-

Node Surface Line Surface
Contact 178 175 171, 173, 176, 177
Element No. 172 174 177
Target -- 169, 169 170 170 170
Element No. 170
2-D Y Y Y -- -- --
3-D Y Y -- Y Y Y
Sliding small large large large large large
Cylindrical Y -- -- -- -- --
Gap
Spherical Gap Y -- -- -- -- --
Pure Y Y Y Y Y Y
Lagrange
Multiplier
Augmented Y Y Y Y Y Y
Lagrange
Multiplier
Lagrange Y Y Y Y Y Y
Multiplier on
Normal and
Penalty on
Tangent
Internal -- Y Y Y Y Y
Multipoint
Constraint
(MPC)
Contact semi-auto semi-auto semi-auto semi-auto semi-auto semi-auto
Stiffness
Auto-meshing EINTF ESURF ESURF ESURF ESURF ESURF
Tools for
Pair-Based
Contact
Auto-meshing -- GCGEN GCGEN GCGEN GCGEN GCGEN
Tools for [1]
General
Contact
Lower-Order Y Y Y Y Y Y
Contact Element Capabilities
Note-to- Node-to- Surface-to-Surface Line-to- Line-to-

Node Surface Line Surface
Contact 178 175 171, 173, 176, 177
Element No. 172 174 177
Target -- 169, 169 170 170 170
Element No. 170
Higher-Order -- Y (2-D Y Y Y Y
only)
Rigid-Flexible Y Y Y Y Y Y
Flexible-Flexible Y Y Y Y Y Y
Thermal Y Y Y Y -- --
Contact
Electric Y Y Y Y -- --
Contact
Magnetic -- Y Y Y -- --
Contact
Pore Fluid -- Y Y Y -- --
Contact
Diffusion -- Y Y Y -- --
Contact
1. GCGEN does not apply to CONTA176.
To model a contact problem, you first must identify the parts to be analyzed for their possible interaction.
If one of the interactions is at a point, the corresponding component of your model is a node. If one
of the interactions is at a surface, the corresponding component of your model is an element: either a
beam, shell, or solid element. The finite element model recognizes possible contact pairs by the presence
of specific contact elements. These contact elements are overlaid on the parts of the model that are
being analyzed for interaction. The various contact elements, and procedures for using them, are de-
scribed in this guide.
An overview of the contact elements and their capabilities follows. For detailed information on any of
these elements, refer to the Element Reference and the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.
1.3.1. Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements

Support is available for both rigid-to-flexible and flexible-to-flexible surface-to-surface contact elements.
These contact elements use a "target surface" and a "contact surface" to form a contact pair.
• The target surface is modeled with either TARGE169 or TARGE170 (for 2-D and 3-D, respectively).
• The contact surface is modeled with elements CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, and CONTA174.
To create a contact pair, assign the same real constant number to both the target and contact elements.
You can find more details on defining these elements and their shared real constant sets in Surface-to-
Surface Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 15).
These surface-to-surface elements are well-suited for applications such as interference fit assembly
contact or entry contact, forging, and deep-drawing problems. The surface-to-surface contact elements
have several advantages over the node-to-node element CONTA175. These elements:
Contact Overview
• Support lower and higher order elements on the contact and target surfaces (in other words, corner-
noded or midside-noded elements).
• Provide better contact results needed for typical engineering purposes, such as normal pressure and
friction stress contour plots.
• Have no restrictions on the shape of the target surface. Surface discontinuities can be physical or due
to mesh discretization.
• Allow modeling of fluid pressure penetration loads.
Using these elements for a rigid target surface, you can model straight and curved surfaces in 2-D and
3-D, often using simple geometric shapes such as circles, parabolas, spheres, cones, and cylinders. More
complex rigid forms or general deformable forms can be modeled using special preprocessing techniques
(see Defining the Target Surface (p. 19) for more information).
Surface-to-surface contact elements are not well-suited for point-to-point, point-to-surface, edge-to-
surface, or 3-D line-to-line contact applications, such as pipe whip or snap-fit assemblies. You should
use the node-to-surface, node-to-node, or line-to-line elements in these cases. You also can use surface-
to-surface contact elements for most contact regions and use a few node-to-surface contact elements
near contact corners.
The surface-to-surface contact elements only support general static and transient analyses, buckling,
harmonic, modal or spectrum analyses, or substructure analyses.
1.3.2. Node-to-Surface Contact Elements

CONTA175 is a node-to-surface contact element. It supports large sliding, large deformation, and different
meshes between the contacting components. Contact occurs when the element penetrates one of the
target segment elements (TARGE169, TARGE170) on a specified target surface. CONTA175 is typically
used to model point-to-surface contact applications, such as the corners of snap-fit parts sliding along
the mating surface.
You can also use CONTA175 to model surface-to-surface contact, if the contacting surface is defined
by a group of nodes and multiple elements are generated. The surfaces can be either rigid or deformable.
An example of this type of contact problem is a wire inserted into a slot.
Unlike the node-to-node contact elements, you do not need to know the exact location of the contacting
area beforehand, nor do the contacting components need to have a compatible mesh. Large deformation
and large relative sliding are allowed, although this capability can also model small sliding.
CONTA175 does not support 3-D higher-order elements on the contact surface side. The element can
fail if the target surface is severely discontinuous. No contour plots are available for contact results.
1.3.3. 3-D Line-to-Line Contact

The contact line element, CONTA177, is typically used to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact (crossing
beams or beams that are parallel to each other) or a pipe sliding inside another pipe. Some practical
applications are woven fabric and tennis racquet strings. The line-to-line element, CONTA176, is also
available for this type of modeling, but CONTA177 is preferred because it is a more versatile element.
CONTA177 can be attached to 3-D beam or pipe elements and supports both low-order and higher-
order elements on the contact surface. The target surface is modeled with 3-D line segments (TARGE170
straight line or parabolic line elements). This element supports large sliding and large displacement
Contact Element Capabilities
applications. For more information on how to use CONTA177, see 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact (Pair-
Based) (p. 113).
1.3.4. Line-to-Surface Contact

The contact line element, CONTA177, can be used to model a 3-D beam or shell edge contacting solid
or shell elements. It can also be used to model 3-D edge-to-edge contact.
CONTA177 supports both low-order and higher-order elements on the contact surface. The target surface
is modeled with 3-D target segment elements (TARGE170). This element is also suitable for large sliding
and large displacement applications. For more information on how to use CONTA177, see Line-to-Surface
Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 121).
1.3.5. Node-to-Node Contact Elements

Node-to-node contact elements, CONTA178, are typically used to model point-to-point contact applic-
ations. To use node-to-node contact elements, you need to know the location of contact beforehand.
These types of contact problems usually involve small relative sliding between contacting surfaces (even
in the case of geometric nonlinearities). An example of a node-to-node contact application is the tradi-
tional pipe whip model, where the contact point is always located between the pipe tip and the restraint.
Node-to-node contact elements can also be used to solve a surface-to-surface problem if the nodes of
the two surfaces line up, the relative sliding deformation is negligible, and deflections (rotations) of the
two surfaces remain small. These are typically problems with faceted and simple geometry. An interfer-
ence fit problem is an example of a surface-to-surface problem where the use of node-to-node contact
may be sufficient.
Another use of node-to-node contact elements is in extremely precise analysis of surface stresses, such
as in turbine blade analysis.
In addition to unidirectional contact behavior, CONTA178 offers a cylindrical gap option to model contact
between two parallel pipes with small relative sliding. (For large sliding applications, see 3-D Line-to-
Line Contact (p. 8).) The two pipes can be adjacent to one another, or one pipe can be inside of an-
other hollow pipe. Also, CONTA178 can model contact between two rigid spheres; this can be either
two adjacent spheres or one sphere inside of a hollow sphere.
Chapter 2: GUI Aids for Contact Analyses
Several GUI aids are available to help you create and manage contact pairs. The Contact Manager allows
you to define, view, and edit contact pairs. It provides a convenient way to manage all contact pairs
for your entire model. The Contact Wizard, which is accessed from the Contact Manager, leads you
through the process of creating contact pairs.
The following contact-related GUI topics are available:

2.1.The Contact Manager
2.2.The Contact Wizard
2.3. Managing Contact Pairs
2.1. The Contact Manager

You can access the Contact Manager via the Contact Manager icon in the ANSYS Standard Toolbar,
or via the menu path Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Contact Pair. The Contact Manager is available
at the Begin level and in the following processors: preprocessor (PREP7), solution (SOLU), and general
postprocessor (POST1).
The Contact Manager Toolbar provides an intuitive interface for the creation and management of contact
pairs. The manager supports surface-to-surface contact analysis (p. 15), node-to-surface contact analys-
is (p. 109) (using CONTA175), and the internal multipoint constraint (MPC) (p. 197) method of contact.
Note
The Contact Manager does not support general contact definitions.
Figure 2.1: Contact Manager Toolbar
• Contact Wizard - Accesses the Contact Wizard GUI described in The Contact Wizard (p. 12). Allows you
to manually define target and contact surfaces. Supports both 2-D and 3-D geometries as well as rigid-
flexible (with optional pilot node) or flexible-flexible contact. (Primitives are not supported by contact
wizard.) The wizard also supports surface-based constraint contact pairs.
• Contact Properties - Allows you to specify the properties of the contact pair(s) via real constants and
KEYOPTs for the contact elements used.
• Delete Contact Pairs - Deletes the contact pairs selected in the contact pair list.
• Contact Selection Options - Specifies display of contact elements, target elements, or both.
GUI Aids for Contact Analyses
• Plot Elements/Results - Displays the elements of selected contact pairs; or displays the contact results,
if available (POST1 only), specified in the Contact Results field for selected contact pairs. Results are
displayed if Model Context is specified as "Result-"; otherwise, elements are displayed. The display can
be limited to contact, or target, or both as specified in the Contact Selection Options field. (Note that
CONTA175 results will not display graphically, but can be listed with the List Elements/Results icon.)
• Show Normals - Specifies whether or not to display the normals on the elements when plotting contact
pairs
• Flip Normals - Flips the element normals of the selected contact pair. This action is limited to the ele-
ments specified in the Contact Selection Options field.
• Switch Contact and Target - Inverts the target surface and the contact surface with each other. This
is applicable only to flexible-to-flexible surface-to-surface contact pairs.
• List Elements/Results - Lists the elements of the selected contact pairs; or lists the contact results, if
available (POST1 only), specified in the Contact Results field for selected contact pairs. Results are listed
if Model Context is specified as "Result-"; otherwise, elements are listed. The listing is restricted to the
elements specified in the Contact Selection Options field.
• Model Context - Displays the contact pairs in the context of the entire model using a translucent plot,
or shows only the contact pairs. If set to "Result-" (POST1 only), controls display/listing of contact pair
results.
• Check Contact Status - Provides contact status information for selected contact pairs. Several options
are available (click and hold down the Check Contact Status button to access these options):
– Display a detailed listing of status information for each contact pair.
– Run a partial solution of the initial contact state (CNCHECK,POST command) that can be subsequently
postprocessed from the contact manager. (See CNCHECK for more information.)
– Physically move contact nodes to the target surface (CNCHECK,ADJUST command) in order to close
a gap or reduce a penetration (see Physically Moving Contact Nodes Towards the Target Sur-
face (p. 67).)
– Reset target element and contact element key options and real constants to their default values
(CNCHECK,RESET command).
• Contact Results - Shows the contact result items for subsequent viewing using the Plot Elements/Res-
ults and List Elements/Results icons.
The bar below the toolbar icons minimizes or maximizes the Contact Pair list box below it. The Contact
Pair list box displays the defined contact pairs. You can select contact pairs from this list for displaying
or editing purposes.
2.2. The Contact Wizard

This Contact Wizard leads you through the process of manually creating contact pairs. The wizard supports
rigid-flexible (with optional pilot node) and flexible-flexible contact, and supports both surface-to-surface
Managing Contact Pairs
and node-to-surface configurations. The Contact Wizard also supports surface-based constraint contact
pairs.
Note
The Contact Wizard does not support rigid target primitives, nor does it support general
contact definitions.
To use the Contact Wizard, access the Contact Manager Toolbar and click on the Contact Wizard icon.
The wizard steps you through setting up the contact analysis. Below is an example of the screens you
will see.
Figure 2.2: Example of a Contact Wizard Dialog
The Contact Wizard remains unavailable (dimmed) if you haven't meshed any portion of your model.
If you wish to create a rigid-flexible model, mesh only those parts of the model which will be used as
flexible contact surfaces (do not mesh the rigid target surfaces) before launching the wizard. If you wish
to create a flexible-flexible model, mesh all parts of the model which will be used as contact surfaces
(including target surfaces) before launching the wizard.
You can specify target and contact surfaces using lines, areas, volumes, selected set of nodes, or node
components. Note that the wizard allows you to choose more than one area for the target and contact
surfaces, thus allowing multiple areas to form a single contact surface. If you specify a rigid target surface,
you will then have the option to define a pilot node for that contact pair. (The pilot node step is man-
datory if you define a surface-based constraint contact pair by picking the Pilot Node Only option.)
After you specify the target and contact surfaces, you can specify properties of the contact pair (real
constants and KEYOPTs) before creating the contact pair. When you finish specifying all the required
data, click the Create button to create the contact and target element types, a unique real constant
set with the real constant values, and the elements that make up the contact and target surfaces.
2.3. Managing Contact Pairs

As discussed in Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 15) it is paramount that the contact elements
be oriented correctly for proper contact detection. The contact manager provides tools that help you
1. Verify that the normals of the contact and target surfaces are in the correct direction
GUI Aids for Contact Analyses
2. Reverse normals of elements that are not oriented correctly
You can choose to display one or more contact pairs on which to perform the above listed operations.
Then you have an additional option of only displaying the contact surface or the target surface when
verifying or reversing the element normals. In addition these elements can be displayed independently
or in the context of your entire model. In the later case the contact elements are highlighted in a
translucent plot of your model.
Another important function is to edit the properties of the contact pair(s) as needed. The properties
include real constant values and key option values as discussed earlier. The Contact Properties button
in the contact manager provides a simple to use interface that allows the properties of the selected
contact pair(s) to be reviewed and modified if needed.
Note that when you have multiple contact pairs, it is possible to have conflicts in the real constant
values or in the KEYOPT settings. When you have such conflicts, the properties dialog for those real
constants or KEYOPT settings is left blank.
Finally, you can display or list specific contact result items (contact status, penetration, pressure, etc.)
for the selected contact pairs. This option is only available in POST1, and only if a result set is available.
The contact results can be displayed independently or in the context of your entire model. (For CON-
TA175, results can be listed but not displayed graphically.)
Note
Prior to displaying or listing result items associated with the initial contact configuration
resulting from the CNCHECK,POST command, you need to issue the appropriate FILE and
SET,FIRST commands to read the results from the proper results file (see CNCHECK for details).
Chapter 3: Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based)
You can use the surface-to-surface contact elements to model either rigid-flexible or flexible-flexible
contact between surfaces. The Contact Manager provides an easy-to-use interface to help you construct
and manage contact definitions. You can access the manager via the Contact Manager icon in the
Standard Toolbar, or via the menu path Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Contact
Pair. See GUI Aids for Contact Analyses (p. 11) for more information on using the Contact Manager.
This chapter explains how to set up a pair-based surface-to-surface contact analysis using both the
command and GUI approaches. The following topics are available:
3.1. Using Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements
3.2. Steps in a Contact Analysis
3.3. Creating the Model Geometry and Mesh
3.4. Identifying Contact Pairs
3.5. Designating Contact and Target Surfaces
3.6. Defining the Target Surface
3.7. Defining the Deformable Contact Surface
3.8. Geometry Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces
3.9. Set the Real Constants and Element KEYOPTS
3.10. User-Defined Subroutines for Contact Interfacial Behaviors
3.11. Controlling the Motion of the Rigid Target Surface
3.12. Applying Necessary Boundary Conditions to the Deformable Elements
3.13. Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads
3.14. Defining Solution and Load Step Options
3.15. Solving the Problem
3.16. Reviewing the Results
The procedures described in this chapter also apply to node-to-surface contact analyses using CONTA175,
3-D beam-to-beam contact analyses using CONTA176 or CONTA177, and 3-D line-to-surface contact
using CONTA177 unless otherwise noted.
3.1. Using Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements

In problems involving contact between two boundaries, one of the boundaries is conventionally estab-
lished as the "target" surface, and the other as the "contact" surface. For rigid-flexible contact, the target
surface is always the rigid surface, and the contact surface is the deformable surface. For flexible-to-
flexible contact, both contact and target surfaces are associated with the deformable bodies. These two
surfaces together make up the "contact pair." Use TARGE169 with CONTA171, CONTA172, or CONTA175
to define a 2-D contact pair. For 3-D contact pairs, use TARGE170 with CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175,
CONTA176, or CONTA177. Each contact pair is identified via the same real constant number.
3.2. Steps in a Contact Analysis

Following are basic steps for performing a typical surface-to-surface contact analysis:
1. Create the model geometry and mesh (p. 16)
Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based)
2. Identify the contact pairs (p. 16)
3. Designate contact and target surfaces (p. 17)
4. Define the target surface (p. 19)
5. Define the contact surface (p. 26)
6. Set the element KEYOPTS and real constants (p. 34)
7. Define/control the motion of the target surface (rigid-to-flexible only) (p. 96)
8. Apply necessary boundary conditions (p. 97)
9. Apply fluid pressure-penetration loads (p. 98)
10. Define solution options and load steps (p. 103)
11. Solve the contact problem (p. 104)
12. Review the results (p. 105)
Each contact-specific step also has a corresponding GUI approach where you use functions and features
on the Contact Toolbar.
3.3. Creating the Model Geometry and Mesh

First, create solid model entities that represent the geometry of the contacting bodies. Set element
types, real constants, and material properties as you would for any analysis. Mesh the contacting bodies
by meshing the areas or volumes with the element type that you have chosen. For more information,
see the Modeling and Meshing Guide.
Command(s): AMESH, VMESH
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Meshing> Mesh
Note
You should avoid midside-noded elements for 3-D contact surfaces when using node-to-
surface element CONTA175.
3.4. Identifying Contact Pairs

You must identify where contact might occur during the deformation of your model. Once you've
identified potential contact surfaces, you define them via target and contact elements, which will then
track the kinematics of the deformation process. Target and contact elements that make up a contact
pair are associated with each other via a shared real constant set.
The contact zone can be arbitrary; however, for the most efficient solution (primarily in CPU time), you
may want to define smaller, localized contacting zones, but be sure your zones are adequate to capture
all necessary contact. Different contact pairs must be defined by a different real constant set, even if
the element real constant values do not change. There is no limit on the number of surfaces allowed.
Designating Contact and Target Surfaces
Figure 3.1: Localized Contact Zones
Depending on the geometry of the model (and the potential deformation), multiple target surfaces
could interact with the same zone of the contact surface. In such cases, you must define multiple contact
pairs (using multiple overlapping contact elements), each with its own real constant number. See Fig-
ure 3.1: Localized Contact Zones (p. 17).
The geometry-based contact pair generation tools (see the Contact Wizard (p. 12)) may create unneces-
sary contact and target elements which are never in contact during solution. For modeling small-sliding
contact or assembly contact, you can issue CNCHECK,TRIM to remove contact and target elements
which are initially in far-field (that is, open and not near contact). The trimming is based on the contact
pinball size (p. 70); the smaller the pinball radius, the greater the number of contact and target elements
that will be deleted. The contact trimming option is useful in Distributed ANSYS runs to achieve better
performance.
3.5. Designating Contact and Target Surfaces

Contact elements are constrained against penetrating the target surface. However, target elements can
penetrate through the contact surface. For rigid-to-flexible contact, the designation is obvious: the target
surface is always the rigid surface and the contact surface is always the deformable surface. For flexible-
to-flexible contact, the choice of which surface is designated contact or target can cause a different
amount of penetration and thus affect the solution accuracy. Consider the following guidelines when
designating the surfaces:
• If a convex surface is expected to come into contact with a flat or concave surface, the flat/concave
surface should be the target surface.
• If one surface has a fine surface mesh and, in comparison, the other has a coarse mesh, the fine mesh
should be the contact surface and the coarse mesh should be the target surface.
• If one surface is stiffer than the other, the softer surface should be the contact surface and the stiffer
surface should be the target surface.
• If higher-order elements underly one of the external surfaces and lower-order elements underly the
other surface, the surface with the underlying higher-order elements should be the contact surface
and the other surface should be the target. However, for 3-D node-to-surface contact, the lower-order
elements should be the contact surface. The higher-order elements should be the target surface.
• If one surface is markedly larger than the other surface, such as in the instance where one surface sur-
rounds the other surface, the larger surface should be the target surface.
• In the case of 3-D internal beam-to-beam contact modeled by CONTA176 or CONTA177 (a beam or
pipe sliding inside another hollow beam or pipe), the inner beam should be considered the contact
surface and the outer beam should be the target surface. However, when the inner beam is much stiffer
than the outer beam, the inner beam can be the target surface.
These guidelines are true for asymmetric contact; however, asymmetric contact may not perform satis-
factorily for your model. The following section details the difference between asymmetric and symmetric
contact and outlines some of the situations that require symmetric contact.
3.5.1. Asymmetric Contact vs. Symmetric Contact

The following topics related to asymmetric contact vs. symmetric contact are available:
3.5.1.1. Introduction
3.5.1.2. Using KEYOPT(8)
Asymmetric contact is defined as having all contact elements on one surface and all target elements
on the other surface. This is sometimes called "one-pass contact." This is usually the most efficient way
to model surface-to-surface contact. However, under some circumstances asymmetric contact does not
perform satisfactorily. In such cases, you can designate each surface to be both a target and a contact
surface. You can then generate two sets of contact pairs between the contacting surfaces (or just one
contact pair; for example, a self-contact case). This is known as symmetric contact (or "two-pass contact").
Obviously, symmetric contact is less efficient than asymmetric contact. However, many analyses will
require its use (typically to reduce penetration). Specific situations that require symmetric contact include
models where
• The distinction between the contact and target surfaces is not clear.
• Both surfaces have very coarse meshes. The symmetric contact algorithm enforces the contact constraint
conditions at more surface locations than the asymmetric contact algorithm.
If the meshes on both surfaces are identical and sufficiently refined, the symmetric contact algorithm
may not significantly improve performance and may, in fact, be more "expensive" in CPU time. In such
circumstances, pick one surface to be the target and the other the contact surface.
For a symmetric contact definition, the program may find one side of a contact surface as closed and
the other side of the surface as open. In this case, it can be difficult to interpret the results. The total
contact pressure acting on both sides is the average of the contact pressures on each side of the surface.
Defining the Target Surface

When there are several contact pairs involved in the model, and the graphical picking of contact and
target surfaces is difficult, you can just define the symmetric contact pairs and, by setting KEYOPT(8) =
2, the program will internally select which asymmetric pair is to be used at the solution stage based on
the guidelines mentioned above in Designating Contact and Target Surfaces (p. 17).
Note
In any contact model, you can mix different types of contact pairs: rigid-to-flexible or flexible-
to-flexible contact; symmetric contact or asymmetric contact. However, only one type can
exist with a contact pair.
3.6. Defining the Target Surface

The target surface can be 2-D or 3-D and either rigid or deformable. For deformable target surfaces,
you will normally use the ESURF command to generate the target elements along the boundaries of
an existing mesh. You can follow the same method to generate the deformable contact surface (see
Defining the Deformable Contact Surface (p. 26) for details). If you are modeling 3-D line-to-line contact
and the underlying elements are a part of shell edges, issue ESURF,,,LINE to generate 3-D line or parabola
segments along the shell edges.
You should not use the following rigid target segments for a deformable target surface: ARC, CARC,
CIRC, CYL1, CONE, SPHE, POINT, or PILO. For rigid target surfaces, the following provides general
guidelines.
In 2-D cases, the shape of the target surface is described by a sequence of straight lines, circular arcs,
and parabolas, all of which can be represented with the target segment element TARGE169. You can
use any combination to define the complex target surface geometry. In 3-D cases, the shape of the
target surfaces is described by a sequence of triangles, quadrilaterals, straight lines, parabolas, cylinders,
cones, and spheres, which can be represented with TARGE170. You can use any reasonable combination
of low/high-order triangles and quadrilaterals to model a target surface with a complex, arbitrary geo-
metry.
3.6.1. Pilot Nodes

The rigid target surface can also be associated with a "pilot node," which is really an element with one
node, whose motion governs the motion of the entire target surface. You can think of a pilot node as
a handle for the rigid target surface. Forces/moments or rotations/displacements for the entire target
surface usually should be prescribed on the pilot node. The pilot node can be one of the nodes on the
target element or a node at any arbitrary location. The location of the pilot node is important only when
rotation or moment loading is required.
3.6.2. Primitives
You can use circle, cylinder, cone, and sphere primitives to model the target (which require real constants
to define the radius). You can combine primitive segments with general segments (such as lines, para-
bolas, triangles, and quadrilaterals) to define a target surface. Primitives cannot be defined directly in
the Contact Wizard. The primitives do not support MPC based bonded or no-separation contact.
3.6.3. Element Types and Real Constants

Before generating the target element, first define the element type (TARGE169 for 2-D or TARGE170 for
3-D):
Command(s): ET
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Element Type> Add/Edit/Delete
3.6.3.1. Defining Target Element Geometry

You define characteristics of the target element geometry through real constants R1 and R2 as follows:
• For CONTA171 and CONTA172:
– R1 is the radius if the target shape (TARGE169) is a circle.
– R2 is the element thickness if the underlying element is a superelement set as plane stress with
thickness (KEYOPT(3) = 3). The default value is 1.
• For CONTA173 and CONTA174 (also applies to node-to-surface element CONTA175, and to line-to-
surface element CONTA177):
– R1 is the radius if the target shape (TARGE170) is a cylinder, cone, or sphere.
– R2 is the radius of a cone at the second node.
• For CONTA176, used to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact:
– R1 is the radius of circular beams on the target side (target radius). Use a positive value when mod-
eling external beam-to-beam contact. Use a negative value to represent the inner radius of the outer
beam (or pipe) when modeling internal beam-to-beam contact.
– R2 is the radius of circular beams on the contact side (contact radius). Use a positive value for both
external and internal beam-to-beam contact.
• When CONTA177 is used to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact:
– R1 is the radius of circular beams on the target side (target radius). Use a positive value in all cases
(external beam-to-beam contact and internal beam-to-beam contact). To model internal beam-to-
beam contact, set KEYOPT(9) = 1 for the associated TARGE170 element type and input R1 as the inner
radius of the outer beam.
– R2 is the radius of circular beams on the contact side (contact radius). Use a positive value for both
external and internal beam-to-beam contact.
To set the real constant number for the target elements:

Command(s): REAL
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Real Constants
For TARGE169 and TARGE170, you need only set real constants R1 and R2 (if required). For a complete
description of the target elements, element shapes, and real constants, see the description of TARGE169
and TARGE170 in the Element Reference.
Note
Specifying real constants (R1, R2) manually is necessary only if you use direct generation to
create your target elements, or if you model 3-D beam-to-beam contact with CONTA176 or
CONTA177 . You can also use the meshing tools to create the elements, or use the Contact
Manager Toolbar.
3.6.4. Using Direct Generation to Create Rigid Target Elements

To generate target elements directly, use the following command or GUI path:
Command(s): TSHAP
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements> Elem Attributes
You then specify the element shape. Possible shapes are:
• Straight line (2-D and 3-D)
• Parabola (2-D and 3-D)
• Clockwise arc (2-D)
• Counterclockwise arc (2-D)
• Circle (2-D)
• Three-node triangle (3-D)
• Six-node triangle (3-D)
• Four-node quadrilateral (3-D)
• Eight-node quadrilateral (3-D)
• Cylinder (3-D)
• Cone (3-D)
• Sphere (3-D)
• Point (2-D or 3-D)
• Pilot node (2-D and 3-D)
Once you specify a target element shape, all subsequent elements will have that shape until you specify
another shape.
Note
You cannot mix 2-D and 3-D target elements on the same target surface.
You cannot mix rigid target elements with deformable target elements on the same target
surface. During solution, the program assigns a deformable status to target elements with
underlying elements and assigns a rigid status to target elements without underlying elements.
If a portion of the underlying elements of a deformable surface are deleted, an error will
occur in solution.
You can generate the nodes and elements using standard direct-generation techniques. For more in-
formation on direct generation modeling techniques, see Direct Generation in the Modeling and Meshing
Guide.
Command(s): N, E
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Nodes
Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements
You can then verify your element shapes by listing the elements.
Command(s): ELIST
GUI: Utility Menu> List> Elements> Nodes + Attributes
3.6.5. Using Meshing Tools to Create Rigid Target Elements

You can allow the program generate the elements automatically using standard meshing capabilities.
The program recognizes the proper target element shape based on the solid model and ignores the
TSHAP setting.
To generate a pilot node, use the following command or GUI path:

Command(s): KMESH
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Meshing> Mesh> Keypoints
Note
KMESH always creates pilot nodes.
To generate POINT segments, use the Direct Generation method or use ESURF,,,POINT command on
selected nodes.
To generate 2-D rigid target elements or 3-D rigid line/parabola segments, use the following command
or GUI path. The program creates a single line over each line, parabolic segments over B-splines, and
arc segments over each arc and line fillet (see Figure 3.2: Geometric Entities and Their Corresponding
Rigid Target Elements (p. 23)). If all the arcs form a closed circle, the program creates a single circular
segment (see Figure 3.3: A Single Circular Target Segment Created From Arc Line Segments (p. 23)).
However, if the arcs that form a closed circle are created from imported or archived geometry (such as
IGES), the program might not create a single circular segment.
Command(s): LMESH
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Meshing> Mesh> Lines
Figure 3.2: Geometric Entities and Their Corresponding Rigid Target Elements
Figure 3.3: A Single Circular Target Segment Created From Arc Line Segments
To generate 3-D rigid target elements, use the following command or GUI path.
Command(s): AMESH
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Meshing> Mesh> Areas
If the surface segments on the solid model form a complete sphere, cylinder, or cone, then the program
automatically generates a single primitive 3-D target element through the AMESH command. By creating
fewer elements, the analysis becomes more computationally efficient. For arbitrary surfaces, you should
use AMESH to generate target elements. In these cases, the quality of the meshed target shape is not
important. It is more important that the target elements represent the rigid surface geometry well.
We recommend using mapped meshing on all possible areas. If there is no curvature on the edges of
the surface, assign one division on that edge. TARGE169 with a rigid specification will always mesh with
one element division, per line, ignoring any LESIZE setting. The default target element shape is quadri-
lateral. If you want a triangular target element shape, use MSHAPE,1. Figure 3.4: Meshing Patterns for
Arbitrary Target Surfaces (p. 24) shows the meshing patterns for arbitrary target surfaces. The following
command or GUI path will generate a mapped mesh wherever possible (otherwise, if not possible, it
will generate a free mesh).
Command(s): MSHKEY,2
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Meshing> Mesh> Areas> Target Surf
If the target surface is flat (or nearly flat), you may select low-order target elements (3-node triangular
or 4-node quadrilateral elements). If the target surface is curved you should select high-order target
elements (6-node triangular or 8-node quadrilateral). By doing so, set KEYOPT(1) = 1 in the target element
definition.
Note
Low-order target elements result in "cheaper" CPU usage in getting penetration and gap;
however, the meshed surface may not be smooth. Higher-order target elements are more
"expensive" to use in getting the penetration and gap, but they need many fewer elements
to discretize the whole curved target surface.
Note
If target elements are created via program meshing (through the KMESH, LMESH, or ESURF
commands) the TSHAP command is ignored and the program chooses the correct shape
codes automatically.
Figure 3.4: Meshing Patterns for Arbitrary Target Surfaces
3.6.5.1. Some Modeling and Meshing Tips

A target surface can be made up of two or more disconnected regions. Where possible, you should
localize the contact zone by defining multiple target surfaces (each with a different real constant
number). There are no restrictions on the shape of the rigid surfaces. Smoothing is not required. However,
you must ensure that the mesh discretization of the curved surfaces on the rigid target surface is ad-
equate. Excessively coarse discretization can cause numerical convergence problems. It can be difficult
to obtain a converged solution in a large sliding simulation if the target surface has sharp convex
corners. To avoid such modeling problems, use line or area fillet functions on the solid model to smooth
out the sharp corner, use a more refined mesh, or use high-order element in the region of abrupt
curvature changes (see Figure 3.5: Smoothing Convex Corner (p. 25)).
Figure 3.5: Smoothing Convex Corner
3.6.5.2. Verifying Nodal Number Ordering (Contact Direction) of Target Surface

The node order of the target surface elements is critical because it defines contact direction. For 2-D
contact, the associated (deformable) contact elements must lie to the right of the target surface when
moving from the first node to the second node along the target surface line (see Figure 3.6: Correct
Node Ordering (p. 25)).
Figure 3.6: Correct Node Ordering
For 3-D contact, the target element numbering should be such that the rigid surface's outward normal
points toward the contact surface. The outward normal is determined by the right-hand rule.
For 3-D line segments, the target nodes must be numbered in a sequence that defines a continuous
line. The line can be made up of linear or parabolic segments, depending on whether the underlying
beam is made up of first order or second order elements.
To check the direction of the normals, turn on the element coordinate systems.
Command(s): /PSYMB,ESYS,1
GUI: Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Symbols
If the element normals do not point toward the contact surface, select this element and reverse the
direction of the surface normals.
Command(s): ESURF,,REVE
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements> Surf/Contact> Surf to Surf
or, reorient the element normals:

Command(s): ENORM
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Move/Modify> Elements> Shell Normals
Note
Contact on target primitives (such as a complete circle, cylinder, cone, or sphere), can occur
only on the outside surfaces of such target bodies.
3.7. Defining the Deformable Contact Surface

To create the deformable contact surface, you must define that surface using one of the following
contact elements:
• CONTA171 or CONTA172 (for 2-D)
• CONTA173 or CONTA174 (for 3-D)
• CONTA175 (for 2- or 3-D)
• CONTA176 or CONTA177 (for 3-D line)
The contact surface is defined by the set of contact elements that make up the surface of the deformable
body. These contact elements have the same geometric characteristics as the underlying elements of
the deformable body. The contact surface elements are of the same order as the underlying elements
(lower- or higher-order), with compatible nodes along the edges. The higher-order contact elements
can match lower-order underlying elements by dropping the midside nodes. The underlying elements
can be solid, shell, beam, or pipe elements. The contact surface can be on either side of the shell or
beam elements. The underlying elements may also be a superelement. However, axisymmetric harmonic
elements may not be used as underlying elements.
As with the target surface elements, you must define the contact surface element type, then select the
correct real constant number (the real constant number must be the same as the one used for the target
surface for each contact pair), and finally generate the elements.
3.7.1. Element Type

The four surface-to-surface contact element types are shown in the figure below, followed by a brief
description of each element. For complete information on these element types, see the Element Reference.
Defining the Deformable Contact Surface
Figure 3.7: Contact Element Types
• CONTA171: This is a 2-D, 2-node, lower order line element that can be located on the surfaces of 2-D solid,
shell, or beam elements (such as SHELL208).
• CONTA172: This is a 2-D, 3-node, higher order parabolic element that can be located on the surfaces of 2-D
solid or beam elements with midside nodes (such as PLANE183).
• CONTA173: This is a 3-D, 4-node, lower order quadrilateral element that can be located on the surfaces of
3-D solid or shell elements (such as SHELL181). It can be degenerated to a 3-node triangular element.
• CONTA174: This is a 3-D, 8-node, higher order quadrilateral element that can be located on the surfaces of
3-D solid or shell elements with midside nodes (such as SHELL281). It can be degenerated to 3- to 7-node
quadrilateral/triangular shapes.
The following elements can also be defined using the method described here.
• CONTA175: This is a 2- or 3-D, 1-node element that can be located on the surface of 2-D lower order and
higher order solid or beam elements or 3-D lower order solid or shell elements. Use CONTA175 for node-to-
surface contact.
• CONTA176: This is a 3-D line element that can be located on the surface of 3-D beam and pipe elements.
The element can be a 2-node line or a 3-node parabola, depending on whether the underlying element is
lower or higher order. Use CONTA176 to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact.
• CONTA177: This is a 3-D line element that can be located on the surface of 3-D beam and pipe elements,
on the edge of 3-D shell elements, or on the feature edge of 3-D solid elements. The element can be a 2-
node line or a 3-node parabola, depending on whether the underlying element is lower or higher order.
Use CONTA177 to model 3-D line-to-surface contact or 3-D beam-to-beam (or edge-to-edge) contact.
Use the following command to define the contact element type.

Command(s): ET
3.7.2. Real Constants and Material Properties

After defining the element type, you need to select the correct real constant set (REAL command). The
real constant set for each contact surface must be the same one used for the corresponding target
surface for each contact pair. Each contact pair must reference its own real constant number.
The program uses the material properties of the underlying elements to calculate an appropriate contact
(or penalty) stiffness. The program automatically defines a default value for tangent (sliding) contact
stiffness that is proportional to MU and the normal stiffness. If the underlying element is a superelement,
the material property set for the contact elements must be the same as that of the original structural
elements used during the formation of the superelement.
Use the MP command to define the following contact element material properties:
• MU - coefficient of friction
• EMIS - emissivity (for thermal contact)
• DMPR - constant structural damping coefficient
3.7.3. Generating Contact Elements

You can generate contact elements either through direct generation or by generating the surface
automatically from the exterior faces of the underlying elements. We recommend that you use automatic
generation; this approach is simpler and more reliable.
To automatically generate contact elements, follow these steps:
1. Select the nodes on the meshed deformable body. For each surface, view the node list. If you are
certain that particular nodes will never come into contact, you can omit those nodes and reduce CPU
time. However, you should always include more nodes than you think you'll need so that you don't
miss unexpected areas of contact.
Command(s): NSEL
GUI: Utility Menu> Select> Entities
2. Generate the contact elements.

Command(s): ESURF
If the contact surface is attached to areas or volumes that are meshed with solid elements, the
program automatically determines the outward normal needed for contact calculations. If the
underlying elements are beam or shell elements, you must indicate which surface (top or bottom)
is the target surface.
Command(s): ESURF,,TOP or BOTTOM
Use the TOP setting (default) to generate contact elements with their outward normals the
same as the beam or shell elements' normals. Use the BOTTOM setting to generate contact
elements with their outward normals opposite the beam or shell elements' normals. You must
make sure that all elements in the beam or shell element selection have their normals consist-
ently oriented. If the underlying elements are solid elements, then the TOP or BOTTOM setting
has no effect.
Geometry Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces
3. Check the direction of the outward normals for the contact elements. The direction of the contact
surface's outward normal is critical for proper contact detection. For 3-D surface-to-surface contact
elements CONTA173 and CONTA174, the node numbering follows the right hand rule to define its
outward normal. The contact surface's outward normal should point toward the target surface. Other-
wise, the program may detect over-penetration of the surfaces at the beginning of the analysis and
have difficulty finding an initial solution. In most of these cases, the analysis will fail immediately. For
the 3-D line-to-line contact element CONTA176 and the 3-D line-to-surface contact element CONTA177,
the contact nodes must be ordered in a sequence that defines a continuous line. Figure 3.8: Specific-
ation of the Contact Surface's Outward Normal (p. 29) illustrates both proper and improper specification
of the contact surface's outward normal.
Command(s): /PSYMB,ESYS
GUI: Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Symbols
Figure 3.8: Specification of the Contact Surface's Outward Normal
If the surface normals are specified incorrectly, you must either change them by reversing the
node number order of the selected elements.
Command(s): ESURF,,REVE
Or, you can reorient the element normals.

Command(s): ENORM
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Move/Modify> Elements> Shell Normals
Note
ESURF,,TOP or BOTTOM and checking the direction of outward normals will not apply to
node-to-surface contact (CONTA175) because it is a single-node element with no surface
normal associated with it.
3.8. Geometry Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces

Two types of geometry correction are available:
3.8.1. Surface Smoothing
3.8.2. User-Defined Contact Surface Normal
3.8.3. Simplified Bolt Thread Modeling
3.8.1. Surface Smoothing

In general, curved contact and target surfaces can be well approximated by linear (lower order) or
quadratic (higher order) contact and target elements when the mesh is sufficiently refined. However,
in certain circumstances this is not the case; for example, when linear elements are used or when the
midside nodes of quadratic elements do not lie exactly on the initial curved geometry because a third
party mesh generator was used. Thus, in some contact applications, using a faceted surface in place of
the true curved geometry can significantly affect the accuracy of contact stresses.
To avoid this problem, you can use an optional geometric correction for circular segments and for
spherical and revolute (cylindrical) surfaces via SECTYPE and SECDATA section commands. Geometry
correction is available for surface-to-surface contact elements; TARGE169, TARGE170, CONTA171, CON-
TA172, CONTA173, and CONTA174.
A circular correction can be applied to 2-D segments approximating a portion of a circular (or nearly
circular) arc. Use the commands:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,CIRCLE
SECDATA,X0,Y0 ! circle center location in global Cartesian coordinates (XY plane)
A spherical correction can be applied to surfaces approximating a portion of a sphere (or nearly a
sphere). Use the commands:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,SPHERE
SECDATA,X0,Y0,Z0 ! sphere center location in global Cartesian coordinates
A revolute (cylindrical) correction can be applied to surfaces approximating a portion of a revolution

(or nearly a revolution), such as a cylinder or cone. Use the commands:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,CYLINDER
SECDATA,X1,Y1,Z1,X2,Y2,Z2 ! location of two ends of cylindrical axis in global Cartesian coordinates
The circular correction requires that you specify the circle's center location in global Cartesian coordinates.
The spherical correction requires that you specify the sphere's center location in global Cartesian co-
ordinates. The cylindrical correction requires that you input the axis of revolution in global Cartesian
coordinates.
The defined geometry correction can be applied to specific contact and target elements via a section
ID. Use the SECNUM command prior to creating contact and target elements to associate the elements
with a particular section ID, or use the EMODIF command to assign a section ID to existing elements.
You can apply more than one geometry correction to the same contact or target surface. In the peg
and slot example below, the peg is one contact surface. Two geometry corrections are applied to this
contact surface: a revolute correction on the conical body and a spherical correction on the spherical
tip. The cylindrical slot (target surface) requires only a revolute correction.
Figure 3.9: Geometry Correction Applied to Revolute and Spherical Surfaces
spherical correction revolute correction
Original model configuration Finite element model showing results
This geometry correction technique assumes that the initial locations of the contact or target element
corner nodes (but not necessarily the midside nodes of quadratic elements) lie on the true initial surface
geometry. Geometry correction is most beneficial for small deflection analyses (small or large sliding).
3.8.2. User-Defined Contact Surface Normal

When solving an interference fit problem, the shift direction may not follow the contact surface normal.
In this case, you can use the SECTYPE and SECDATA commands to specify a user-defined contact surface
normal:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,NORMAL ! Set Type = CONTACT and Subtype = Normal for user-defined contact normal
SECDATA,CSYS,NX,NY,NZ ! Section data for user defined contact normal
where
CSYS = Number identifying the local coordinate system in which the direction cosines are specified;
if blank, defaults to the global Cartesian system.
NX, NY, NZ = Normal cosines of the shift direction with respect to CSYS.
The figure below demonstrates a situation in which specifying a contact normal can improve convergence.
By default, point C on the contact surface would follow the default contact normal direction. However,
the convergence improves significantly if point C follows the user-defined contact surface normal (the
shift direction) instead.
The user-defined contact surface normal is available for the following contact elements: CONTA171,
CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, and CONTA175. For more information, see Modeling Interference
Fit (p. 66).
Figure 3.10: User-Defined Contact Surface Normal (Shift Direction)
3.8.3. Simplified Bolt Thread Modeling

When simulating bolts, detailed modeling of the bolt threads may not be practical since it requires a
refined mesh discretization on both the bolt and the bolt hole in order to accurately model the thread
geometry and achieve solution convergence. This detailed mesh discretization can also be computationally
expensive. For system level modeling where the primary bolt function is to transfer a load, the thread
detail is sometimes not necessary.
The bolt thread modeling technique available via the contact elements allows you to include the beha-
vior of bolt threads without the added thread geometry and mesh discretization detail. Calculations
are performed internally to approximate the behavior of the bolts. This feature offers simplified modeling
with the near accuracy of a true threaded-bolt model. Bolt thread modeling is available for contact
elements CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, and CONTA175.
This technique can be applied to a 3-D model or a 2-D axisymmetric model. The mesh discretization of
the threads is not needed. Instead, you model smooth cylindrical surfaces on both the bolt and the
bolt hole geometries, which helps to ensure good quality element meshes. The contact normal is
computed internally based on the user-specified thread geometry data and the two end points of the
bolt axis. The following figure shows a bolt geometry with the primary parameters needed to define
the thread.
Figure 3.11: Bolt Thread Dimensions
Pitch
dm
dr
d (x 2, y 2, z 2 ) (x1 , y 1, z 1)
Thread
A
Bolt Geometry HoleGeometry
Use the section commands SECTYPE and SECDATA to input the required data:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,BOLT
SECDATA,Dm,P,ALPHA,N,X1,Y1,Z1,X2,Y2,Z2
where
Dm = Mean pitch diameter, dm
P = Pitch distance, p
ALPHA = Half-thread angle, α
N = Number of starts (defaults to 1)
X1, Y1, Z1, X2, Y2, Z2 = Two end points of the bolt axis in global Cartesian coordinates
Use the SECNUM command to associate the contact elements with a particular section ID, or use the
EMODIF command to assign a section ID to existing contact elements. Assign the section ID only to
the contact elements on the thread region of the bolt geometry.
Either the bolt or bolt hole can be the contact surface. However, it is highly recommended that you
apply the contact surface to the bolt and the target surface to the bolt hole.
Symmetric contact (p. 18) should not be used for bolt thread modeling. If symmetric contact is defined,
the program will assume asymmetric contact and will usually select the bolt surface as the contact
surface.
The value of the mean pitch diameter, dm, should be between the values of the major diameter (d) and
the minor diameter (dr); see Figure 3.11: Bolt Thread Dimensions (p. 33) for details. If you only know
the major diameter, you can input a rough estimation for the mean pitch diameter by using this equation:
dm = d - 0.65p
In order to achieve better accuracy, the mesh size over the thread region should be smaller than a
quarter of the pitch distance, p. The half-thread angle, α, should be smaller than 90 degrees and larger
than 0 degrees (α defaults to 30 degrees). The number of thread starts, n, defaults to 1 for a single-
threaded bolt; specify n = 2 for a double-threaded bolt. For a 3-D contact model, input a positive half-
thread angle for the right-hand thread and input a negative angle for the left-hand thread.
Either a general bolt-thread model or an unidirectional bolt-thread model can be defined. Input a pos-
itive mean pitch diameter dm for a general bolt thread model in which contact can occur on both side
of the threads (the bolt is either in compression or in tension); input a negative mean pitch diameter
dm for the unidirectional bolt-thread model.
Specify X1, Y1, Z1 and X2, Y2, Z2 in Global Cartesian coordinates for the two end points of the axis of
the bolt. For any 2-D axisymmetric model, X1 = Z1 = X2 = Z2 = 0 must be specified. The order of the
two end points is not important for the general bolt thread model. However, it must be chosen appro-
priately for the unidirectional bolt thread model. The vector (from the first point to the second point)
should be oriented to point from the tip of the bolt to the head of the bolt if the bolt is in tension. The
bolt axis should be flipped (that is, from the head to the tip) if the bolt is in compression. Contact may
not be engaged if an incorrect bolt axis direction is specified. You should always check the stresses in
the bolt to make sure that the contact surface is correctly constrained if the unidirectional bolt thread
model is defined.
Keep the following points in mind when using this bolt thread modeling technique:
• The diameter used for the mesh discretization of the bolt and nut bodies should follow the true geometry
of the bolt-thread structure. In general, the solid model is based on the major diameter d, which is the
diameter of the non-threaded surface.
• The implementation of bolt thread modeling is based on a small strain formulation. The solution accuracy
may be affected when the bolt rotates by a relatively large angle with respect to its original position.
• This technique is valid only for standard straight threads. It is not applicable for nonstandard threads
(such as tapered threads and buttress threads).
• The maximum stress in the thread region may vary with mesh density. However, the overall stress dis-
tribution remains similar in pattern.
• Using Gauss point as the location of contact detection (KEYOPT(4) = 0) is not recommended unless the
mesh is sufficiently refined.
• Using nodal point, normal to target, as the location of contact detection (KEYOPT(4) = 2) is not recom-
mended.
3.9. Set the Real Constants and Element KEYOPTS

The program uses real constants and KEYOPTs to control contact behavior using surface-to-surface
contact elements. For more information in addition to what is presented here, refer to the individual
contact element descriptions in the Element Reference.
If you decide the real constant and KEYOPT settings you have specified for a particular contact pair are
not appropriate, you can use the CNCHECK,RESET command to reset all values back to their default
settings. Some real constants and key options are not affected by this command; see CNCHECK for
details.
In many cases, certain default settings may not be appropriate for your specific model. You can issue
the CNCHECK,AUTO command to obtain optimized KEYOPT and real constant settings in terms of ro-
bustness and efficiency. Usually, only the undefined or default KEYOPT settings and real constants are
changed. Refer to the CNCHECK command description for details of which settings are typically changed.
You should always verify these changes by issuing the CNCHECK,DETAIL command to list current contact
pair properties. If necessary, you can overwrite the optimized settings by redefining specific KEYOPTs
(KEYOPT command) and real constants (RMODIF command).
The following related topics are available:

3.9.1. Real Constants
3.9.2. Element KEYOPTS
3.9.3. Selecting a Contact Algorithm (KEYOPT(2))
Set the Real Constants and Element KEYOPTS
3.9.4. Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration

3.9.5. Choosing a Friction Model
3.9.6. Selecting Location of Contact Detection
3.9.7. Selecting a Sliding Behavior
3.9.8. Adjusting Initial Contact Conditions
3.9.9. Modeling Interference Fit
3.9.10. Physically Moving Contact Nodes Towards the Target Surface
3.9.11. Determining Contact Status and the Pinball Region
3.9.12. Avoiding Spurious Contact in Self Contact Problems
3.9.13. Selecting Surface Interaction Models
3.9.14. Modeling Contact with Superelements
3.9.15. Applying Contact Stabilization Damping
3.9.16. Modeling Interface Damping in Assembled Structures
3.9.17. Accounting for Thickness Effect
3.9.18. Using Time Step Control and Impact Constraints
3.9.19. Using the Birth and Death Option
3.9.1. Real Constants

Use the R and RMORE commands to define real constants. The first two real constants, R1 and R2, are
used to define the geometry of the target surface elements. The remaining are used by the contact
surface elements.
• R1 and R2 (p. 20) define the target element geometry.
• FKN (p. 45) defines a normal contact stiffness factor.
• FTOLN (p. 44) is a factor based on the thickness of the element which is used to calculate allowable
penetration.
• ICONT (p. 59) defines an initial closure factor (or adjustment band).
• PINB (p. 70) defines a "pinball" region.
• PMIN and PMAX (p. 59) define an allowable penetration range for initial penetration.
• TAUMAX (p. 51) specifies the maximum contact friction.
• CNOF (p. 59) specifies the positive or negative offset value applied to the contact surface.
• FKOP (p. 72) specifies the stiffness factor applied when contact opens.
• FKT (p. 45) specifies the tangent contact stiffness factor.
• COHE (p. 51) specifies the cohesion sliding resistance.
• TCC (p. 128) specifies the thermal contact conductance coefficient.
• FHTG (p. 131) specifies the fraction of frictional dissipated energy converted into heat.
• SBCT (p. 130) specifies the Stefan-Boltzmann constant.
• RDVF (p. 130) specifies the radiation view factor.
• FWGT specifies the weight factor for the distribution of heat between the contact and target surfaces
for thermal contact (p. 131) or for electric contact (p. 134).
• ECC (p. 133) specifies the electric contact conductance or capacitance per unit area.
• FHEG (p. 134) specifies the fraction of electric dissipated energy converted into heat.
• FACT (p. 51) specifies the ratio of static to dynamic coefficients of friction.
• DC (p. 51) specifies the decay coefficient for static/dynamic friction.
• SLTO (p. 45) controls maximum sliding distance when MU is nonzero and the tangent contact stiffness
(FKT) is updated at each iteration (KEYOPT(10) = 0 or 2) or when KEYOPT(2) = 3.
• TNOP (p. 50) specifies the maximum allowable tensile contact pressure.
• TOLS (p. 55) adds a small tolerance that extends the edge of the target surface.
• MCC (p. 135) specifies the magnetic contact permeance (3-D only).
• PPCN (p. 101) specifies the pressure-penetration criterion (surface contact elements only).
• FPAT (p. 101) specifies the fluid penetration acting time (surface contact elements only).
• COR specifies the coefficient of restitution for impact between rigid bodies using impact constraints
(KEYOPT(7) = 4).
• STRM (p. 59) specifies load step number for ramping penetration.
• FDMN (p. 78) specifies the stabilization damping factor in the normal direction.
• FDMT (p. 78) specifies the stabilization damping factor in the tangential direction.
• FDMD (p. 54) specifies the destabilizing squeal damping factor (3-D only).
• FDMS (p. 54) specifies the stabilizing squeal damping factor (3-D only).
• TBND (p. 74) specifies the critical bonding temperature.
• WBID is an internal contact pair ID (used only by the Results Tracker in Workbench Mechanical)
• PCC specifies the pore fluid contact permeability coefficient.
• PSEE specifies the pore fluid seepage.
• ABPP specifies the ambient pore pressure.
• FPFT specifies the gap pore fluid flow participation factor.
• FPWT specifies the gap pore fluid flow distribution weighting factor.
• DCC specifies the diffusivity coefficient.
• DCON specifies the diffusive convection coefficient.
• ABDC specifies the ambient concentration.
Real constant defaults can vary depending on the environment you are working in. The following table
compares the program default values with those of the ANSYS Workbench product. See your ANSYS
sales representative for more information about ANSYS Workbench.
Table 3.1: Summary of Real Constant Defaults in Different Environments
Real Constants Description ANSYS ANSYS

Mechanical Workbench
APDL Default
Default
No. Name
1 R1 [5] Radius associated with target 0 n/a
geometry
Target radius (CONTA176 and Calculated
CONTA177) by
program
2 R2 [5] Radius associated with target 0 n/a
geometry
Superelement thickness 1
Contact radius (CONTA176 and Calculated
CONTA177) by
program
3 FKN Normal penalty stiffness factor 1 [1]
4 FTOLN Penetration tolerance factor 0.1 0.1
5 ICONT Initial contact closure 0 0
6 PINB Pinball region [2] [2]
7 PMAX Upper limit of initial penetration 0 0
8 PMIN Lower limit of initial penetration 0 0
9 TAUMAX Maximum friction stress 1.00E+20 1.00E+20
10 CNOF Contact surface offset 0 0
11 FKOP Contact opening stiffness 1 1
12 FKT Tangent penalty stiffness factor 1 1
13 COHE Contact cohesion 0 0
14 TCC Thermal contact conductance 0 [3]
15 FHTG Frictional heating factor 1 1
16 SBCT Stefan-Boltzmann constant 0 n/a
17 RDVF Radiation view factor 1 n/a
18 FWGT Heat distribution weighing factor 0.5 0.5
19 ECC Electric contact conductance 0 [7]
20 FHEG Joule dissipation weighting factor 1 n/a
21 FACT Static/dynamic ratio 1 1
22 DC Exponential decay coefficient 0 0
23 SLTO Allowable elastic slip 1% 1%
Real Constants Description ANSYS ANSYS

Mechanical Workbench
APDL Default
Default
No. Name
24 TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact [6] [6]
pressure
25 TOLS Target edge extension factor [4] [4]
26 MCC Magnetic contact permeance 0 n/a
27 PPCN Pressure-penetration criterion 0 n/a
28 FPAT Fluid penetration acting time 0.01 n/a
29 COR Coefficient of restitution 1 1
30 STRM Load step number for ramping 1 1
penetration
31 FDMN Normal stabilization damping factor 1 n/a
32 FDMT Tangential stabilization damping 0.001 n/a
factor
33 FDMD Destabilizing squeal damping factor 1 n/a
34 FDMS Stabilizing squeal damping factor 0 n/a
35 TBND Critical bonding temperature n/a n/a
36 WBID Internal contact pair ID (used only n/a Internal
by the Results Tracker in Workbench pair ID
Mechanical)
37 PCC Pore fluid contact permeability 0 n/a
coefficient
38 PSEE Pore fluid seepage coefficient 0 n/a
39 ABPP Ambient pore pressure 0 n/a
40 FPFT Gap pore fluid flow participation 0 n/a
factor
41 FPWT Gap pore fluid flow distribution 0.5 n/a
weighting factor
42 DCC Contact diffusivity coefficient 0 n/a
43 DCON Diffusive convection coefficient 0 n/a
44 ABDC Ambient concentration 0 n/a
1. FKN = 10 for bonded. For all other, FKN = 1.0, but if bonded and other contact behavior exists, FKN = 1 for
all.
2. Depends on contact behavior (p. 72) (rigid vs. flex target), NLGEOM,ON or OFF, KEYOPT(9) setting, KEY-
OPT(12) setting, and the value of CNOF (see Defining the Pinball Region (PINB) (p. 71)).
3. Calculated as a function of highest conductivity and overall model size.
4. 10% of target length for NLGEOM,OFF.
2% of target length for NLGEOM,ON.
5. R1 and R2 are used to define the contact or target element geometry for pair-based contact. See Defining
Target Element Geometry (p. 20) and the target element descriptions (TARGE169 and TARGE170) for details
on how they are used for different geometries.
6. TNOP defaults to the force convergence tolerance divided by contact area at contact nodes.
7. Calculated as a function of lowest resistivity and overall model size.
3.9.1.1. Positive and Negative Real Constant Values

For the real constants FKN, FTOLN, ICONT, PINB, PMAX, PMIN, FKOP, FKT, SLTO, TNOP, FDMN, and FDMT,
you can specify either a positive or negative value. The program interprets a positive value as a scaling
factor and interprets a negative value as the absolute value. The program uses the depth of the under-
lying element as the reference value to be used for ICONT, FTOLN, PINB, PMAX, and PMIN. For example,
a positive value of 0.1 for ICONT indicates an initial closure factor of 0.1 x depth of the underlying ele-
ment. However, a negative value of 0.1 indicates an actual adjustment band of 0.1 units. Contact related
settings (ICONT, FTOLN, PINB, PMAX, PMIN, FKN, FKT, SLTO) are always averaged across all contact ele-
ments in a contact pair.
Figure 3.12: Depth of the Underlying Element (p. 39) shows the depth of the underlying element for a
solid element. If the underlying elements are shell or beam elements, the depth will usually be 4 times
the element thickness. The final contact depth may also be adjusted based on the average contact
length when the shape of the underlying element is relatively thin.
Figure 3.12: Depth of the Underlying Element
Each contact pair has a pair-based depth which is obtained by averaging the depth of each contact
element across all the contact elements in a contact pair. This can avoid the problem of very different
element-based depths when there are meshes with large variations in element sizes.
Note
When the contact pair depth is too small (for example, 10-5), the machine precision may not
guarantee the accuracy of penetration to be calculated. You should scale the length unit in
the model.
3.9.1.2. Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format

For certain real constants, you can define the real constant as a function of primary variables by using
tabular input. Table 3.2: Real Constants and Corresponding Primary Variables for CONTA171-CON-
TA177 (p. 40) lists real constants that allow tabular input and their associated primary variables.
Keep in mind that you should follow the positive and negative convention (p. 39) for the real constant
values. Use all positive or all negative values; do not mix positive and negative values.
Use the *DIM command to dimension the table and identify the variables. The possible primary variables
used in tabular input are:
Time (TIME)
X location (X) in local/global coordinates
Y location (Y) in local/global coordinates
Z location (Z) in local/global coordinates
Temperature (TEMP degree of freedom)
Contact pressure (PRESSURE); specify positive index values for compression, negative index
values for tension
Geometric contact gap/penetration (GAP); specify positive index values for penetration, negative
index values for an open gap
Note that the primary variables X, Y, and Z represent the coordinates of the contact detection points
at the beginning of solution (undeformed configuration). Coordinate system applicability is determined
by the *DIM command.
When defining the tables, the primary variables must be in ascending order in the table indices (as in
any table array).
When defining real constants via the R, RMORE, or RMODIF command, enclose the table name in %
signs (i.e., %tabname%). For example, given a table named CNREAL3 that contains normal contact
stiffness (FKN) values, you would issue a command similar to the following:
RMODIF,NSET,3,%CNREAL3% ! NSET is the real constant set ID associated with the contact pair
For more information and examples of using table inputs, see TABLE Type Array Parameters in the ANSYS
Parametric Design Language Guide; Applying Loads Using TABLE Type Array Parameters in the Basic
Analysis Guide; and the *DIM command in the Command Reference.
Table 3.2: Real Constants and Corresponding Primary Variables for CONTA171-CONTA177
Real Constants TIME Location TEMP PRESSURE [2] GAP [3] %_CNPROP%
(X,Y,Z) [6]
[1]
Number Name
3 FKN x x x x [4] x x
9 TAUMAX x x x x x x
10 CNOF x x x
11 FKOP x x x x x
12 FKT x x x x x x
14 TCC x x x x [5] x x
17 RDVF x x x x x
Real Constants TIME Location TEMP PRESSURE [2] GAP [3] %_CNPROP%
(X,Y,Z) [6]
[1]
19 ECC x x x x [5] x x
26 MCC x x x x x
27 PPCN x x x x x x
31 FDMN x x x x x
32 FDMT x x x x x
35 TBND x x x x x x
37 PCC x x x x [5] x x
38 PSEE x x x x [5] x x
39 ABPP x x x x [5] x x
40 FPFT x x x x x x
42 DCC x x x x [5] x x
43 DCON x x x x [5] x x
44 ABDC x x x x [5] x x
1. Coordinates of the contact detection points at the beginning of solution (undeformed configuration).
2. Contact normal pressure via the primary variable PRESSURE. For PRESSURE index values, specify positive
values for compression; negative value for tension.
3. Geometric contact gap/penetration via the primary variable GAP. For GAP index values, specify positive
values for penetration; negative values for an open gap.
4. Contact pressure at the end of the previous iteration, if it exists.
5. When the contact element type does not contain any structural degrees of freedom, the real constants
TCC, ECC, PCC, PSEE, ABPP, DCC, DCON, and ABDC should not be defined as a function of the contact
pressure.
6. See Defining Real Constants via a User Subroutine (p. 41).
3.9.1.3. Defining Real Constants via a User Subroutine

You can write a USERCNPROP.F subroutine to define your own real constants. The real constants that
can be defined via this user subroutine are noted in the real constant table found in each contact element
description.
When defining real constants with the R, RMORE, or RMODIF command, you must use the reserved
table name _CNPROP and enclose it in % signs (%_CNPROP%). When a value field on one of these
commands is set to %_CNPROP%, the program internally calls the user-defined subroutine USERCNPROP.
For example, to specify your own normal contact stiffness, FKN, you would issue a command similar to
the following:
RMODIF,NSET,3,%_CNPROP% ! NSET is the real constant set ID associated with the contact pair
If several real constant values are defined via %_CNPROP% for a given contact pair, the subroutine will
be called for each of these real constant entries. Therefore, you can use a single USERCNPROP subroutine
to modify multiple real constant values. For details, see Defining Your Own Real Constant (USERCN-
PROP) (p. 84).
3.9.2. Element KEYOPTS

Each contact element includes several KEYOPTS. We recommend using the default settings, which are
suitable for most contact problems. For some specific applications, you can override the defaults. The
element KEYOPTS allow you to control several aspects of contact behavior.
• Degrees of freedom (KEYOPT(1))
• Contact algorithm (defaults to augmented Lagrangian) (KEYOPT(2)) (p. 44)
• Unit control for normal contact stiffness (KEYOPT(3)) of surface-to-surface contact (p. 46) (see the note
below (p. 42) for other meanings of KEYOPT(3))
• Location of contact detection point (KEYOPT(4)) (p. 55)
• CNOF Automated adjustment (KEYOPT(5)) (p. 59)
• Contact stiffness variation range (KEYOPT(6)) (p. 49)
• Time step control and impact constraints (KEYOPT(7)) (p. 82)
• Asymmetric contact selection (KEYOPT(8)) (p. 18)
• Effect of initial penetration or gap (KEYOPT(9)) (p. 59)
• Contact stiffness update (KEYOPT(10)) (p. 45)
• Shell thickness effect (KEYOPT(11)) (not applicable to CONTA176) (p. 81)
• Behavior of contact surface (rough, bonded, etc.) (KEYOPT(12)) (p. 72)
• Degree of freedom control for contact involving thermal shells (KEYOPT(13)) (p. 132)
• Behavior of fluid penetration load (KEYOPT(14)) (p. 98)
• Effect of stabilization damping (KEYOPT(15)) (p. 77)
• Squeal damping controls (KEYOPT(16)) (p. 54)
• Sliding behavior (KEYOPT(18)) (p. 58)
Note
KEYOPT(3) has different meanings, depending on the element type and other circumstances:
• For 2-D and 3-D surface-to-surface contact (CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174),
KEYOPT(3) can be used to control the units of the absolute normal contact stiffness (that is,
when a negative value is specified for FKN) under certain conditions. See Using FKN and
FTOLN (p. 46).
• For 2-D surface-to-surface contact (CONTA171, CONTA172), if superelements are present in

the model, KEYOPT(3) specifies the stress state. See Using KEYOPT(3) in a 2-D Analysis with
Superelements (p. 76).
• For node-to-surface contact (CONTA175), line-to-line contact (CONTA176), and line-to-surface

contact (CONTA177), KEYOPT(3) specifies the contact model (force-based or traction-based).
• For CONTA176 and CONTA177, KEYOPT(3) also specifies the type of beam-to-beam contact.
KEYOPT defaults can vary depending on the environment you are working in. The following table
compares the default values between the various contact creation tools, for both ANSYS Mechanical
APDL and ANSYS Workbench. (See your ANSYS, Inc. sales representative for more information about
ANSYS Workbench.)
Table 3.3: Summary of KEYOPT Defaults in Different Environments
KEYOPT Description ANSYS Contact General ANSYS ANSYS

MechanicalWizard Contact Workbench Workbench,
APDL (GCGEN Default Default
command) Linear Nonlinear
(bonded, (standard,
no sep) rough)
1 Selects DOF* Manual Auto Auto Auto Auto
2 Contact Algorithm Aug. Aug. Penalty Aug. Lagr. Aug. Lagr.
Lagr. Lagr.
3 Unit control for No unit No unit Not n/a n/a
normal contact control control supported
stiffness
4 Location of contact gauss gauss gauss gauss gauss
detection point
5 CNOF/ICONT No No Not No adjust No adjust
adjustment adjust adjust supported
6 Contact stiffnes Use Use Use default Use default Use default
variation default default range range range
range range
7 Element level time No No No control No control No control
increment control control control
8 Asymmetric contact No No GCDEF No action No action
selection action action option
9 Effect of initial Include Include TBDATA,,C1 Exclude all Include all
penetration or gap all all
10 Contact stiffness Between Between Between Between Between
update iterations iterations iterations iterations iterations
11 Beam/shell thickness Exclude Exclude Include Exclude Exclude
effect
12 Behavior of contact Standard Standard TB,INTER,,,TB- Bonded n/a
surface OPT
KEYOPT Description ANSYS Contact General ANSYS ANSYS

MechanicalWizard Contact Workbench Workbench,
APDL (GCGEN Default Default
command) Linear Nonlinear
(bonded, (standard,
no sep) rough)
13 Degree-of-freedom TEMP n/a Not n/a n/a
control for contact degree supported
involving thermal of
shells freedom
14 Behavior of fluid Iteration- Iteration- Not n/a n/a
penetration load based based supported
15 Effect of Active n/a Active only n/a n/a
stabilization only in in first load
damping first load step
step
16 Squeal damping Damping n/a Not n/a n/a
controls scaling supported
factor
18 Sliding behavior Finite Finite Finite sliding Finite sliding Finite sliding
sliding sliding
*Manual: Requires user to define.
Auto: Selection is based on DOF of underlying element.

Command(s): KEYOPT, ET
3.9.3. Selecting a Contact Algorithm (KEYOPT(2))

For surface-to-surface contact elements, the program offers several different contact algorithms:
• Penalty method (KEYOPT(2) = 1)
• Augmented Lagrangian (default) (KEYOPT(2) = 0)
• Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and penalty on tangent (KEYOPT(2) = 3)
• Pure Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and tangent (KEYOPT(2) = 4)
• Internal multipoint constraint (MPC) (KEYOPT(2) = 2)
The penalty method uses a contact "spring" to establish a relationship between the two contact surfaces.
The spring stiffness is called the contact stiffness. This method uses the following real constants: FKN
and FKT for all values of KEYOPT(10), plus FTOLN and SLTO if KEYOPT(10) = 0 or 2.
The augmented Lagrangian method (which is the default) is an iterative series of penalty methods. The
contact tractions (pressure and frictional stresses) are augmented during equilibrium iterations so that
the final penetration is smaller than the allowable tolerance (FTOLN). Compared to the penalty method,
the augmented Lagrangian method usually leads to better conditioning and is less sensitive to the
magnitude of the contact stiffness. However, in some analyses, the augmented Lagrangian method may
require additional iterations, especially if the deformed mesh becomes too distorted.
The pure Lagrange multiplier method enforces zero penetration when contact is closed and "zero slip"
when sticking contact occurs. The pure Lagrange multiplier method does not require contact stiffness,
FKN and FKT. Instead it requires chattering control parameters, FTOLN and TNOP. This method adds
contact traction to the model as additional degrees of freedom and requires additional iterations to
stabilize contact conditions. It often increases the computational cost compared to the augmented
Lagrangian method.
An alternative algorithm is the Lagrange multiplier method applied on the contact normal and the
penalty method (tangential contact stiffness) on the frictional plane. This method enforces zero penet-
ration and allows a small amount of slip for the sticking contact condition. It requires chattering control
parameters, FTOLN and TNOP, as well as the maximum allowable elastic slip parameter SLTO.
The internal multipoint constraint (MPC) algorithm is used in conjunction with bonded contact (KEY-
OPT(12) = 5 or 6) and no separation contact (KEYOPT(12) = 4) to model several types of contact assemblies
and kinematic constraints. See Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies (p. 197) for more information about
how to use this feature.
3.9.3.1. Lagrange Multiplier Method Considerations

Keep the following points in mind when using the Lagrange multiplier methods.
1. The Lagrange multiplier methods (KEYOPT(2) = 3, 4) do not support the Gauss point detection option
(KEYOPT(4) = 0) for surface-to-surface contact. They support the nodal detection options for surface-to-
surface contact and node-to-surface contact. When using these options, be careful not to overconstrain
the model. The model is overconstrained when a contact node has prescribed boundary conditions, CE
equations, or CP equations. The program first attempts to detect all potential overconstraints, and then
eliminates the overconstraints by switching to the penalty method internally. However, there is no guarantee
that the program will eliminate all cases of overconstraint. You should always verify your model carefully
to address this issue.
For 3-D higher-order contact elements (CONTA174), the Lagrange multiplier method is applied at
each contact node (including midside nodes), but the penalty method is applied on the center of
the contact elements, even when KEYOPT(2) = 3 or 4 is set.
In general, normal contact stiffness (FKN) has very little influence on the contact results when a
Lagrange multiplier method is used. You should not overwrite the default FKN in most cases.
2. The Lagrange multiplier methods also introduce more degrees of freedom, which may result in spurious
modes for modal and linear eigenvalue buckling analyses. The augmented Lagrangian method (KEYOPT(2)
= 0) would be a better choice for these analysis types.
3. The Lagrange multiplier methods introduce zero diagonal terms in the stiffness matrix. Any iterative solver
(for example, the PCG solver) will encounter a preconditioning matrix singularity with these methods.
Therefore, you should switch to the sparse solver.
3.9.4. Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration

The following topics related to determining contact stiffness and allowable penetration are available.
3.9.4.2. Using FKN and FTOLN
3.9.4.3. Using FKT and SLTO
3.9.4.4. Additional Considerations for Specifying Contact Stiffness
3.9.4.7. Chattering Control Parameters
For the augmented Lagrangian method and penalty method, normal and tangential contact stiffnesses
are required. The amount of penetration between contact and target surfaces depends on the normal
stiffness. The amount of slip in sticking contact depends on the tangential stiffness.
Higher stiffness values decrease the amount of penetration/slip, but can lead to ill-conditioning of the
global stiffness matrix and to convergence difficulties. Lower stiffness values can lead to a certain amount
of penetration/slip and produce an inaccurate solution. Ideally, you want a high enough stiffness that
the penetration/slip is acceptably small, but a low enough stiffness that the problem will be well-behaved
in terms of convergence.
The program provides default values for contact stiffnesses (FKN, FKT), allowable penetration (FTOLN),
and allowable slip (SLTO). Material properties of underlying elements can affect the calculation of default
values of contact stiffnesses, as follows:
• If the underlying solid material is an anisotropic elastic material, all elastic moduli may affect the contact
stiffness.
• The initial contact stiffness of contact elements overlaid on layered structural solid elements (SOLID185
or SOLID186) is influenced by the material properties of each layer weighted by the respective layer
thickness.
In most cases, you do not need to define the contact stiffness. In addition, we recommend that you
use KEYOPT(10) = 0 or 2 (p. 49) to allow the program to update the contact stiffness automatically.
3.9.4.2. Using FKN and FTOLN

For certain contact problems, you may choose to use the real constant FKN to define a normal contact
stiffness factor. The usual factor range is from 0.1 - 10.0, with a default of 1.0. The default value should
work in most cases. You can also define an absolute normal contact stiffness by specifying a negative
value for FKN.
In addition, FKN can be defined as a function of primary variables by using tabular input (%tabname%).
The possible primary variables include time, temperature, initial contact detection point location (at the
beginning of solution), contact pressure of the previous iteration (positive PRESSURE index values indicate
compression, negative PRESSURE index values indicate tension), and current geometric penetration
(positive GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index values indicate an open gap). For
more information, see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining FKN. To use this subroutine, you
must specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value. For more information, see Defining
Real Constants via a User Subroutine (p. 41).
If you input an absolute normal contact stiffness by specifying a negative value for FKN, you can control
the units by using KEYOPT(3). By default, the units of the user-specified absolute normal contact stiffness
is FORCE/LENGTH3. You can change the units to FORCE/LENGTH by setting KEYOPT(3) = 1. This KEYOPT(3)
= 1 setting is valid only when a penalty-based algorithm is used (KEYOPT(2) = 0 or 1) and the absolute
normal contact stiffness is explicitly specified. Using KEYOPT(3) = 1 is not recommended in conjunction
with nodal detection options (KEYOPT(4) = 1 or 2) if any midside nodes exist for the CONTA174 3-D
contact element. (KEYOPT(3) has different meanings in other situations. For more information, see the
description of KEYOPT(3) in Element KEYOPTS (p. 42).)
Note
The default contact normal stiffness is affected by defined material properties, element size,
and the user-defined penetration tolerance (FTOLN). Many factors may be applied to the
actual contact normal stiffness during the solution. The default contact stiffness listed in the
Contact Manager or by the CNCHECK command may be different from the actual contact
stiffness reported by the ETABLE command. You should check the value reported by ETABLE
to confirm that the appropriate contact normal stiffness is used.
Use real constant FTOLN in conjunction with the augmented Lagrangian method. FTOLN is a tolerance
factor to be applied in the direction of the surface normal. The range for this factor is less than 1.0
(usually less than 0.2), with a default of 0.1, and is based on the depth of the underlying solid, shell, or
beam element (see Figure 3.12: Depth of the Underlying Element (p. 39)). This factor is used to determine
if penetration compatibility is satisfied.
Contact compatibility is satisfied if penetration is within an allowable tolerance (FTOLN times the depth
of underlying elements). The depth is defined by the average depth of each individual contact element
in the pair. If the program detects any penetration larger than this tolerance, the global solution is still
considered unconverged, even though the residual forces and displacement increments have met
convergence criteria. You can also define an absolute allowable penetration by specifying a negative
value for FTOLN. In general, the default contact normal stiffness is inversely proportional to the final
penetration tolerance; the tighter the tolerance, the higher the contact normal stiffness.
When you use real constant FTOLN in conjunction with KEYOPT(10) = 0 or 2, the normal contact stiffness
(used for the penalty method and the augmented Lagrange method) will be updated at each iteration
based on the current mean stress of the underlying elements and the allowable tolerance (FTOLN times
the depth of the underlying elements). See also Using KEYOPT(10) (p. 49).
Note
When the contact stiffness is too large (for example, 1016), the machine precision may not
guarantee good conditioning of the global stiffness matrix. In this case, you should scale the
force unit in the model if possible.
Note
FTOLN is also used in the Lagrange multiplier methods (KEYOPT(2) = 3, 4) as a chattering

control parameter (p. 50).
3.9.4.3. Using FKT and SLTO

The program automatically defines a default tangential contact stiffness that is proportional to MU and
the normal stiffness FKN. The default tangential stiffness corresponds to a default value of FKT = 1.0. A
positive value for FKT is a factor; a negative value indicates an absolute value of tangential stiffness.
For KEYOPT(10) = 0 or 2, or when the Lagrange multiplier on normal and penalty on tangent option is
used (KEYOPT(2) = 3), the program updates tangential contact stiffness based on current contact normal
pressure, PRES, and maximum allowable elastic slip, SLTO (KT = FKT*MU* PRES/SLTO). In addition, other
adjustments may be applied to the tangential contact stiffness. The real constant SLTO is used to control
maximum sliding distance when FKT is updated at each iteration. The program provides default tolerance
values which work well in most cases.
You can override the default values for SLTO (1% of average contact length in pair) by defining a scaling
factor (positive value when using command input) or an absolute value (negative value when using
command input). A larger value will enhance convergence but compromise accuracy. Based on the
tolerance, current normal pressure, and friction coefficient, the tangential contact stiffness FKT can be
obtained automatically. In certain cases users can override FKT by defining a scaling factor (positive
input value) or absolute value (negative input value) (see Positive and Negative Real Constants (p. 39)
for more information).
In addition, FKT can be defined as a function of primary variables by using tabular input (i.e., %tab-
name%). The possible primary variables include time, temperature, initial contact detection point location
(at the beginning of solution), current contact pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate com-
pression, negative PRESSURE index values indicate tension), and current geometric penetration (positive
GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index values indicate an open gap). For more in-
formation, see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining FKT. To use this subroutine, you must
specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value. For more information, see Defining Real
Constants via a User Subroutine (p. 41).
3.9.4.4. Additional Considerations for Specifying Contact Stiffness

FKN, FTOLN, FKT, and SLTO can be modified from one load step to another. They can also be adjusted
in a restart run.
Determining a good stiffness value may require some experimentation on your part. To arrive at a good
stiffness value, you can try the following procedure as a "trial run":
1. Use a low value for the contact stiffness to start. In general, it is better to underestimate this value rather
than overestimate it. Penetration problems resulting from a low stiffness are easier to fix than convergence
difficulties that arise from a high stiffness.
2. Run the analysis up to a fraction of the final load (just enough to get the contact fully established).
3. Check the penetration and the number of equilibrium iterations used in each substep. If the global con-
vergence difficulty is caused by too much penetration (rather than by residual forces and displacement
increments), FKN may be underestimated or FTOLN may be too small. If the global convergence requires
many equilibrium iterations for achieving convergence tolerances of residual forces and displacements
rather than the resulting penetration, FKN or FKT may be overestimated.
4. Adjust FKN, FKT, FTOLN, or SLTO as necessary and run the full analysis. If the penetration control becomes
dominant in the global equilibrium iterations (that is, if more iterations were used to converge the problem
to within the penetration tolerance than to converge the residual forces), you may increase FTOLN to
permit more allowable penetration or increase FKN.
In addition, keep these points in mind when specifying contact stiffness:
• For bonded contact and rough contact, the program uses MU = 1.0 to calculate tangential contact
stiffness. The default tangential contact stiffness is proportional to the normal stiffness when the contact
status is closed or open (near-field). When an absolute value of tangential stiffness is specified (a neg-
ative value input for FKT), the tangential stiffness remains unchanged regardless of the contact status.
• Generally, the contact stiffness, FKN and FKT, has units of FORCE/LENGTH3. However, for contact force-
based models the contact stiffness has units FORCE/LENGTH. This applies to CONTA175 with KEYOPT(3)
= 0, CONTA176 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1, and CONTA177 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4. In addition, the absolute
normal contact stiffness (i.e., a negative value input for FKN) can have units of FORCE/LENGTH under
some circumstances; see Using FKN and FTOLN (p. 46) for more information.

The normal and tangential contact stiffness can be updated during the course of an analysis, either
automatically (due to large strain effects that change the underlying element's stiffness) or explicitly
(by user-specified FKN or FKT values). KEYOPT(10) governs how the normal and tangential contact
stiffness is updated when the augmented Lagrangian or penalty method is used. In most cases we re-
commend that you use KEYOPT(10) = 2 to allow the program to update contact stiffnesses automatically.
The possible settings for KEYOPT(10) are:
• KEYOPT(10) = 0: the normal contact stiffness will be updated at each iteration based on the current mean
stress of the underlying elements and the allowable penetration, FTOLN, except in the very first iteration.
The default normal contact stiffness for the first iteration is the same as described for KEYOPT(10) = 0. If bi-
sections occur in the beginning of the analysis, the normal contact stiffness will be reduced by a factor of
0.2 for each bisection. The tangential contact stiffness will be updated at each iteration based on the current
contact pressure, MU, and allowable slip (SLTO). The actual elastic slip during solution is guaranteed not to
exceed the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) within a substep.
• KEYOPT(10) = 1: the contact stiffness will be updated at each load step if FKN or FKT is redefined by the user.
Stiffness and other settings (ICONT, FTOLN, SLTO, PINB, PMAX, and PMIN) are averaged across contact ele-
ments in a contact pair. The default contact stiffness is determined by underlying element depth and mater-
ial properties.
• KEYOPT(10) = 2: the behavior is similar to KEYOPT(10) = 0 (updating contact stiffness at each iteration), except
that the actual elastic slip never exceeds the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) during the entire solution,
not just within a substep. In general, this option requires more iterations in order to obtain less elastic slip
than the KEYOPT(10) = 0 option.
Note
When a Lagrange multiplier method (KEYOPT(2) = 4) or MPC algorithm (KEYOPT(2) = 2) is

used, KEYOPT(10) is ignored.

The default method of updating normal contact stiffness (KEYOPT(10) = 0 or 2) is suitable for most ap-
plications. However, the variational range of the contact stiffness may not be wide enough to handle
certain contact situations. For example:
• In the case of a very small penetration tolerance (FTOLN), a larger normal contact stiffness is often needed.
• If convergence difficulties are encountered (due to nonlinear materials, localized contact, etc.), a downward
adjustment to stiffness may be helpful.
• To stabilize the initial contact condition and to prevent rigid body motion, a smaller normal contact stiffness
is required.
The allowed contact stiffness variation is intended to enhance stiffness updating when KEYOPT(10) =
0 or 2 by calculating an optimal allowable range in stiffness for use in the updating scheme. To increase
the stiffness variational range, set KEYOPT(6) = 1 to make a nominal refinement to the allowable stiffness
range, or KEYOPT(6) = 2 to make an aggressive refinement to the allowable stiffness range.
Use of KEYOPT(6) is not recommended when contact convergence is relatively easy as it might produce
an unnecessary drop in contact stiffness.
3.9.4.7. Chattering Control Parameters

In general, the Lagrange multiplier methods (KEYOPT(2) = 3, 4) do not require normal contact stiffness,
FKN, unless overconstraints are detected. Instead they require chattering control parameters, FTOLN
and TNOP, by which the program assumes that the contact status remains unchanged. FTOLN is the
maximum allowable penetration and TNOP is the maximum allowable tensile contact pressure.
Note
A negative contact pressure occurs when the contact status is closed. A tensile contact
pressure (positive) refers to a separation between the contact surfaces, but not necessarily
an open contact status. However, the sign of the contact pressure is switched during post-
processing.
Note
For contact force-based models, TNOP is the maximum allowable tensile contact force. This
applies to CONTA175 with KEYOPT(3) = 0, CONTA176 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1, and CONTA177
with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4.
The behavior can be described as follows:
• If the contact status from the previous iteration is open and the current calculated penetration is
smaller than FTOLN, then contact remains open. Otherwise the contact status switches to closed and
another iteration is processed.
• If the contact status from the previous iteration is closed and the current calculated contact pressure
is positive but smaller than TNOP, then contact remains closed. If the tensile contact pressure is larger
than TNOP, then the contact status changes from closed to open and the program continues to the
next iteration.
The program provides reasonable defaults for FTOLN and TNOP. FTOLN defaults to the displacement
convergence tolerance. TNOP defaults to 1% of the force convergence tolerance divided by the contact
area at contact nodes.
When providing values for FTOLN and TNOP:
• A positive value is a scaling factor applied to the default values.
• A negative value is used as an absolute value (which overrides the default).
The objective of FTOLN and TNOP is to provide stability to models which exhibit contact chattering
due to changing contact status. If the values you use for these tolerances are too small, the solution
will require more iterations. If the values are too large, however, the accuracy of the solution will be
affected as a certain amount of penetration or tensile contact force is allowed.
3.9.5. Choosing a Friction Model

The following topics related to choosing a friction model are available:
3.9.5.2. Coefficient of Friction
3.9.5.3. Using TAUMAX, FACT, DC, and COHE
3.9.5.4. Static and Dynamic Friction Coefficients
3.9.5.5. Forced Frictional Sliding Using Velocity Input
In the basic Coulomb friction model, two contacting surfaces can carry shear stresses up to a certain
magnitude across their interface before they start sliding relative to each other. This state is known as
sticking. The Coulomb friction model defines an equivalent shear stress τ, at which sliding on the surface
begins as a fraction of the contact pressure p (τ = µp + COHE, where µ is the friction coefficient and
COHE specifies the cohesion sliding resistance). Once the shear stress is exceeded, the two surfaces will
slide relative to each other. This state is known as sliding. The sticking/sliding calculations determine
when a point transitions from sticking to sliding or vice versa.
As an alternative to the program-supplied friction model, you can define your own friction model with
the USERFRIC subroutine (see Writing Your Own Friction Law (USERFRIC) (p. 87)). Furthermore, you
can define your own contact interaction behavior with the USERINTER subroutine (see Defining Your
Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER) (p. 90)).
For frictionless, rough, and bonded contact, the contact element stiffness matrices are symmetric.
Contact problems involving friction produce unsymmetric stiffnesses. Using an unsymmetric solver is
more computationally expensive than a symmetric solver for each iteration. For this reason, the program
uses a symmetrization algorithm by which most frictional contact problems can be solved using solvers
for symmetric systems. If frictional stresses have a substantial influence on the overall displacement
field and the magnitude of the frictional stresses is highly solution dependent, the symmetric approx-
imation to the stiffness matrix may provide a low rate of convergence. In such cases, choose the unsym-
metric solution option (NROPT,UNSYM) to improve convergence.
3.9.5.2. Coefficient of Friction

The interface coefficient of friction, MU, is used for the Coulomb friction model. You can input MU as
a material property for the contact elements. Use MU = 0 for frictionless contact. For rough or bonded
contact (KEYOPT(12) = 1, 3, 5, or 6; see Selecting Surface Interaction Models (p. 72)), the program assumes
infinite frictional resistance regardless of the specified value of MU.
MU can have dependence on temperature, time, normal pressure, sliding distance, or sliding relative
velocity. Suitable combinations of up to two fields can be used to define dependency; for example,
temperature only, temperature and sliding distance, or sliding relative velocity and normal pressure. If
the underlying element is a superelement (MATRIX50), the material property set must be the same as
the one used for the original elements that were assembled into the superelement.
Note that if the coefficient of friction is defined as a function of temperature, the program always uses
the contact surface temperature as the primary variable (not the average temperature from the contact
and target surfaces).
The program provides two models for Coulomb friction: isotropic friction (2-D and 3-D contact) and
orthotropic friction (3-D contact). The isotropic friction model is based on a single coefficient of friction,
MU. You can use either TB command input (recommended method) or the MP command to specify
MU. The orthotropic friction model is based on two coefficients of friction, MU1 and MU2. Use TB
command input to specify MU1 and MU2 in two principal directions (see the element descriptions for
CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177 for a description of the principal directions
for each individual element). See Contact Friction in the Material Reference for details on how to specify
the coefficients of friction.
3.9.5.3. Using TAUMAX, FACT, DC, and COHE

The program provides one extension of classical Coulomb friction: real constant TAUMAX is maximum
contact friction with units of stress. This maximum contact friction stress can be introduced so that,
regardless of the magnitude of normal contact pressure, sliding will occur if the friction stress reaches
this value. You typically use TAUMAX when the contact pressure becomes very large (such as in bulk
metal forming processes). TAUMAX defaults to 1.0e20. Empirical data is often the best source for TAUMAX.
Its value may be close to , where σy is the yield stress of the material being deformed.
You have an option to define TAUMAX as a function of primary variables by using tabular input (i.e.,
%tabname%). The possible primary variables include time, temperature, initial contact detection point
location (at the beginning of solution), current contact pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate
compression, negative PRESSURE index values indicate tension), and current geometric penetration
(positive GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index values indicate an open gap). For
more information, see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining TAUMAX. To use this subroutine,
you must specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value. For more information, see
Defining Real Constants via a User Subroutine (p. 41).
Another real constant used for the friction law is the cohesion, COHE (default COHE = 0), which has
units of stress. It provides sliding resistance, even with zero normal pressure (see Figure 3.13: Sliding
Contact Resistance (p. 52)).
Figure 3.13: Sliding Contact Resistance
Two other real constants, FACT and DC are involved in specifying static and dynamic friction coefficients,
as described in the next section.
3.9.5.4. Static and Dynamic Friction Coefficients

The coefficient of friction can depend on the relative velocity of the surfaces in contact. Typically, the
static coefficient of friction is higher than the dynamic coefficient of friction.
The program provides the following exponential decay friction model:
where:
μ = coefficient of friction.
MU = dynamic coefficient of friction.
FACT = ratio of static to dynamic coefficients of friction. It defaults to the minimum value of
1.0
DC = decay coefficient, which has units of time/length. Therefore, time has some meaning in
a static analysis. DC defaults to zero. When DC is zero, the equation is rewritten to be μ = MU
for the case of sliding and μ = FACT*MU for the case of sticking.
Vrel = slip rate calculated by the program.
For the isotropic friction model, MU is input using the MP command or the TB command as explained
above. For orthotropic friction, MU is the equivalent coefficient of friction computed from MU1 and
MU2 which are specified with TB command input:
Figure 3.14: Friction Decay (p. 53) shows the exponential decay curve where the static coefficient of
friction is given by:
Figure 3.14: Friction Decay
You can determine the decay coefficient if you know the static and dynamic coefficients of friction and
at least one data point (μ1 ; Vrel1 ). The equation for friction decay can be rearranged to give:
If you do not specify a decay coefficient and FACT is greater than 1.0, the coefficient of friction will
change suddenly from the static to the dynamic value as soon as contact reaches the sliding state. This
behavior is not recommended because the discontinuity may lead to convergence difficulties.
3.9.5.5. Forced Frictional Sliding Using Velocity Input

In a static analysis, you can model steady-state frictional sliding between two flexible bodies or between
a flexible and a rigid body with different velocities. In this case the sliding velocities no longer follow
the nodal displacements, and they are predefined through the CMROTATE command. This command
sets the velocities on the nodes of the element component as an initial condition at the start of a load
step. The program determines the sliding direction based on the direction of the sliding velocities.
This feature is applicable to 3-D contact (CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175) and is primarily used for
generating sliding contact at frictional contact interfaces in a brake squeal analysis. In this case, the
contact pair elements (either the contact elements or the target elements) on the brake rotor need to
be included in the rotating element component (CM command) that is specified on the CMROTATE
command. We recommend that you include only the contact elements or only the target elements in
the element component.
Velocities defined by CMROTATE will be ignored for the following contact definitions:
Frictionless contact
Rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 1)
Bonded contact (KEYOPT(12) = 3, 5, 6)
MPC contact (KEYOPT(2) = 2)
Note
You should always verify the sliding direction when the velocities defined by CMROTATE
are applied on nodes that are shared by more than one frictional contact pair. In this situation,
you can redefine any contact elements that have a potentially incorrect sliding direction as
frictionless contact.
The amplitude of the sliding velocity defined by CMROTATE will affect the solution when the friction
coefficient is specified as a function of sliding velocity via the command TB,FRIC, or when static and
dynamic friction is defined via the real constants FACT and DC.
In a complex eigenvalue extraction analysis using the QRDAMP or DAMP methods (see MODOPT), the
effects of squeal damping will contribute to the damping matrix. The squeal damping can be identified
as two parts: destabilizing damping and stabilizing damping.
You can activate destabilizing squeal damping by one of the following methods:
1. Define friction as a function of sliding velocity via the TB,FRIC command.
2. Define static/dynamic friction via real constants FACT and DC.
3. Define a constant friction-sliding velocity gradient via real constant FDMD in conjunction with KEYOPT(16)
= 1.
4. Specify the destabilizing squeal damping coefficient directly (either a positive or negative value) in con-
junction with KEYOPT(16) = 2.
When the destabilizing squeal damping is included by method (1) or (2), you can study its effects by
using FDMD as a scaling factor (KEYOPT(16) = 0); FDMD defaults to 1.0. The program multiplies the in-
ternally calculated destabilizing damping by this factor.
You can specify a constant friction-sliding velocity gradient directly via FDMD by setting KEYOPT(16) =
1. The defined gradient has units of TIME/LENGTH and it is negative in general.
You can also specify the destabilizing squeal damping coefficient directly via FDMD by setting KEYOPT(16)
= 2. The defined damping coefficient has units of MASS/(AREA*TIME) and it is negative in general. In a
linear non-prestressed modal analysis, this is the only way to take the destabilizing squeal damping
effects into account.
The stabilizing squeal damping is deactivated by default. To activate it, you must specify the scaling
factor via the real constant FDMS. FDMS defaults to 0.0. The program multiplies the internally calculated
stabilizing damping by this factor. By setting KEYOPT(16) = 1 or KEYOPT(16) = 2 you can specify the
stabilizing squeal damping coefficient directly via FDMS. The defined damping coefficient has units of
MASS/(AREA*TIME) and it is positive in general. In a linear non-prestressed modal analysis, this is the
only way to take the stabilizing squeal damping effects into account.
If squeal damping is included in a brake squeal modal analysis that uses the QR Damp eigensolver
(MODOPT,QRDAMP command), care should be taken not to generate a damping matrix with large
values (coefficients) relative to the values of the stiffness matrix. The accuracy of the QRDAMP eigen-
solver is based on the assumption that the values in the damping matrix are at least an order of mag-
nitude smaller than the stiffness matrix values. If large squeal damping matrix values are generated in
conjunction with a QRDAMP modal solution, then the QRDAMP eigensolver could produce spurious
zero modes, which can generally be ignored. In this case, the non-zero eigenvalues from the QRDAMP
modal solution are still accurate. It is recommended that you use the DAMP eigensolver (MODOPT,DAMP)
to check the final solution.
3.9.6. Selecting Location of Contact Detection

The following topics related to selecting the location of contact detection are available:
3.9.6.2. Using KEYOPT(4) and TOLS
3.9.6.3. Using the Surface Projection Based Contact Method (KEYOPT(4) = 3)
Contact detection points are located at the integration points of the contact elements which are interior
to the element surface. The contact element is constrained against penetration into the target surface
at its integration points. However, the target surface can, in principle, penetrate through into the contact
surface, see Figure 3.15: Contact Detection Located at Gauss Point (p. 55).
Figure 3.15: Contact Detection Located at Gauss Point
Surface-to-surface contact elements use Gauss integration points as a default, which generally provide
more accurate results than the nodal detection scheme, which uses the nodes themselves as the integ-
ration points. The node-to-surface contact element, CONTA175, the line-to-line contact element, CON-
TA176, and the line-to-surface contact element, CONTA177, always use the nodal detection
scheme (p. 111).
3.9.6.2. Using KEYOPT(4) and TOLS

The nodal detection algorithms require the smoothing of the contact surface (KEYOPT(4) = 1) or the
smoothing of the target surface (KEYOPT(4) = 2), which is quite time consuming. You should use this
option only to deal with corner, point-surface, or edge-surface contact (see Figure 3.16: Contact Detection
Point Location at Nodal Point (p. 56)). KEYOPT(4) = 1 specifies that the contact normal be perpendicular
to the contact surface. KEYOPT(4) = 2 specifies that the contact normal be perpendicular to the target
surface. Use this option (KEYOPT(4) = 2) when the target surface is smoother than the contact surface.
Figure 3.16: Contact Detection Point Location at Nodal Point
Be aware, however, that using nodes as the contact detection points can lead to other convergence
difficulties, such as "node slippage," where the node slips off the edge of the target surface, see Fig-
ure 3.17: Node Slippage Using Nodal Detection KEYOPT(4) = 1 or 2 (p. 57). In order to prevent node
slippage, you can use real constant TOLS to extend the target surface when the default setting still
cannot avoid the problem. For most point-to-surface contact problems, we recommend using CONTA175;
see Node-to-Surface Contact (p. 109) later in this guide.
Figure 3.17: Node Slippage Using Nodal Detection KEYOPT(4) = 1 or 2
Smoothing is required for nodal detection algorithms, and it is performed by averaging surface normals
connected to the node. As a result, the variation of the surface normal is continuous over the surface,
which leads to a better calculation of friction behavior and a better convergence.
Real constant TOLS is used to add a small tolerance that will internally extend the edge of the target
surface when you define the contact detection at the nodal point (KEYOPT(4) = 1 or 2). TOLS is useful
for problems where contact nodes are likely to lie on the edge of targets (as at symmetry planes or for
models generated in a node-to-node contact pattern). In these situations, the contact node may re-
peatedly "slip" off the target surface and go completely out of contact, resulting in convergence difficulties
from oscillations. Units for TOLS are percent (1.0 implies a 1.0% increase in the target edge length). A
small value of TOLS will usually prevent this situation from occurring. The default value is 10 for small
deflection and 2 for large deflection (NLGEOM, ON).
The definition of KEYOPT(4) in node-to-surface contact element CONTA175 is different. KEYOPT(4) = 1

for surface-to-surface contact is equivalent to KEYOPT(4) = 1 for node-to-surface contact. However,
KEYOPT(4) = 2 for surface-to-surface contact is equivalent to KEYOPT(4) = 0 for node-to surface contact.
See KEYOPT(4) (p. 111).
For the 3-D line-to-line contact element CONTA176 and the 3-D line-to-surface contact element CON-
TA177, KEYOPT(4) is not used to select the location of contact detection, and the contact normal is always
perpendicular to both the contact and target surfaces. For CONTA176 and CONTA177, KEYOPT(4) is
used to specify a surface-based constraint type.
3.9.6.3. Using the Surface Projection Based Contact Method (KEYOPT(4) = 3)

You can define the surface projection contact method by setting KEYOPT(4) = 3 for surface-to-surface
contact elements (CONTA171 through CONTA174). For this method, the contact detection remains at
contact nodal points. This option enforces a contact constraint on an overlapping region of the contact
and target surfaces (see Figure 3.18: Surface Projection Based Contact (p. 58)) rather than on individual
contact nodes (KEYOPT(4) = 1, 2) or Gauss points (KEYOPT(4) = 0). The contact penetration/gap is
computed over the overlapping region in an average sense. The advantages of using this option are
the following:
• In general, it provides more accurate contact tractions and stresses of underlying elements compared
with other KEYOPT(4) settings.
• The results are less sensitive to the designation of the contact and target surface.
• It satisfies moment equilibrium when an offset exists between contact and target surfaces with friction.
• Contact forces do not jump when contact nodes slide off the edge of target surfaces. The real constant
TOLS is not used with this option.
Figure 3.18: Surface Projection Based Contact
Contact element
n
Target element
Initial Element Positions Overlapping Region after

Surface Projection
There are certain disadvantages to using surface projection based contact, as follows:
• This method is computationally more expensive since more nodes are included in each contact constraint
condition, especially if 3-D higher order contact/target elements are used in the model. This effect will
be more obvious when a modal has a large percentage of contact/target elements, or when the target
elements are much more refined than the contact elements.
• When the target elements are extremely refined, the program may issue an error message stating that
the data points for a particular node exceed the limit. To resolve this, you should switch to another
contact detection option or flip the contact and target surfaces.
• This method calculates the penetration/gap over the contacting area in an average sense. When a
model has corner or edge contact, the averaged penetration/gap could be quite different than the real
geometric penetration observed at contact nodes. In this situation, mesh refinement is usually required
in order to achieve an accurate solution.
Note
The surface projection contact method currently does not support the following:
1. Thermal contact modeled via a “free thermal surface (p. 128)” definition
2. Pore fluid flow modeled by quadratic contact/target elements (with midside nodes)
3. Rigid surfaces defined by primitive target segments
4. 3-D contact/target elements with partially dropped midside nodes (dropping all midside
nodes is supported)
3.9.7. Selecting a Sliding Behavior

The following sliding behavior topics are available:
3.9.7.2. Finite-Sliding Option
3.9.7.3. Small-Sliding Option
Two different sliding behavior options are available: finite sliding (default) and small sliding. The sliding
behavior you choose will have an influence on solution robustness, performance, and accuracy. Select
the appropriate sliding behavior based on the relative motion of the contact interfaces in your model.
3.9.7.2. Finite-Sliding Option

The finite-sliding option is used by default (KEYOPT(18) = 0). This option allows for arbitrary separation,
sliding, and rotation of the contact interfaces. In general, each contact detection point can interact with
different target elements, depending on the contact status (open, closed, or sliding). The program re-
forms nodal connectivity of the contact element based on the current configuration at each equilibrium
iteration. The finite-sliding logic is computationally expensive, but guarantees solution accuracy.
3.9.7.3. Small-Sliding Option

Activate the small-sliding option (KEYOTP(18) = 1) when the contact interface will have relatively-small
sliding motion (less than 20% of the contact length) during the entire analysis. For large deflection
analysis, this option still permits arbitrary large rotation.
For small sliding, each contact detection point always interacts with the same target element, which is
determined from the initial configuration. The nodal connectivity of the contact element remains un-
changed throughout the analysis. Contact searching is performed only once in the beginning of the
analysis, which is cost-effective.
The small-sliding logic also improves solution robustness. It can easily solve certain complex contact
models for which the finite-sliding logic would have difficulties or find no solution. This is especially
true for models having a bad quality geometry or mesh and non-smooth contact interfaces.
The small-sliding logic can cause nonphysical results if the relative sliding motion does not remain small.
Therefore, if you choose this option it is your responsibility to ensure that the small-sliding assumption
is not violated. Use the finite-sliding option if you are not absolutely sure that the small-sliding logic is
appropriate.
Use the small-sliding option with great caution for the following cases:
• The EKILL command applied to contact/target elements
• Debonding (TB,CZM)
• A general contact definition
• Rezoning (REZONE) or mesh nonlinear adaptivity (NLADAPTIVE)
3.9.8. Adjusting Initial Contact Conditions

The following topics related to adjusting initial contact conditions are available:
3.9.8.2. Using PMIN, PMAX, CNOF, ICONT, STRM. KEYOPT(5), and KEYOPT(9)
Rigid body motion is usually not a problem in dynamic analyses. However, in static analyses, rigid body
motion occurs when a body is not sufficiently restrained. "Zero or negative pivot" warning messages
and impractical, excessively large displacements indicate unconstrained motion in a static analysis.
In simulations where rigid body motions are constrained only by the presence of contact, you must
ensure that the contact pairs are in contact in the initial geometry. In other words, you want to build
your model so that the contact pairs are "just touching." However, you can encounter various problems
in doing so:
• Rigid body profiles are often complicated, making it difficult to determine where the first point of
contact might occur.
• Small gaps between element meshes on both sides of the element pair can be introduced by numerical
round-off, even if the solid model is built in an initially-contacting state.
• Small gaps can exist between the integration points of the contact elements and target surface elements.
• For surface projection based contact, a numerical gap distance can exist even though geometric pen-
etration is observed at a contact node. This can occur because the numerical distance is obtained over
the overlapping area in an average sense.
For the same reasons, too much initial penetration between target and contact surfaces can occur. In
such cases, the contact elements may overestimate the contact forces, resulting in nonconvergence or
in breaking-away of the components in contact.
The definition of initial contact is perhaps the most important aspect of building a contact analysis
model. Therefore, you should always issue the CNCHECK command before starting the solution to
verify the initial contact status. You may find that you need to adjust the initial contact conditions. The
program offers several ways to adjust the initial contact conditions of a contact pair.
Note
When contact or target elements are deactivated (EKILL command) in the first load step,
the program might not adjust the initial contact conditions correctly. Therefore, you should
not deactivate contact or target elements at the beginning of the analysis if you wish to
make initial contact adjustments.
3.9.8.2. Using PMIN, PMAX, CNOF, ICONT, STRM. KEYOPT(5), and KEYOPT(9)
The following techniques can be performed independently or in combinations of one or more at the
beginning of the analysis. They are intended to eliminate small gaps or penetrations caused by numer-
ical round-off due to mesh generation. They are not intended to correct gross errors in either the mesh
or in the geometric data.
1. Use real constant CNOF to specify a contact surface offset.
Specify a positive value to offset the entire contact surface towards the target surface. Use a
negative value to offset the contact surface away from the target surface.
Note
If user-defined values are input for both CNOF and PINB, you must ensure that PINB
is greater than CNOF. Otherwise, CNOF will be ignored. However, if a user-defined
CNOF is input and the PINB value is left at its default value, the PINB value will be
adjusted so that it is larger than the CNOF value, as described in Using PINB (p. 71).
Note
For the CONTA177 line-to-surface element, CNOF can be used to model thickness
of the underlying beam elements. Input half of the beam thickness for CNOF to
properly model the thickness effects. See Accounting for Thickness Effect (KEY-
OPT(11)) (p. 124) for more information.
The program can automatically provide the CNOF value to either just close the gap or reduce
initial penetration. Set KEYOPT(5) as follows:
1: Closes the gap
2: Reduces initial penetration
3: Either closes the gap or reduces initial penetration
Tabular input can also be used to define CNOF. The tabular input can be defined as a function
of time and/or initial contact detection point location (at the beginning of solution) in global
or local coordinates. For more information, see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
As an example of when tabular input may be useful, consider the case of a CAD geometry
based on nominal values. The geometry may lack a slight curvature variation that is important
for analysis purposes. Moving nodes to the actual positions can be a tedious process, yet using
the original geometry and neglecting the slight variation in curvature will result in a different
contacting area. Consequently, use of CNOF as a function of location allows you to easily include
curvature that varies with location without having to modify the original CAD geometry.
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining CNOF. To use this subroutine,
you must specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value. For more information,
see Defining Real Constants via a User Subroutine (p. 41).
2. Use the real constant ICONT to specify a small initial contact closure. This is the depth of an "adjustment
band" around the target surface. A positive value for ICONT indicates a scaling factor relative to the
depth of the underlying elements. A negative value indicates an absolute contact closure value. The
value of ICONT defaults to zero if KEYOPT(5) = 0, 1, 2, or 3. (The ICONT default is different when KEY-
OPT(12) = 6 for bonded-initial contact; see Selecting Surface Interaction Models (p. 72) for more in-
formation). If KEYOPT(5) = 4, the program provides a small (but meaningful) value for ICONT according
to the geometric dimensions, and prints a warning message stating what value was assigned. Any
contact detection points that fall within this adjustment band are internally shifted to be on the target
surface (see Figure 3.19: Contact Surface Adjustment With ICONT (p. 62)(a)). Only a very small correction
is suggested; otherwise, severe discontinuity may occur (see Figure (b)).
The difference between CNOF and ICONT is that the former shifts the entire contact surface
with the distance value CNOF, the latter moves all initially open contact points which are inside
of adjustment band ICONT onto the target surface.
Figure 3.19: Contact Surface Adjustment With ICONT
(a) before adjustment
Contact
Surface
Target Surface
ICONT
Contact
(b) after adjustment Surface
Contact
Potential
Surface
discontinuity
Target Surface
3. Use real constants PMIN and PMAX to specify an initial allowable penetration range. When either
PMAX or PMIN is specified, the program brings the target surface into a state of initial contact at the
beginning of the analysis (see Figure 3.20: Contact Surface Adjustment (PMIN, PMAX) (p. 63)). If the
initial penetration is larger than PMAX, the program adjusts the target surface to reduce penetration.
If the initial penetration is smaller than PMIN (and within the pinball region), the program adjusts the
target surface to ensure initial contact. Initial adjustment for contact status is performed only in
translational modes.
Such adjustment of initial contact status will be performed for a rigid target surface that has
either prescribed loads or displacements. Similarly, a target surface that has no boundary con-
ditions specified may also be adjusted for initial contact.
When all the target surface nodes have a prescribed value of zero, the initial adjustment using
PMAX and PMIN will not be performed.
The program treats applicable degrees of freedom for target surface nodes independently. For
example, if you specify the UX degree of freedom to be "zero," then no initial adjustment is
possible along the X direction. However, the PMAX and PMIN options will still be activated in
the Y and Z directions.
The initial status adjustment is an iterative process. The program uses a maximum of 20 iterations.
If the target surface cannot be brought into an acceptable penetration range (i.e., in the range
of PMIN to PMAX), the analysis proceeds with the original geometry. The program issues a
warning message in such circumstances, and you may need to manually adjust your initial
geometry.
Figure 3.21: A Scenario in Which Initial Adjustment Will Fail (p. 63) illustrates a problem in which
initial contact adjustment iteration will fail. The UY degree of freedom for the target has been
restrained. Therefore, the only possible adjustment for initial contact is in the X direction.
However, in this problem, any movement of the rigid target surface in the X direction will not
establish initial contact.
For flexible-to-flexible contact, this technique not only moves the entire target surface but also
moves the whole deformable body which attaches to the target surface. Make sure there is no
other contact surface or target surface connecting with the deformable body.
Figure 3.20: Contact Surface Adjustment (PMIN, PMAX)
Figure 3.21: A Scenario in Which Initial Adjustment Will Fail
4. Set KEYOPT(9) to adjust initial penetration or gap; see Figure 3.22: Ignoring Initial Penetration, KEYOPT(9)
= 1 (p. 65).
True initial penetration includes two parts:
• Penetration or gap due to geometry
• Penetration or gap due to user-defined contact surface offset (CNOF).

See Figure 3.23: Components of True Penetration (p. 65).
Keep in mind that the effects of KEYOPT(9) are dependent on settings for other KEYOPTs. The
indicated initial gap effect is considered only if KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5 (no separation always or
bonded always).
KEYOPT(9) offers the following settings for adjusting initial penetration or gap:
• To include initial penetration or gap from both geometry and contact surface offset, set
KEYOPT(9) = 0. This is the default.
• To ignore initial penetration or gap from both geometry and contact surface offset, set KEY-
OPT(9) = 1.
• To include the defined contact surface offset (CNOF) but ignore the initial penetration or gap
due to geometry, set KEYOPT(9) = 3.
• Set KEYOPT(9) = 5 to include the defined contact surface offset (CNOF) but ignore the initial
penetration due to geometry. Even when KEYOPT(12) is not set to 4 or 5, this setting for
KEYOPT(9) will also ignore the initial force in open-gap springs as long as contact is detected
within the pinball region.
For problems such as an interference fit, over-penetration is expected. These problems often
have convergence difficulties if the initial penetration is step-applied in the first load step. You
may overcome convergence difficulties by ramping the initial penetration over the first load
step, see Figure 3.24: Ramping Initial Interference (p. 66). The following KEYOPT(9) settings
provide ramping capabilities:
• To ramp the total initial penetration or gap (CNOF + the offset due to geometry), set KEYOPT(9)
= 2.
• To ramp the defined contact surface penetration or gap (CNOF), but ignore the penetration
or gap due to geometry, set KEYOPT(9) = 4.
• Set KEYOPT(9) = 6 to ramp the defined contact offset (CNOF) but ignore the initial penetration
due to geometry. Even when KEYOPT(12) is not set to 4 or 5, this setting for KEYOPT(9) will
also ignore the initial force in open-gap springs as long as contact is detected within the
pinball region.
For the above KEYOPT(9) settings, you should also set KBC,0 and not specify any external loads
in the first load step. In addition, make sure that the pinball region is big enough to capture
the initial interference.
By default, the ramping options are active only within the first load step. However, you may
have a situation where there are multiple interference fits that you want to model sequentially
(that is, the interference present in each contact pair will be resolved in different load steps).
You can define the load step number in which the ramping option will take place for a given
contact pair by using the real constant STRM. For example, you may want to perform a different
loading in load step 1, then resolve an interference fit in load step 2 for one contact pair, and
finally resolve an interference fit in load step 3 for another contact pair. To accomplish this, you
would set STRM = 2 for the first contact pair and set STRM = 3 for the second contact pair. Note
that contact will still be active prior to the load step specified by the STRM real constant.
You can use the above techniques in conjunction with each other. For example, you may wish to set
a very precise initial penetration or gap, but the initial coordinates of the finite element nodes may not
be able to provide sufficient precision. To accomplish this, you could:
1. Use CNOF to specify a penetration (positive value) or gap (negative value).
2. Use KEYOPT(9) = 5 to resolve the initial penetration in the first substep (or KEYOPT(9) = 6 to gradually
resolve the initial penetration).
Figure 3.22: Ignoring Initial Penetration, KEYOPT(9) = 1
Figure 3.23: Components of True Penetration
Figure 3.24: Ramping Initial Interference
The program provides a printout (in the output window or file or via the CNCHECK) of the model's
initial contact state for each target surface at the beginning of the analysis. This information is helpful
for determining the maximum penetration or minimum gap for each target surface.
If no contact is detected for a specific target surface, the program issues a warning. This occurs when
the target surface is far from contact (i.e., outside of the pinball region), or when the contact/target
elements have been killed.
See Positive and Negative Real Constants (p. 39) for more information on these real constants.
3.9.9. Modeling Interference Fit

You can model an interference fit to simulate penetration between parts in the initial geometry config-
uration. In general, the initial penetrations associated with an interference fit are much larger than in
standard contact assemblies. These large initial penetrations cannot be resolved in one substep (that
is, step-applied).
The program offers several approaches that solve the large initial penetrations gradually over a load
step with multiple substeps. These methods enable you to control the number of substeps or time in-
crements to accomplish the interference fit. Once the interference fit is resolved, you can continue the
analysis in a new load step.
There are three different methods to resolve large penetrations for an interference fit:
1. Contact surface offset (CNOF) as a function of time via tabular input Use tabular input to specify
a table in which the magnitude of CNOF is ramped down from the possible maximum values of inter-
ference to zero over time. Be sure to input negative values in the defined table to offset the contact
surface away from the target surface. In this way, the program will treat the initial contact interface as
“just touching” at the beginning of the load step and push the surfaces apart gradually until the end
of load step. This method is recommended for situations in which the interference is nearly uniform
across the interface and CNOF is a function of time. It is not recommended when CNOF is a function
of both time and location. For this method you do not need to set a ramping option (KEYOPT(9) = 2
or 4).
2. Automatic interference fit method Set KEYOPT(9) = 2 or 4 to activate this option. With this
method ANSYS automatically ramps the initial penetration down to zero over time along the true contact
normal direction. This method is suited for most applications. However, when the contact and/or target
surfaces are not smooth, the contact normal direction varies across the interface which may lead to
locking of the press fit.
3. User-defined contact surface normal Set KEYOPT(9) = 2 or 4 and specify a user-defined contact
surface normal via the SECTYPE and SECDATA commands. With this method ANSYS automatically
ramps the initial penetration down to zero over time along the user-defined shift direction. In certain
applications, such as contact simulations of threaded connectors, convergence behavior improves when
a user-defined contact surface normal is used instead of the default contact normal. For details, see
User-Defined Contact Surface Normal (p. 31).
Methods 1 and 2 above are available for contact elements CONTA171 through CONTA177. Method 3,
the user-defined contact surface normal, is available for CONTA171 through CONTA175.
For methods 2 and 3, you must set KEYOPT(9) = 2 or 4 to activate ramping of the penetration. The
ramping is applicable only during the load step that you specify via real constant STRM (defaults to the
first load step). Since the user-defined contact surface normal is defined only on the contact elements,
the “Normal to target surface” option is recommended (KEYOPT(4) = 2 for CONTA171 to CONTA174,
KEYOPT(4) = 0 for CONTA175).
For all three methods, you need to specify the pinball radius (real constant PINB) to be larger than the
maximum initial penetration of the entire contact pair.
The initial interference fit is usually solved under frictionless conditions. Friction can be applied in sub-
sequent steps if desired.
3.9.10. Physically Moving Contact Nodes Towards the Target Surface

You can adjust the initial contact status in order to close the gap by doing one of the following:
(a) Define an initial contact adjustment via real constant ICONT. (ICONT may change the shape of
the contact detection surface.)
(b) Define a contact offset via real constant CNOF. (CNOF does not change the shape of the contact
detection surface.)
(c) Ignore the penetration by setting KEYOPT(9) = 1. (KEYOPT(9) = 1 does change the shape of the
contact detection surface.)
However, these adjustment methods do not truly change the physical locations of contact nodes; rather,
the contact detection locations are adjusted.
The initial adjustment due to (a) is applied only once in the beginning of the contact analysis, where
each contact detection point within the ICONT range is made to be in initial contact with the target
surface. The contact adjustments due to (b) and (c) offset the entire contact detection surface to close
any gap that is present. In doing so, methods (b) and (c) introduce a "rigid region" between the contact
and target surfaces during the entire analysis, which can cause a certain amount of residual force if a
large rotation appears at the contact surface. This problem can be alleviated by issuing the
CNCHECK,ADJUST or CNCHECK,MORPH command.
CNCHECK,ADJUST physically moves contact nodes towards the target surface while leaving the rest of
the model untouched. Similarly, CNCHECK,MORPH moves contact nodes towards the target surface,
but also morphs the underlying solid element mesh to improve the mesh quality that was distorted
due to movement of the contact nodes. Both commands move the contact nodes to the target surface
under the following circumstances:
• Only when using the nodal detection option or the projection-based contact option (KEYOPT(4) = 1, 2, or
3), or when using CONTA175 or CONTA177, or when using CONTA176 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 (parallel beams).
• Initially open contact nodes inside the ICONT zone.
• Initially penetrated nodes with KEYOPT(9) = 1.
If the default adjustment behavior is not desired, you can define further controls using the following
additional fields on the CNCHECK,ADJUST or CNCHECK,MORPH command:
• CGAP - Control parameter for opening gap. When this value is specified, an opening gap closes if the absolute
value of the gap is smaller than CGAP. CGAP defaults to 0.25*PINB (where PINB is the pinball radius) for
bonded and no-separation contact; otherwise it defaults to the value of real constant ICONT.
• CPEN - Control parameter for initial penetration. When this value is specified, initial penetration closes if
the absolute value of the penetration is smaller than CPEN. CPEN defaults to 0.25*PINB (where PINB is the
pinball radius) for any type of interface behavior (either bonded or standard contact).
• IOFF - Control parameter for initial adjustment. Input a positive value to adjust the contact nodes towards
the target surface with a constant interference distance equal to IOFF. Input a negative value to adjust the
contact node towards the target surface with a uniform gap distance equal to the absolute value of IOFF.
By default, the CGAP and CPEN adjustments modify initial node positions such that the contact surface
and the target surface are “just-touching” (with zero penetration/gap). Alternatively, you can specify
IOFF to adjust nodal positions such that a constant offset (equal to IOFF) exists between the contact
surface and target surface initially. The adjustments will take place only for regions that are inside the
adjusted zone as discussed above. You should always carefully review the adjustment since mesh dis-
tortion may occur if the adjustment is too large to achieve the specified control parameters.
If you do not want all contact surfaces to be adjusted, you can selectively identify the surfaces to move
by specifying real constant IDs (RID1, RID2, RINC) on the CNCHECK command. Alternatively, you can
set KEYOPT(4) = 0 for contact elements that you do not want to move.
3.9.10.1. Adjusting Small Gaps and Penetrations

Use the CNCHECK,ADJUST command when the gap or penetration to be adjusted is small enough that
the movement of nodes will not cause significant mesh distortions. After the CNCHECK,ADJUST command
is issued, the coordinates of the nodes that have been moved are modified as shown in Figure 3.25: Effect
of Moving Contact Nodes via the ADJUST Option (p. 69). You can change other contact related settings
in PREP7 (for example, set KEYOPT(4) = 0 to use the Gauss detection option) and save the Jobname.DB
file. Issuing the SAVE command before issuing the CNCHECK,ADJUST command is recommended in
order to resume the Jobname.DB file with the original contact configuration.
The initial adjustment resulting from CNCHECK,ADJUST is converted to structural displacement values
(UX, UY, UZ) and stored in a results file named Jobname.RCN. You can use this file to plot or list
nodal adjustment vectors or create a contour plot of the adjustment magnitudes via the displacements
(see Reviewing Results in POST1 (p. 106) for more information).
Figure 3.25: Effect of Moving Contact Nodes via the ADJUST Option
3.9.10.2. Adjusting Large Gaps and Penetrations

Sometimes, the gap or penetration between the contact and target surfaces is so large that moving
the contact nodes to the target surface can result in significant mesh distortions. In this case,
CNCHECK,MORPH should be used instead of CNCHECK,ADJUST to close gaps or reduce penetration.
When CNCHECK,MORPH is issued, the contact nodes are first moved towards the target (similar to he
ADJUST option), then the underlying solid element mesh is morphed to improve the mesh quality.
Figure 3.26: Comparison of the MORPH and ADJUST Options (p. 69) shows a case similar to that shown
in Figure 3.25: Effect of Moving Contact Nodes via the ADJUST Option (p. 69), but with a larger gap.
This figure demonstrates that the MORPH option improves the mesh quality while moving the contact
nodes to close the gap. CNCHECK,ADJUST (on the right) stretches the first layer of solid elements attached
to the contact elements, while CNCHECK,MORPH (middle figure) results in a uniform mesh.
Figure 3.26: Comparison of the MORPH and ADJUST Options
As shown in Figure 3.27: Effect of Boundary Conditions on the Morph Option (p. 70), the final results
can be different depending on whether or not you remove displacement constraints before issuing
CNCHECK,MORPH. If CNCHECK,MORPH is issued with all constraints in place, the contact nodes are
moved and the mesh is morphed to improve mesh quality. However, if CNCHECK,MORPH is issued after
removing all displacement constraints, then the lower block is rigidly moved to touch the target surface.
Figure 3.27: Effect of Boundary Conditions on the Morph Option
By default, all of the contact and target nodes are constrained during the morphing process. Thus, any
of those nodes that did not move to close the gap or penetration will likewise not move during the
morphing process. To circumvent this and allow boundary nodes attached to contact elements to move,
CNCHECK,MORPH unselects the far-field contact elements (similar to CNCHECK,UNSELECT) before
morphing the mesh. You can further adjust the boundary node movements by setting TRlevel =
AGGRE on the CNCHECK,MORPH command to automatically unselect additional contact elements, thus
allowing movement of the boundary nodes attached to them during morphing.
You can override the automatic unselect logic by manually unselecting the contact and target elements
whose nodes you want to allow to move and applying displacement constraints on the nodes you want
to prevent from moving. The manually unselected elements should be reselected after the morphing
and before the actual solution.
Assumptions and Restrictions for CNCHECK,MORPH
• CNCHECK,MORPH only supports solid elements. For other elements (shells, beams, links, and so on),
CNCHECK,MORPH works like CNCHECK,ADJUST in that it will only move the contact nodes and will not
morph the mesh.
• CNCHECK,MORPH does not work with symmetric contact. If symmetric contact is desired, use auto-asym-
metric contact (KEYOPT(8) = 2) during the adjustment phase. Once the mesh is adjusted, change the contact
back to symmetric contact.
• When used with a general contact definition, you must input section IDs (not real constant IDs) on the
CNCHECK,MORPH command to identify surfaces that are to be adjusted. It is recommended that you always
input specific section IDs since all surfaces in a general contact definition have contact elements overlaid
on them. If specific section IDs are not specified, all contact surfaces will be considered and all boundary
nodes will be fixed during morphing, which can result in a distorted mesh after morphing.
3.9.11. Determining Contact Status and the Pinball Region

The following topics related to determining contact status and the pinball region are available:
3.9.11.1. Contact Element Status
3.9.11.2. Defining the Pinball Region (PINB)
3.9.11.1. Contact Element Status

The position and motion of a contact element relative to its associated target surface determines the
contact element status. The program monitors each contact element and assigns a status:
• STAT = 0 Open far-field contact (open and not near contact)
• STAT = 1 Open near-field contact
• STAT = 2 Sliding contact
• STAT = 3 Sticking contact
A contact element is considered to be in near-field contact when its integration points (Gauss points
or nodal points) are within a code-calculated (or user-defined) distance to the corresponding target
surface. This distance is referred to as the pinball region. The pinball region is a circle (in 2-D) or a sphere
(in 3-D) centered about the Gauss point.
3.9.11.2. Defining the Pinball Region (PINB)

Use real constant PINB to specify a scaling factor (positive value for PINB when using command input)
or absolute value (negative value for PINB when using command input) for the pinball region. You can
specify PINB to have any value. By default, and assuming that large deflection effects apply (NLGEOM,ON),
the program defines the pinball region as a circle for 2-D or a sphere for 3-D of radius 4*depth (if rigid-
to-flexible contact) or 2*depth (if flexible-to-flexible contact) of the underlying element. (See the discus-
sion of element depth in Positive and Negative Real Constant Values (p. 39).) If you include no large-
deflection effects (NLGEOM,OFF), the default pinball region is half that of the large-deflection case. (For
the no-separation (KEYOPT(12) = 4) and bonded-always (KEYOPT(12) = 5 options, the PINB default is
different than described here. See Selecting Surface Interaction Models (p. 72) for more information.)
If you input a value for real constant CNOF (contact surface offset) and the default PINB value is less
than the absolute value of CNOF, the default for PINB will be set to the absolute value of (1.1*CNOF).
The computational cost of searching for contact depends on the size of the pinball region. Far-field
contact (open and not near contact) element calculations are simple and add little computational de-
mands. The near-field calculations (for contact elements that are nearly or actually in contact) are slower
and more complex. The most complex calculations occur once the elements are in actual contact.
Setting a proper pinball region is useful to overcome spurious contact definitions if the target surface
has several convex regions. However, the default setting should be appropriate for most contact problems.
The program will warn you when there is an abrupt change in status (for example, from far-field to
closed) during a contact analysis. This may indicate that the substep increment is too large, or possibly
(but not likely) that the pinball value (PINB) is too small.
For more information about the PINB real constant, see Positive and Negative Real Constants (p. 39).
3.9.12. Avoiding Spurious Contact in Self Contact Problems

In some cases of self contact, the program may erroneously assume contact between a contact and
target surface that are in very close geometrical position as shown below.
Figure 3.28: Auto Spurious Prevention
The program alerts you when it first detects spurious contact in each load step. If the program encounters
such contact on the first load step, you'll see the following error message:
Contact element x has too much penetration related to target element y. We
assume it (may be more elements) is spurious contact.
If the program encounters an abrupt change in contact that it classifies as spurious contact, you'll see
the following message:
Contact element x status changed abruptly with target element y. We assume
it (may be more elements) is spurious contact.
The program issues such messages only once per load step. It does not notify you of additional cases
of spurious contact that were ignored during the load step.
3.9.13. Selecting Surface Interaction Models

The following topics related to selecting surface interaction models are available:
3.9.13.3. Using FKOP
3.9.13.4. Specifying Linear Contact
3.9.13.5. Using TBND
3.9.13.6. Bonded Contact for Shell-Shell Assemblies
The surface-to-surface contact elements support normal unilateral contact models as well as other
mechanical surface interaction models.
As an alternative to the program-supplied contact interactions, you can define your own interfacial
model with the USERINTER subroutine (see User-Defined Subroutines for Contact Interfacial Behavi-
ors (p. 83)).

Use KEYOPT(12) to model different contact surface behaviors.
• KEYOPT(12) = 0 models standard unilateral contact; that is, normal pressure equals zero if separation
occurs.
• KEYOPT(12) = 1 models perfectly rough frictional contact where there is no sliding. This case corresponds
to an infinite friction coefficient and ignores the material property MU.
• KEYOPT(12) = 2 models no separation contact, in which the target and contact surfaces are tied (although
sliding is permitted) for the remainder of the analysis once contact is established.
• KEYOPT(12) = 3 models "bonded" contact, in which the target and contact surfaces are bonded in all
directions (once contact is established) for the remainder of the analysis.
• KEYOPT(12) = 4 models no separation contact, in which contact detection points that are either initially
inside the pinball region or that once involve contact always attach to the target surface along the
normal direction to the contact surface (sliding is permitted).
• KEYOPT(12) = 5 models bonded contact, in which contact detection points that are either initially inside
the pinball region or that once involve contact always attach to the target surface along the normal
and tangent directions to the contact surface (fully bonded).
• KEYOPT(12) = 6 models bonded contact, in which the contact detection points that are initially in a
closed state will remain attached to the target surface and the contact detection points that are initially
in an open state will remain open throughout the analysis.
For all types of bonded contact (KEYOPT(12) = 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), separation of contact can be modeled
using the debonding feature. For more information, see Debonding (p. 231).
For the no-separation option (KEYOPT(12) = 4) and the bonded-always option (KEYOPT(12) = 5), a relat-
ively small PINB value (pinball region) may be used to prevent any false contact. For these KEYOPT(12)
settings, the default for PINB is 0.25 (25% of the contact depth) for small deformation analysis
(NLGEOM,OFF) and 0.5 (50% of the contact depth) for large deformation analysis (NLGEOM,ON). (The
default PINB value may differ from what is described here if CNOF is input. See Defining the Pinball
Region (PINB) (p. 71) for more information.)
For the bonded-initial option (KEYOPT(12) = 6), a relatively large ICONT value (initial contact closure)
may be used to capture the contact. For this KEYOPT(12) setting, the default for ICONT is 0.05 (5% of
the contact depth) when KEYOPT(5) = 0 or 4.
See Positive and Negative Real Constants (p. 39) for more information on the real constants mentioned
above.
Note
For bonded contact definitions (KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6), if the contact is not in a “just touching”
position, you may find that no zero modes appear for free vibration. To avoid this issue, use
the MPC approach (p. 197) instead of other contact algorithms.
3.9.13.3. Using FKOP

Real constant FKOP is the stiffness factor applied when contact opens. FKOP is only used for no separ-
ation or bonded contact (KEYOPT(12) = 2 through 6). If FKOP is input as a scaling factor (positive value
for command input), the true contact opening stiffness equals FKOP times the contact stiffness applied
when contact closes. If FKOP is input as an absolute value (negative value for command input), the
value is applied as an absolute contact opening stiffness. The default FKOP value is 1.
In addition, FKOP can be defined as a function of primary variables by using tabular input (i.e., %tab-
(at the beginning of solution), and current geometric gap distance (positive GAP index values indicate
penetration, negative GAP index values indicate an open gap). For more information, see Defining Real
Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining FKOP. To use this subroutine, you
No separation and bonded contact generate a "pull-back" force when contact opening occurs, and that
force may not completely prevent separation. To reduce separation, define a larger value for FKOP. Also,
in some cases separation is expected while connection between the contacting surfaces is required to
prevent rigid body motion. In such instances, you can specify a small value for FKOP to maintain the
connection between the contact surfaces (this is a "weak spring" effect).
For bonded contact, the default contact opening stiffness is affected by the normal contact stiffness.
However, the tangential stiffness remains unchanged when an absolute value of tangential stiffness (a
negative value input for FKT) is specified, regardless of the contact status or the value of FKOP.
3.9.13.4. Specifying Linear Contact

For bonded and no separation contact, if no other nonlinearities exist in the model (plasticity, large
deformation, or unilateral contact), a nonlinear solution is generally not required to obtain an accurate
solution. In this case, it is possible for the program to treat the bonded and no separation contact types
as linear contact. Linear contact is supported for all contact algorithms (KEYOPT(2)).
To activate linear contact, use the following KEYOPT settings:
KEYOPT(12) = 4, 5, or 6: bonded or no separation contact

KEYOPT(18) = 1: small-sliding logic
KEYOPT(9) = 1 or 5: exclude initial penetration/gap
KEYOPT(2) = any value: contact algorithm
or
KEYOPT(12) = 4, 5, or 6: bonded or no separation contact

KEYOPT(2) = 2: MPC contact
When the above settings are enabled, the contact searching and the factorized stiffness matrix are
performed once in the beginning of the linear analysis, which can result in significant performance
improvement for the entire solution.
Linear contact is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.
3.9.13.5. Using TBND

In most welding processes, after the materials around contacting surfaces exceed a critical temperature,
the surfaces start to melt and bond with each other. To model this, you can specify the critical temper-
ature using real constant TBND; as soon as the temperature at the contact surface (Tc) for closed contact
exceeds this melting temperature, the contact will change to “bonded.” The contact status will remain
bonded for the rest of analysis, even if the temperature subsequently decreases below the critical value.
The contact surface temperature Tc is obtained either from a coupled thermal-structural solution in
which the TEMP degree of freedom is present or from a temperature body load applied to a model
having structural degrees of freedom only.
In addition, TBND can be defined as a function of primary variables by using tabular input (i.e., %tab-
(at the beginning of solution), current contact pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate com-
pression, negative PRESSURE index values indicate tension), and current geometric penetration (positive
GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index values indicate an open gap). For more in-
formation, see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining TBND. To use this subroutine, you
When defining TBND via tabular input or the user subroutine, the TBND real constant should be defined
as a bonding state other than the critical temperature: as soon as the value of TBND returned from the
table definition or from the user subroutine is equal to or larger than 1.0, the contact is changed to
“bonded.” The contact status will remain bonded for the rest of the analysis, even if the TBND value
obtained from the table or the user subroutine subsequently falls below 1.0.
3.9.13.6. Bonded Contact for Shell-Shell Assemblies

The bonded contact options (KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6) can be used with the MPC approach (KEYOPT(2) =
2) to model various types of assemblies (see Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies (p. 197)). When this
method is used to model shell-shell assemblies, there may be cases where the MPC approach causes
the model to be overconstrained. To alleviate this problem, you can use a penalty-based method for
shell-shell assemblies. Using the penalty-based method constrains rotational DOFs in addition to
translational DOFs. This capability is available for contact elements CONTA173, CONTA174, and CONTA175
in conjunction with TARGE170.
To use this method, first set KEYOPT(2) = 0 or 1 (augmented Lagrangian or penalty function) and KEY-
OPT(12) = 5 or 6 (bonded always or bonded initial contact) in the contact elements. Setting KEYOPT(5)
= 2 (projected constraint for shell-shell assembly) for the target elements will cause this penalty-based
method to be used.
The penalty stiffness used for rotational DOFs is equal to (contact stiffness used for translational DOFs)
* (contact length). The contact stiffness for translational DOFs is input by real constant FKN, or defaults
to an internal value. The contact length is always calculated internally and it is printed in the output
file. The figure below shows the difference in using a conventional penalty-based shell-shell assembly
and this method.
Figure 3.29: Penalty-Based Shell-Shell Assembly
Note
In the case of a penalty-based shell-shell assembly, spurious rotational energy exists if there
are gaps or penetrations between the contact and target surfaces. This can affect the accuracy
of the solution. In this case it is recommended that you use a force-distributed constraint
type by setting KEYOPT(5) = 3, 4, or 5 on the target element, which requires use of the MPC
algorithm (KEYOPT(2) = 2 on the contact element).
3.9.14. Modeling Contact with Superelements

The following topics related to modeling contact with superelements are available:
3.9.14.2. Using KEYOPT(3) in a 2-D Analysis with Superelements
The surface-to-surface contact elements can model a rigid body (or one linear elastic body) contacting
another linear elastic body undergoing small motions. These elastic bodies can be modeled using su-
perelements, which greatly reduces the number of degrees of freedom involved in the contact iteration.
Remember that any contact or target nodes must be either all master nodes of the superelements or
all slave nodes of the superelements. When the contact pair is built in original elements used to generate
superelements, the contact status will not change from its initial status.
Because the superelement consists only of a group of retained nodal degrees of freedom, it has no
surface geometry on which the program can define a contact and target surface. Therefore, the contact
and target surface must be defined on the surface of the original elements before they are assembled
into a superelement. Information taken from the superelement includes nodal connection and assembly
stiffness, but no material property or stress states (whether axisymmetric, plane stress, or plane strain).
One restriction is that the material property set used for the contact elements must be the same as the
one used for the original elements before they were assembled into superelements.
3.9.14.2. Using KEYOPT(3) in a 2-D Analysis with Superelements

Use KEYOPT(3) to provide information for a 2-D analysis with superelements. In elements CONTA171
and CONTA172, the options are as follows:
• No superelement used (KEYOPT(3) = 0)
• Axisymmetric, use with superelements only (KEYOPT(3) = 1)
• Plane strain or plane stress with unit thickness, use with superelements only (KEYOPT(3) = 2)
• Plane stress with thickness input, use with superelements only (KEYOPT(3) = 3). Note that for this case,
use real constant R2 to specify the thickness.
In a 3-D contact analysis (CONTA173, CONTA174), KEYOPT(3) is not used to specify the stress state when
superelements are present. The program automatically detects whether the underlying element is a
superelement.
For 2-D and 3-D analyses without superelements, KEYOPT(3) of the contact elements can be used to
control the units of normal contact stiffness in some circumstances. Note that when superelements are
present, normal contact stiffness always has the units FORCE/LENGTH3.
Note
KEYOPT(3) has different meanings in other situations. For more information, see the description
of KEYOPT(3) in Element KEYOPTS (p. 42).
3.9.15. Applying Contact Stabilization Damping

The following topics related to applying contact stabilization damping are available:
3.9.15.2. Using FDMN, FDMT, and KEYOPT(15)
3.9.15.3. Checking Results After Applying Contact Stabilization
Rigid body motion often occurs in the beginning of an analysis due to the fact that the initial contact
condition is not well established. Following are possible causes:
• Small gaps between element meshes on both sides of the element pair can be introduced by numerical
round-off, even if the solid model is built in an initially-contacting state.
• Small gaps can exist between the integration points of the contact elements and target surface elements.
• For surface projection based contact, a numerical gap distance can exist even though geometric penetration
is observed at a contact node. This can occur because the numerical distance is obtained over the overlapping
area in an average sense.
For standard contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0) or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 1), you can use real constants
FDMN and FDMT to define contact damping scaling factors along contact normal and tangential direc-
tions. The primary goal of this contact stabilization technique is to damp relative motions between the
contact and target surfaces for open contact. It provides a certain amount of resistance to reduce the
risk of rigid body motion.
The damping forces are calculated by:
where Vn and Vt are the relative velocities along the normal and tangential directions, and Ac is the
area domain of the contact surface. The units of the damping coefficients of FDMN and FDMT are
FORCE/(AREA*VELOCITY). For the contact force-based model (used by CONTA175, CONTA176, and
CONTA177), the units are FORCE/VELOCITY.
The specified damping coefficients should be large enough to prevent rigid body motion, but small
enough to insure a solution. The ideal values are fully dependent on the specific problem, the time of
the load step, and the number of substeps.
3.9.15.2. Using FDMN, FDMT, and KEYOPT(15)

The program computes the damping coefficients internally based on several factors:
• Contact stiffness
• Pinball radius
• Gap distance
• Number of substeps
• Size of time increment for the current substep
In general, contact stabilization damping should only be used for preventing rigid body motion when
other initial contact adjustment techniques are not efficient or not suitable for a particular situation.
Therefore, contact stabilization is deactivated by default.
As an exception, however, the automatic contact stabilization technique will be enabled if all of the
following conditions are encountered:
1. Gauss point based contact (KEYOPT(4) = 0) or surface projection based contact (KEYOPT(4) = 3) is used.
2. The entire contact pair is in open status.
3. A geometric penetration is detected at any contact nodal point, despite condition 2 above.
Without this automatic contact stabilization, rigid body motion may occur. If you wish to deactivate
automatic contact stabilization, you can simply set KEYOPT(15) = 1.
You can activate contact stabilization damping manually by specifying real constants FDMN and FDMT.
Use a positive value of FDMN to specify a damping scaling factor in the normal direction. FDMN defaults
to 1.0 in most cases. You can overwrite the internal normal damping coefficient by specifying a negative
value.
Use a positive value of FDMT to specify a damping scaling factor in the tangential direction. You can
input an absolute tangential damping coefficient by specifying a negative value for FDMT.
Both FDMN and FDMT can be defined as a function of primary variables by using tabular input (i.e.,
%tabname%). The possible primary variables include time, temperature, initial contact detection point
location (at the beginning of solution), and current geometric gap distance (positive GAP index values
indicate penetration, negative GAP index values indicate an open gap). For more information, see De-
fining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining FDMN and FDMT. To use this sub-
routine, you must specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value. For more information,
see Defining Real Constants via a User Subroutine (p. 41).
The normal contact stabilization damping is activated if all of the following conditions are met:
• Standard contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0) or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 1).
• Contact status of the current contact detection point is near-field.
• The first load step (default). All load steps if KEYOPT(15) = 2 or 3.
• The entire contact pair has an open contact status in the current iteration, unless KEYOPT(15) = 3.
When KEYOPT(15) = 0, 1, or 2, normal stabilization damping will not be applied if any contact detection
point has a closed status in the current iteration. However, when KEYOPT(15) = 3, normal stabilization
damping is always applied as long as the current contact status is near-field for any contact detection
point, regardless of the current contact status of the entire contact pair. When KEYOPT(15) = 3, there
is no default for FDMN; you must supply a value.
The tangential contact stabilization damping is automatically activated when the normal damping is
activated. In this case, FDMT defaults to 0.001. In the following circumstances, the tangential damping
can be applied independent of the normal damping:
• Contact status of the current contact detection point is closed and sliding (STAT = 2).
• FDMT is explicitly specified, either as a factor (positive value) or a coefficient (negative value).
• KEYOPT(15) = 2 or 3.
When KEYOPT(15) = 2 or 3 and FDMT is explicitly specified, the program always applies the tangential
stabilization damping for frictionless contact. When KEYOPT(15) = 3 and FDMT is explicitly specified,
the program always applies the tangential stabilization damping for frictionless or frictional contact
unless the contact status is sticking. These settings help to prevent rigid body motion due to large
amounts of sliding even for no-separation contact definitions.
Note that the internally computed contact damping is a function of the total number of substeps. The
internal damping is reduced in subsequent substeps within a load step, and very little damping is applied
in the last substep. Therefore, the solution convergence pattern is different when solving a contact
analysis that has only one substep (or a few substeps) per load step compared to an analysis having
multiple substeps per loadstep. Often times, the solution fails to converge if a small number of substeps
is used per load step. In this case, you can specify absolute damping coefficients to overwrite internal
damping values. To do so, input negative values for FDMN and FDMT.
3.9.15.3. Checking Results After Applying Contact Stabilization

Stabilization can alleviate convergence problems, but it can also affect solution accuracy if the applied
stabilization energy or damping forces are too large. In most cases, the program automatically activates
and deactivates contact stabilization damping and estimates reasonable damping forces. However, it
is good practice to check the stabilization energy and forces to determine whether or not they are ex-
cessive.
The contact stabilization energy (accessed via the AENE label on the ETABLE command) should be
compared to element potential energy. The energies can be output in the Jobname.OUT file (via the
OUTPR command). You can also access the energies as follows:
• In POST1 via PRENERGY, PRESOL, PLESOL, and ETABLE commands.
• In POST26 via ENERSOL and ESOL commands.
If the contact stabilization energy is much less than the potential energy (for example, within a 1.0
percent tolerance), the results should be acceptable and there should be no need to check the stabiliz-
ation forces or tractions further.
You can check the contact pair based damping tractions (maximum normal damping pressure and
maximum tangential damping stress) and total contact stabilization energy via the NLHIST and NLDIAG
commands. If the maximum damping tractions are much smaller than the maximum contact pressures
(for example, within a 0.5 percent tolerance), or the total contact stabilization energy is much smaller
than the total contact strain energy, the results are still acceptable.
3.9.16. Modeling Interface Damping in Assembled Structures

Vibration properties of most assembled mechanical systems depend on the damping mechanism at
the interfaces between parts. Interface damping can have an influence on the modal damping of the
assembled structure in both normal and tangential directions.
To account for interface damping, define two bonded contact pairs on the interface: one for normal
damping and one for tangential damping. In addition, you must define independent structural damping
coefficients (MP,DMPR) to be applied to these bonded contact pairs. This type of damping is valid for
harmonic analysis and mode-superposition analysis.
As an example, a simple assembled structure which consists of two parts joined by 8 bolts is shown
below. Two bonded contact pairs are defined:
• The first bonded contact pair represents interface damping along the normal direction (FKN = a negative
value; FKT = a near-zero negative value; MP,DMPR is defined for structural damping).
• The second bonded contact pair represents interface damping along the tangential direction (FKN =
a near-zero negative value; FKT = a negative value; MP,DMPR is defined for structural damping).
Figure 3.30: A Simple Assembled Structure with Two Bonded Contact Pairs at the Interface
In the Mechanical Application, you can define this type of interface damping by associating command
objects with the two contact regions. In the above figure, example command objects used to define
the interface damping are shown on the right. See Commands Objects in the ANSYS Mechanical User's
Guide for more information.
3.9.17. Accounting for Thickness Effect

The following topics related to thickness effects are available:
You can account for the thickness of shells (2-D and 3-D) and beams using KEYOPT(11). (This does not
apply to 3-D beam-to-beam contact.) For rigid-to-flexible contact, the program automatically shifts the
contact surface to the bottom or top of the shell/beam surface. For flexible-to-flexible contact, the
program automatically shifts both the contact and target surfaces which are attached to shell/beam
elements. By default, the program does not account for the element thickness, and beams and shells
are discretized at their mid-surface in which penetration distance is calculated from the mid-surface.

When you set KEYOPT(11) = 1 to account for beam or shell thickness, the contact distance is calculated
from either the top or the bottom surface as specified previously in Steps in a Contact Analysis (p. 15).
Note
Only use KEYOPT(11) = 1 to account for thickness when you have shell or beam elements
with nodes located at the middle surface.
When building your model geometry, if you are going to account for thickness, remember the offsets
which may come from either the contact surface or target surface or from both. When you specify a
contact offset (CNOF) along with setting KEYOPT(11) = 1, it is defined from the top or bottom of the
shell/beam, not the mid-surface. When used with SHELL181, SHELL208, SHELL209, SHELL281, or EL-
BOW290, changes in thickness during deformation are also taken into account.
For line-to-surface contact modeled with CONTA177, KEYOPT(11) is used to account for thickness of
beam elements on the contact side and shell elements on the target side. See Accounting for Thickness
Effect (KEYOPT(11)) for more information.
Note that KEYOPT(11) is not used with the line-to-line contact element (CONTA176).
Note
For shell and beam contact, the penetration and gap distances are always measured from
the midsurface of the shell or beam element. Any defined offset of the shell or beam element
is ignored by the contact elements.
3.9.18. Using Time Step Control and Impact Constraints

The following topics concerning time step control and impact constraints are available:
Time step control is an automatic time stepping feature that predicts when the status of a contact
element will change and cuts the current time step back.
Impact constraints are used in a transient dynamic analysis to satisfy the momentum and energy balance
at the contact and target interface. See Dynamic Contact and Impact Modeling (p. 217) for more inform-
ation.

Use KEYOPT(7) = 0, 1, 2, or 3 to control time stepping, where KEYOPT(7) = 0 provides no control (the
default), and KEYOPT(7) = 3 provides the most control.
• KEYOPT(7) = 0: No control. The time step size is unaffected by the prediction. This setting is appropriate for
most analyses when automatic time stepping is activated and a small time step size is allowed.
User-Defined Subroutines for Contact Interfacial Behaviors
• KEYOPT(7) = 1: Time step size is bisected if too much penetration occurs during an iteration, or if the contact
status changes dramatically.
• KEYOPT(7) = 2: Predict a reasonable increment for the next substep.
• KEYOPT(7) = 3: Predict a minimal time increment for the next substep.
Use KEYOPT(7) = 4 to activate impact constraints.
• KEYOPT(7) = 4: Use impact constraints for standard or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0 or 1) in a transient
dynamic analysis with automatic adjustment of the time increment.
3.9.19. Using the Birth and Death Option

The surface-to-surface contact and target elements allow birth and death. The elements can be removed
for part of an analysis and then reactivated for a later stage. This feature is useful for modeling complex
metal forming processes where multiple rigid target surfaces need to interact with the contact surface
at different stages of the analysis. For example, springback modeling often requires removing the rigid
tools at the end of the forming processes.
Use caution when deactivating target elements (EKILL command) in the beginning of an analysis. In
this situation the program no longer traces the initial contact conditions, so the effects of initial penet-
ration or gap (KEYOPT(9) > 0 on the contact element) are not considered even if the target elements
are reactivated (EALIVE command) in a later load step.
3.10. User-Defined Subroutines for Contact Interfacial Behaviors

These user subroutines are available for modifying or monitoring contact element behavior (CONTA171
to CONTA178):
• USERCNPROP.F - Perform a user-defined operation on real constants based upon your own nonlinear
function (p. 84)
• USERFRIC.F - Write your own friction laws (p. 87)
• USERINTER.F - Write your own contact interaction behaviors (p. 90)
• USERWEAR.F - Write your own contact surface wear behaviors (p. 96)
The user subroutines are called for each contact detection point of active contact pairs in each iteration
during the solution. The input to these user subroutines includes the current and previous contact
status, contact stresses, normal penetration/gap, tangential slip increments, and temperatures at the
contact detection point and the corresponding interacting point on the target surface.
You can specify the number of extra state variables (NSTV) to be saved for the user subroutines via the
NSVR command. The maximum number of extra state variables should not exceed 840. The total
number of integration points of an element (nintp) is a supplied input argument for the subroutines.
Therefore, the number of additional state variables per integration point is NSTV/nintp.
Use the USEROU subroutine to store user-supplied element outputs in the non-summable miscellaneous
(NMISC) record. You must enter the USRCAL command in order to activate the USEROU subroutine.
The maximum number of user-defined output items cannot exceed 120 and should be less than or
equal to NSTV on the NSVR command. The number of NMISC records can be obtained by this function
call: etyiqr(ITYPE,-110).
Keep the following points in mind when using any of these subroutines to define contact interfacial
behaviors:
• The user subroutines USERCNPROP, USERFRIC, and USERINTER all modify the contact behavior, so
only a single subroutine should be used for a given contact pair. However, you can use all three sub-
routines in a single model as long as each subroutine acts on a unique contact pair.
• In order to implement the USERFRIC, USERINTER, or USERWEAR subroutine in your model, you must
define related properties via the TB family of commands and assign the associated material ID to the
contact elements. See Writing Your Own Friction Law (USERFRIC) (p. 87), Defining Your Own Contact
Interaction (USERINTER) (p. 90), and Defining Your Own Contact Surface Wear Behavior (USER-
WEAR) (p. 96) for more information.
• The use of USERFRIC or USERINTER overrides the behavior of program-supplied interfacial features
(for example, debonding defined via the TB,CZM command, impact constraints defined by KEYOPT(7)
= 4, surface interaction models defined by KEYOPT(12)). Therefore, you must take care if behaviors im-
plemented by such features are desired. In this case, you must program the desired behavior into the
USERFRIC or USERINTER subroutine instead of relying on program input.
• The user subroutines USERFRIC and USERINTER should not be used if the fast thermal transient
solver option (THOPT,QUASI) is being used.
• You can use the /UPF command in batch mode to link user subroutines into ANSYS. The /UPF command
method cannot be used when the program is run in interactive mode.
For more information on the /UPF command and other methods of implementing user subroutines,
see Compiling and Linking UPFs on Linux Systems and Compiling and Linking UPFs on Windows Systems
in the Programmer's Reference.
3.10.1. Defining Your Own Real Constant (USERCNPROP)

The USERCNPROP subroutine enables you to define your own contact properties via real constants.
For example, you can define a nonlinear contact pressure-penetration relationship instead of utilizing
a linear one (that is, using a constant contact stiffness). The contact stiffness can be varied due to
pressure, penetration, temperature, and your own state variables.
The real constants that can be defined via this user subroutine are noted in the real constant table
found in each contact element description (CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175,
CONTA176, CONTA177, and CONTA178).
Some of the most commonly used input and output arguments for USERCNPROP are discussed below.
For a complete list of input and output arguments, see the description of USERCNPROP in the Program-
mer's Reference.
When defining user-defined real constants with the R, RMORE, or RMODIF command, you must use
the ANSYS reserved table name _CNPROP and enclose it in % signs (%_CNPROP%). When a value field
in one of these commands is set to %_CNPROP%, the program internally calls the USERCNPROP sub-
routine. For example, to specify your own normal contact stiffness, FKN, you would issue a command
similar to the following:
RMODIF,NSET,3,%_CNPROP% ! NSET is the real constant set ID associated with the contact pair
You can define the real constant as a function of certain input arguments as described in the following
table:
USERCNPROP Description
Input
Argument
kstat Contact status
stress(1) Tangential stress in direction 1
stress(3) Contact normal pressure (positive value for compression;
negative value for tension)
stress(4) Heat flux flowing into contact surface (positive value is heat
flowing out of the surface; negative value is heat flowing
into the surface)
stress(5) Heat flux flowing into target surface (positive value is heat
flowing out of the surface; negative value is heat flowing
into the surface)
stress(6) Electric current density (or pore fluid flux density) flowing
into contact surface (positive value is flux flowing out of
the surface; negative value is flux flowing into the surface)
stress(7) Electric current density (or pore fluid flux density) flowing
into target surface (positive value is flux flowing out of the
surface; negative value is flux flowing into the surface)
stress(8) Diffusion density flowing into contact surface (positive value
is flux flowing out of the surface; negative value is flux
flowing into the surface)
stress(9) Diffusion density flowing into target surface (positive value
is flux flowing out of the surface; negative value is flux
flowing into the surface)
Certain passed-in arguments such as contact status (kstat), contact pressure (stress(3)), and tangential
stresses (stress(1) and stress(2)) are not current (that is, from the current iteration) for real constants
FKN, TAUMAX, CNOF, FKOP, FKT, PPCN. FDMN, FDMT. In this case, the values from the previous iteration
are used instead. However, the contact status, contact pressure, and tangential stresses are current for
all non-structural related real constants (such as TCC, ECC, MCC, PCC, RDVF, ABPP, FPFT, DCC, DCON,
ABDC).
Other input arguments include those listed in the following table. These arguments are all current.
Input
Argument
strain(1) Tangential slip increment in direction 1
strain(2) Tangential slip increment in direction 2
strain(3) Normal penetration/gap (positive value represents
penetration, negative value represents gap)
strain(4) Temperature at the contact detection point
strain(5) Temperature at the target point
strain(6) Voltage (or pore pressure) at the contact point
strain(7) Voltage (or pore pressure) at the target point
Input
Argument
strain(8) Concentration at the contact point
strain(9) Concentration at the target point
strain0(i) Array variable containing the above values at the end of
the previous substep
intIn(1) to Integer values such as element number, analysis type, and
intIn(21) so on
realIn(1) to Real values such as contact element length, pinball radius,
realIn(12) and so on
Real constants can be defined in the time or frequency domain, depending on the analysis type. For
static and transient analyses, the input argument realIn(7) represents the current time value. For har-
monic analysis, realIn(7) represents the current frequency value.
You can also define your real constants as a function of extra solution-dependent state variables. The
extra state variables can be updated and used within the user subroutine. Use the NSVR command to
specify the number of extra state variables that need to be saved for the USERCNPROP subroutine, as
described in the table of input/output arguments shown below.
USERCNPROP Description Notes

Input/Output
Argument
usvr User-defined state variables Use the NSVR command to size the usvr array
and to set nuval to the same value as the number
of variables on NSVR. This array is passed in as
the values at the beginning of the substep. If any
of the solution-dependent state variables are
being used for the user-defined interaction
behavior, they must be updated to the values at
the end of the substep (when kupdhis = 1).
keyerr Element level error key Key to indicate if there are any element
formulation errors such as abrupt changes
in contact status or too much penetration.
The error could be caused by an incremental
step that is too large or an illegal model.
= 0, no error (preset value before

calling)
= 1, error(s) occurred
The program decides to stop the analysis or

cutback the substep (bi-section) based on
other user input and information at a higher
level.
The user subroutine passes in the position of the real constant in the real constant table (kcnprop), and
you need to return the value of the relevant real constant, cnprop(1). If the real constant is a function
of contact gap/penetration, contact pressure, or temperature, you can also return the associated deriv-
atives as described in the following table:
USERCNPROP Description Notes

Output
Argument
cnprop(1) Updated value of the real constant
cnprop(2) Derivative of the real constant with For example, the thermal conductance TCC can
respect to the gap function be defined as a function of geometric
penetration/gap (positive value for penetration,
negative value for gap). If the real constant is not
a function of gap, you simply return cnprop(2) =
0.0.
cnprop(3) Derivative of the real constant with For example, the thermal conductance TCC can
respect to contact pressure be defined as a function of contact pressure
(positive value for compression, negative value
for tension). If the real constant is not a function
of pressure, you simply return cnprop(3) = 0.0.
cnprop(4) Derivative of the real constant with If the real constant is not a function of
respect to temperature at the temperature at the contact point, you simply
contact detection point return cnprop(4) = 0.0.
cnprop(5) Derivative of the real constant with If the real constant is not a function of
respect to temperature at the target temperature at the target, you simply return
cnprop(5) = 0.0.
The subroutine can be called multiple times for a contact detection point during each iteration, based
on how many real constants are defined through the label %_CNPROP%. Be careful to define the correct
position of the user-defined variables (usvr) during each call. Otherwise, the previously defined variables
could be overwritten during subsequent access to the subroutine within an iteration.
You can preassign the contact pair ID (RID in the example below) to a parameter (‘PAIRID’ in the example
below) and then call subroutine PAREVL inside of USERCNPROP to get the contact pair ID. Follow the
example below as a template for using this function inside of USERCNPROP:
cName = 'PAIRID'
subc(1) = 0.0d0
call parevl(cName,0,subc(1),2,RID,string,kerr)
In this way, one unified USERCNPROP routine can handle contact properties not only for different real
constants, but also for different contact pairs.
3.10.2. Writing Your Own Friction Law (USERFRIC)

The USERFRIC subroutine enables you to program your own friction model for 2-D and 3-D contact
elements (CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, CONTA177, and
CONTA178) when the existing program-supplied friction models are not adequate. The frictional stresses
can be defined as a function of variables such as slip increments, sliding rate, temperature, and other
input arguments. You can specify a number of properties or constants associated with your friction
model, and you can introduce extra solution-dependent state variables that can be updated and used
within the subroutine.
Some of the most commonly used input and output arguments for USERFRIC are discussed below.
For a complete list of input and output arguments, see the description of USERFRIC in the Programmer's
Reference.
After writing a USERFRIC subroutine to program your friction model, you incorporate the model in
your analysis by using the TB,FRIC command with TBOPT = USER and specifying the friction properties
on the TBDATA command, as shown below. The number of friction properties is defined through NPTS
on the TB,FRIC command.
TB,FRIC,1,,2,USER ! Activate user defined friction model; NPTS = 2
TBDATA,1,PROP1,PROP2 ! Define friction properties
Field variables specified with the TBFIELD command are not available for TB,FRIC,,,,USER.
Use the NSVR command to specify the number of extra state variables that need to be saved for the
USERFRIC subroutine.
Use the USEROU subroutine to store user-supplied element outputs in non-summable miscellaneous
(NMISC) records. You must enter the USRCAL command in order to activate the USEROU subroutine.
The maximum number of user-defined output items should not exceed the number of user-defined
state variables.
The USERFRIC subroutine is called at the contact detection point when the contact is closed.
Some of the input arguments are described in the following table:
USERFRIC Description Notes

Input
Argument
dslip(ncomp) Slip increment for the current
subset
pres Current normal contact pressure
(positive value for compression;
negative value for tension)
tau(ncomp) Frictional stress component at the The passed-in values include the contribution
beginning of the substep. from Lagrange multipliers if the Lagrange
multiplier method (KEYOPT(2) = 4) is specified.
kn Current normal contact stiffness
kt Tangential contact stiffness You can use the passed-in values for computing
the frictional stresses. However, you can also pick
a suitable value that allows minimal tangential
elastic slip during sticking without adversely
affecting the convergence. A possible choice
could be kt = mu*kn. For the Lagrange multiplier
method (KEYOPT(2) = 4), you should use a small
kt (several orders of magnitude smaller than
mu*pres).
tcont Current temperature at the contact
point
ttarg Current temperature at the target
point

Input
Argument
uprop(npropu) User-defined frictional properties
defined through the TB,FRIC
command
kupdhis Key to indicate if history-dependent kupdhis = 1: update (converged)
variables (user-defined) need to be kupdhis = 0: do not update (not
updated after the substep has converged)
converged
Some of the input/output arguments are described in the following table:

Input/Output
Argument
kstat Contact status: You can make decisions about the sticking/sliding
condition based on the slip increments and the
far-field (kstat = 0) updated frictional stresses.
near-field (kstat = 1)
sliding (kstat = 2)
sticking (kstat = 3)
tau(ncomp) Updated frictional stress This is passed in as the values of the frictional
stress component at the beginning of the substep
and must be updated to the values at the end of
the substep. The passed-in values include the
contribution from Lagrange multipliers, if the
Lagrange multiplier method (KEYOPT(2) = 4) is
defined. In the user subroutine, you can define
the friction stresses as a function of slip increment
(dslip), normal contact pressure (pres), and other
input arguments or user-defined state variables.
slip(ncomp) Total accumulated slip This is the accumulated value of dslip from the
previous substeps.
mu Friction coefficient This is passed in as the value at the beginning of
the current substep. It is updated to be the value
at the end of the current substep.
You must define the following output arguments:

Output
Argument
dt(i,j) Partial derivative of frictional The partial derivative of frictional stresses with
stresses and normal pressure with respect to the temperatures dt(1,4), dt(1,5), dt(2,4),
respect to the slip increments, and dt(2,5) can be used only for coupled
normal gap distance, and thermal-structural and coupled
temperatures thermal-electrical-structural analyses in which the
frictional stresses are defined as a function of the
surface temperatures.

Output
Argument
dtdp(ncomp) Partial derivative of frictional This contributes to the element stiffness matrix
stresses with respect to the normal when a Lagrange multiplier method (KEYOPT(2)=
pressure 3 or 4) is used.
usvr(nuval) User-defined state variables Use the NSVR command to size the usvr array
being used for the user-defined friction behavior,
they must be updated to the values at the end
of the substep (when kupdhis = 1).
fdiss Incremental frictional dissipation The units are energy per unit area. For purely
structural analysis, this argument is used for
output only and has no effect on the solution. In
coupled thermal-structural and coupled
thermal-electrical-structural analyses, the
dissipation is converted into heat.
elener Incremental elastic stored energy This argument is used for output only and has no
density effect on the solution.
3.10.3. Defining Your Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER)

As an alternative to the USERFRIC subroutine that allows for user-defined frictional behavior, subroutine
USERINTER is available for defining complex interactions between contacting surfaces, including inter-
actions in the normal and tangential directions, and coupled-field interactions.
You can write a USERINTER subroutine to program your own contact interactions for 2-D and 3-D
contact elements (CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, CONTA177,
and CONTA178) when the existing interaction models are not adequate. The contact normal stress,
tangential stress, and heat flux can be defined as a function of variables such as slip increment, sliding
rate, temperature, and other input arguments. You can specify a number of properties or constants
associated with your interaction model, and you can introduce extra solution-dependent state variables
that can be updated and used within the subroutine.
Some of the most commonly used input and output arguments for USERINTER are discussed below.
For a complete list of input and output arguments, see the description of USERINTER in the Program-
mer's Reference.
After writing a USERINTER subroutine to program your interaction model, you incorporate the model
in your analysis by using the command TB,INTER with TBOPT = USER and specifying the interaction
properties on the TBDATA command as shown below. The number of interaction properties is defined
through NPTS on the TB,INTER command.
TB,INTER,1,,2,USER ! Activate user defined contact interaction; NPTS = 2
TBDATA,1,PROP1,PROP2 ! Define interaction properties
Field variables specified with the TBFIELD command are not available for TB,INTER,,,,USER.
Use the NSVR command to specify the number of extra state variables that need to be saved for the
USERINTER subroutine.
Use the USEROU subroutine to store user-supplied element outputs in non-summable miscellaneous
(NMISC) records. You must enter the USRCAL command in order to activate the USEROU subroutine.
The maximum number of user-defined output items should not exceed the number of user-defined
state variables.
The USERINTER subroutine is called at each contact detection point in each iteration.
In a structural analysis, you must define the current stresses. In a coupled thermal-structural analysis or
a coupled thermal-electrical-structural analysis, you must also define the heat flux and electric current
density, respectively, across the interface for the current time. The interaction calculation is based on
(a) the relative motion between the contact detection point and the associated intersecting target point,
(b) temperatures, and (c) user-defined state variables. The state variables can be used and updated
within this subroutine. You must also define the material tangent modulus (interface stiffness matrix)
to ensure proper convergence behavior.
If effects of contact damping are taken into account, you need to define the interface damping matrix.
The interface damping matrix can be used in a complex modal analysis, a full transient structural ana-
lysis, or a harmonic analysis at a given frequency.
Some of the input arguments are described in the following table:
USERINTER Description Notes

Input
Argument
dslip(ncomp) Current strain component
strain(1) Slip increment in direction 1 Mechanical component.
strain(2) Slip increment in direction 2 (3-d Mechanical component.
only)
strain(3) Contact normal penetration/gap Mechanical component.
(positive value represents
penetration, negative value
represents gap)
strain(4) Temperature at the contact This argument is generally used for coupled
detection point thermal-structural or thermal-electric-structural
analysis. The temperature components strain(4)
and strain(5) can also be used for a structural
analysis as long as it is defined through
temperature loadings.
strain(5) Temperature at the target This argument is generally used for coupled
intersecting point thermal-structural or thermal-electric-structural
analysis. The temperature components strain(4)
and strain(5) can also be used for a structural
analysis as long as they are defined through
temperature loadings.
strain(6) Voltage (or pore pressure) at the This argument is used for coupled
contact point thermal-electric-structural analysis, or for coupled
pore fluid-structural analysis

Input
Argument
strain(7) Voltage (or pore pressure) at the This argument is used for coupled
target point thermal-electric-structural analysis, or for coupled
pore fluid-structural analysis
strain(8) Concentration at the contact point This argument is used for coupled
structural-thermal-electric-diffusion analysis
strain(9) Concentration at the target point This argument is used for coupled
structural-thermal-electric-diffusion analysis
uprop(npropu) User-defined interfacial properties
(defined through the TB,INTER
command)
kupdhis Key to indicate if history-dependent kupdhis = 1: update (converged)
variables (user-defined) need to be kupdhis = 0: do not update (not
updated after the substep has converged)
converged
intIn(1) to Integer values such as element
intIn(20) number, analysis type, and so on
realIn(1) to Real values such as contact element
realIn(14) length, pinball radius, and so on
The USERINTER subroutine can be used in the time or frequency domain, depending on the analysis
type. For static and transient analyses, the input argument realIn(7) represents the current time value.
For harmonic analysis, the input argument realIn(7) represents the current frequency value.
Some of the input/output arguments are described in the following table:

Input/Output
Argument
kstat Contact status: You can make decisions about the contact status
based on the relative position of the contact
far-field (kstat = 0) detection point with respect to the target surface,
near-field (kstat = 1) the slip increments, and other state variables.
sliding (kstat = 2)
sticking (kstat = 3)
stress(1) Tangential stress in direction 1 The passed-in values include the contribution
from Lagrange multipliers if the pure Lagrange
stress(2) Tangential stress in direction 2 (3-D The passed-in values include the contribution
only) from Lagrange multipliers if the pure Lagrange
stress(3) Contact normal pressure (positive The passed-in values include the contribution
value for compression, negative from Lagrange multipliers if a Lagrange multiplier
value for tension) method (KEYOPT(2) = 3 or 4) is specified.
stress(4) Heat flux (per area) flowing into the Defined for a coupled thermal-structural or a
contact surface (positive value is thermal-electric-structural analysis.

Input/Output
Argument
heat flowing out of the surface;
negative value is heat flowing into
the surface)
stress(5) Heat flux (per area) flowing into the Defined for a coupled thermal-structural or a
target surface (positive value is heat thermal-electric-structural analysis.
flowing out of the surface; negative
value is heat flowing into the
surface)
stress(6) Electric current density (or pore Defined for a coupled thermal-electric-structural
fluid flux density) flowing into analysis or a coupled pore-fluid-structural analysis
contact surface (positive value is
flux flowing out of surface; negative
value is flux flowing into surface)
stress(7) Electric current density (or pore Defined for a coupled thermal-electric-structural
fluid flux density) flowing into analysis or a coupled pore-fluid-structural analysis
target surface (positive value is flux
flowing out of surface; negative
value is flux flowing into surface)
stress(8) Diffusion density flowing into Defined for coupled
contact surface (positive value is structural-thermal-electric-diffusion analysis
flux flowing out of the surface;
negative value is flux flowing into
the surface)
stress(9) Diffusion density flowing into target Defined for coupled
surface (positive value is flux structural-thermal-electric-diffusion analysis
flowing out of the surface; negative
value is flux flowing into the
surface)
usvr(nuval) User-defined state variables Use the NSVR command to size the usvr array
being used for the user-defined interaction
behavior, they must be updated to the values at
the end of the substep (when kupdhis = 1).
mu Friction coefficient This is passed in as the value at the beginning of
the current substep. It is updated to be the value
at the end of the current substep.
keycnv Element level convergence Key to flag if this element satisfies the user
defined element convergence criterion.
= 1, yes, the criterion is satisfied or

there is no criterionl (preset value
before calling)

Input/Output
Argument
= 0, no, the element does not satisfy
the element convergence criterion.
If this is the case, the iteration will
not converge but will continue, even
when both force and displacement
converge.
You must define the following output arguments:

Output
Argument
dt(ncomp,ncomp)Partial derivative of the ith stress Terms dt(i,,j) (i > 3 or j > 3) are only used for a
component with respect to the jth coupled thermal-structural analysis, a coupled
component of the relative strain thermal-electrical-structural analysis, a coupled
increment array to ensure proper pore pressure-structural analysis, or a coupled
convergence behaviors structural-thermal-electric-diffusion analysis in
which the stress component is a function of the
surface temperatures/voltage or the flux is a
function of mechanical strain increments
(gap/slip).
dtdp(ncomp) Partial derivative of the frictional This argument contributes to the element stiffness
stresses with respect to the normal matrix when a Lagrange multiplier method
pressure (KEYOPT(2)= 3 or 4) is used.
damp(3,3) Interface damping matrix (structure This argument contributes to the element
only) damping matrix.
fdiss Incremental frictional dissipation The units are energy per unit area. For purely
structural analysis, this argument is used for
output only and has no effect on the solution. In
coupled thermal-structural and coupled
thermal-electrical-structural analyses, the
dissipation is converted into heat.
elener Incremental elastic stored energy This argument is used for output only and has no
density effect on the solution.
keyerr Element level error key Key to indicate if there are any element
formulation errors such as abrupt changes
in contact status or too much penetration.
The error could be caused by an incremental
step that is too large or an illegal model.
= 0, no error (preset value before

calling)
= 1, error(s) occurred
The program decides to stop the analysis or

cutback the substep (bi-section) based on

Output
Argument
other user input and information at a higher
level.
When using a Lagrange multiplier method for normal constraint (KEYOPT(2) = 3 or 4), you should pick
a very small normal contact stiffness, kn (several orders of magnitude smaller than the contact pressure).
The passed-in normal pressure (stress(3)) includes the contribution from the normal Lagrange multiplier.
When using the Lagrange multiplier method for tangential constraint (KEYOPT(2) = 4), you should pick
a very small tangential contact stiffness, kt (several orders of magnitude smaller than mu*pressure). The
passed-in tangential stresses (stress(1), stress(2)) include the contributions from the tangential Lagrange
multipliers.
Use the following example as a template to activate the user subroutines.
You can preassign the contact pair ID (RID in the example below) to a parameter (‘PAIRID’ in the example
below) and then call subroutine PAREVL inside of USERINTER to get the contact pair ID. Follow the
example below as a template for using this function inside of USERINTER:
cName = 'PAIRID'
subc(1) = 0.0d0
call parevl(cName,0,subc(1),2,RID,string,kerr)
In this way, one unified USERINTER routine can handle different interactions based on contact pair
ID.
Example 3.1: Using the /UPF Command to Link USERINTER

! The /UPF command offers the simplest method for linking
! user-programmable features into ANSYS.
! It cannot be used when ANSYS is run in interactive mode
!
/UPF,userinter.F
/UPF,userou.F
/prep7
…
!
! define contact type
!
ITYPE = 4
et,ITYPE,172
!
!Define user interactions
!
TB,INTER,1, ,1,USER
tbdata,1,0.42 ! define friction coefficient.
!Additional saved variables

! The size of this array is:
! no of variables(nuval)* no of integration points(nintp).
!
nsvr,ITYPE,5*2
…
/solu
…
!
! Activate user subroutine userou
!
usrcal,userou
solve
/post1
…
! output additional state variables
!
! You can find the maximum number of NMISC for contact elements by
! issuing the following function call
!
maxnmisc=etyiqr(ITYPE,-110)
etab,MU1,NMISC,maxnmisc+1
etab,AASR1,NMISC,maxnmisc+2
etab,AASS1,NMISC,maxnmisc+3
etab,RASR1,NMISC,maxnmisc+4
etab,RASS1,NMISC,maxnmisc+5
etab,MU2,NMISC,maxnmisc+6
etab,AASR2,NMISC,maxnmisc+7
etab,AASS2,NMISC,maxnmisc+8
etab,RASR2,NMISC,maxnmisc+9
etab,RASS2,NMISC,maxnmisc+10
!
! Output the user defined variables
!
pretab,MU1,AASR1,AASS1,RASR1,RASS1
pretab,MU2,AASR2,AASS2,RASR2,RASS2
3.10.4. Defining Your Own Contact Surface Wear Behavior (USERWEAR)

The USERWEAR subroutine enables you to define your own contact surface wear behavior. Specifically,
you can define the wear increment as a function of contact pressure and sliding velocities. For details,
see User-Defined Wear Model (USERWEAR).
3.11. Controlling the Motion of the Rigid Target Surface

Rigid target surfaces are defined in their original configuration, and the motion of the entire surface is
then defined by the motion on the pilot node (or the different nodes of the target surface if no pilot
node was defined).
You must use a pilot node in any of the following situations to control the boundary conditions (and
motion) of the entire target surface:
• The target surface is subjected to applied forces.
• The target surface is subjected to rotations.
• The target surface is connected to other elements (e.g., structural mass element MASS21).
• The motion of the target surface is adjusted by the equilibrium condition.
• When modelling surface-based constraints or a rigid body.
The degrees of freedom of the pilot node represent the motion of the entire rigid surface, including
two translational and one rotational degree of freedom in 2-D, and three translational and three rota-
tional degrees of freedom in 3-D. You can apply boundary conditions (displacement, initial velocity),
concentrated loads, rotations, etc. to the pilot node. To account for a rigid body's mass, define a mass
element (MASS21) on the pilot node. You can also define a follower element (FOLLW201) on the pilot
node; the element-specified external forces and moments will follow the motion of the pilot node.
Applying Necessary Boundary Conditions to the Deformable Elements
By default, KEYOPT(2) = 0 for the target element, the program checks the boundary conditions for each
target surface. If all of the following conditions are met, then the program treats the target nodes along
the respective degree of freedom as fixed:
• There are no explicit boundary conditions or prescribed forces for target surface nodes.
• Target surface nodes are not connected to other elements.
• Neither constraint equations nor node coupling have been used to constrain such nodes.
At the end of each load step, the program releases the constraint conditions that were set internally.
The constraint conditions stored in the results file (Jobname.RST) and the database file (Jobname.DB)
may be updated due to this change. You should carefully verify whether the current constraint conditions
are expected before restarting an analysis or resolving the problem in interactive mode.
If you wish, you can control the constraint conditions of target nodes by setting KEYOPT(2) = 1 in the
target element definition.
Keep in mind the following restrictions on the target surface when using a pilot node:
• Each target surface can have only one pilot node.
• The pilot node can be one of the nodes on the target elements or a node at any arbitrary location.
However, it should not be a node on the contact element. The location of the pilot node becomes im-
portant only when rotations or moments are to be applied. For each pilot node, the program automat-
icallys define an internal node and an internal constraint equation. The rotational DOF of the pilot node
is connected to the translational DOF of the internal node by the internal constraint equation. Generally,
you should not apply external constraint equations (CE) or node coupling (CP) to the pilot node.
• The program ignores all boundary conditions on all nodes other than the pilot node when KEYOPT(2)
= 0 (default) for the target elements.
• When KEYOPT(2) = 0 (default), only the pilot node can connect to other elements.
• By setting KEYOPT(2) = 1 for the target elements, you can apply boundary conditions on any rigid target
nodes rather than only on the pilot node. In this case, it is your responsibility to make sure the rigid
target surface is not under-constrained or over-constrained. It is still recommended that you apply all
boundary conditions on the pilot node, even when KEYOPT(2) = 1.
Note
For flexible-to-flexible contact, no special boundary conditions treatment is performed, and

KEYOPT(2) = 0 should be used.
3.12. Applying Necessary Boundary Conditions to the Deformable Ele-

ments
You can apply any necessary boundary conditions as you would for any analysis. For more information
about applying boundary conditions, see the appropriate analysis descriptions in the Structural Analysis
Guide.
3.13. Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads

Pressure-penetration loads can simulate surrounding fluid or air penetrating into the contact interface,
based on the contact status. You can apply pressure-penetration loads to flexible-to-flexible or rigid-to-
flexible contact pairs. 2-D and 3-D surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173,
CONTA174) support pressure-penetration loading.
Fluid pressure can penetrate into the contact interface from one or multiple locations. The fluid pressure-
penetration load has a path dependent nature. The penetrating path can propagate and vary, and it is
determined iteratively. At the beginning of each iteration, the program first detects starting points
which are exposed to the fluid pressure. Among the starting points, the program then finds fluid pen-
etrating points where the contact status is open or lost, or where the contact pressure is smaller than
the user defined pressure-penetration criterion. When a contact detection point has a contact condition
of “penetrating,” it is subjected to the fluid pressure, and its nearest neighboring nodes are considered
to be the starting points which are exposed to the fluid pressure as well.
The fluid pressure is not applied to an area having a contact status of open unless the edges/ends of
the area belong to the starting points.
Figure 3.31: Path Dependent Fluid Penetration Loading

Fluid pressure is applied
Starting Point
The fluid pressure starts to penetrate into the interface between contact and target surfaces from the
penetrating points. The fluid penetration can be cut off when contact between the surfaces is reestab-
lished or when contact pressure is larger than the fluid penetration criterion.
To model fluid penetration loads, you need to specify the following quantities:
• fluid pressure (p. 98)
• fluid penetration starting points (p. 100)
• fluid penetration criterion (p. 101)
• fluid penetration acting time (p. 101)
An example analysis showing how to apply fluid penetrating loading is presented in Appendix A: Example
2-D Contact Analysis with Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loading (p. 245).
3.13.1. Applying Fluid Penetration Pressure

The fluid pressure must be applied to contact and target elements using the SFE command:
SFE,ELEM,1,PRES,,VAL1,VAL2,VAL3,VAL4
Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads
The pressure is applied only on the corner nodes of the contact and target elements. The pressure on
the midside nodes of CONTA172, CONTA174, TARGE169, and TARGE170 is averaged using the pressures
of two adjacent corner nodes. VAL3 and VAL4 are not used for 2-D contact and target elements.
Pressure value VALi, which is applied to the ith node (where i = 1, 2, 3, 4 indicates node I, J, K, L, re-
spectively) of the contact or target element, can be a constant numerical value or a table name. If it is
constant, the magnitude of pressure is step-applied or ramped based on the KBC command setting.
To specify a table, enclose the table name in percent signs (i.e., %tabname%). Use the *DIM command
to define the table. Only one table can be specified, and it must be specified in the VAL1 position;
tables specified in the VAL2, VAL3, and VAL4 positions are ignored.
The fluid pressure-penetration load is automatically applied to the penetrating points on contact and
target surfaces based on the contact status and the value of KEYOPT(14) of the contact elements.
When KEYOPT(14) = 0 (default) or 2, the fluid pressure-penetration load varies during iterations based
on the current contact status. In certain cases, this can cause an unstable convergence pattern since
the contact status and the resulting applied fluid penetration load keep changing during iterations.
When KEYOPT(14) = 1 or 3, the fluid pressure-penetration load is applied to the contact and target
elements at the beginning of each substep and remains constant over that substep even if the contact
status keeps changing during iterations. Small increments are often needed to obtain accurate results.
When KEYOPT(14) = 0 or 1, any contact detection point which was previously exposed to the fluid
pressure remains in the condition of “penetrating” unless the closed contact condition is reestablished.
When KEYOPT(14) = 2 or 3, the fluid pressure-penetration load is always newly applied from the initial
starting points regardless of the history of “penetrating” conditions. Therefore, the penetrating path
must be continuous following any starting point.
Keep the following points in mind when defining fluid penetration loads:
• For flexible-to-flexible contact with a symmetric contact pair definition (including a self-contact pair), you
should apply the fluid pressure only to the contact elements.
• For flexible-to-flexible contact with an asymmetric contact pair definition, you should generally apply fluid
pressure on both contact and target elements which are currently or will potentially be exposed to the
surrounding fluid. The program ignores fluid penetration loads applied to a target surface if there are no
fluid penetration loads applied to the associated contact surface within the contact pair. When the fluid
pressures are applied to both contact and target elements, the program has to identify the penetration
paths for both the contact surface and the target surface. The iterative process of determining the penetration
path on the target surface is very time-consuming, particularly for 3-D contact models. Use a symmetric
contact pair definition, therefore, as it does not require the specification of fluid penetration pressure on
the target surface.
• For rigid-to-flexible contact, you should apply the fluid pressure only to the contact elements. The program
automatically applies equivalent forces to the rigid target surface to balance out the applied pressure on
the contact surface. Fluid pressure applied to the rigid target surface is ignored.
• For situations in which multiple contact pairs are defined on the same surface, contact elements may overlap
each other. In this case, be careful to apply the fluid penetration pressure only once in areas where contact
elements overlap.
• The fluid penetration pressure can only be applied to the contact and target elements using the SFE com-
mand. Other pressure load commands (SF, SFL, SFA) can not be used. In addition, you should not apply the
pressure on the underlying elements.
• The program ignores any fluid penetration pressures applied to MPC based contact pairs.
• The effects of pressure load stiffness are automatically included. If an unsymmetric matrix is needed to
achieve convergence for pressure load stiffness effects, issue the NROPT,UNSYM command.
3.13.2. Specifying Fluid Penetration Starting Points

When a fluid pressure-penetration load is applied, the fluid pressure penetrates to the surface from
defined starting points. There can be one or multiple starting points. The program automatically finds
the default starting points by selecting free end points of 2-D contact/target surfaces or nodes of free
open edges on 3-D contact/target surfaces ("free" meaning that the element is not fully surrounded by
adjacent elements; see figure below).
Figure 3.32: Free End Points (2-D) and Free Open Edges (3-D)
The starting points are initially exposed to the fluid and are potentially subjected to the penetration
pressure. There are no default starting points if the contact or target surface is continuous with a closed
loop. The default starting points can be overwritten using the SFE command. You can specify starting
points, specify penetrating points, and remove the default starting points with the SFE command and
STAi values, as described below. Be sure to set LKEY = 2 on the SFE command in order to specify the
STAi settings. The command format is:
SFE,ELEM,2,PRES,,STA1,STA2,STA3,STA4
STAi = The program determines whether the ith node is a starting point based on the contact status.
0 The ith node can be a default starting point if the node is a 2-D free point or is on a 3-D free
(default) edge.
STAi = The ith node is the starting point which is initially exposed to the fluid. It can be a penetrating
1 point if the initial contact status is "open." The node may no-longer be the starting point
when the contact status changes during the deformation process.
STAi = The ith node is a penetrating point. The node is always subjected to the fluid pressure in spite
2 of any contact status change.
STAi = The ith node is not a default starting point even though it belongs to a 2-D free point or a
-1 3-D free edge node.
Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads
STAi = The ith node is a non-penetrating point. The node is never subjected to the fluid pressure in
-2 spite of any contact status.
Note
If only STA1 is specified and the other STAi values are blank, STA2, STA3, and STA4 default
to STA1.
If you intend to define your own starting points, be sure to first suppress all default starting points for
all contact and target elements by issuing the following command:
SFE,ALL,2,PRES,,-1
3.13.3. Specifying a Pressure-Penetration Criterion

You can specify a pressure-penetration criterion using the contact element real constant PPCN. When
the contact pressure is less than the criterion, the starting point turns into the penetrating point; that
is, fluid pressure starts to penetrate. Thus, a higher criterion value allows the fluid to penetrate more
easily. When the contact pressure is greater than the criterion, the penetrating point returns back to
the starting point; that is, fluid penetration is cut off. By default, the penetration criterion (PPCN) is zero.
In this case the fluid penetration occurs only when the contact is open, and the cutoff of fluid penetration
occurs only when the contact is reestablished.
You can input PPCN as a constant value or as a table of values. The tabular input can be a function of
initial contact detection point location (at the beginning of solution), contact pressure (positive index
values for PRESSURE), geometric penetration (positive index values for GAP), time, or temperature. To
input a table name, you must enclose the name in % symbols (i.e., %tabname%). Use the *DIM command
to define the table. For more information, see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP.F is also available for defining PPCN. To use this subroutine, you
3.13.4. Specifying a Fluid Penetration Acting Time

When the fluid pressure penetration occurs, the fluid pressure is applied normal to the contact/target
surfaces. As with conventional pressure loading, the current amount of fluid pressure at a given substep
depends on whether the pressure is input as a constant value or a table of values, and whether the
pressure is ramp- or step-applied (KBC command). If the total amount of fluid pressure is applied in-
stantaneously, convergence difficulties may arise due to large changes in stresses near the contact in-
terface. This is also true when the fluid penetration pressure is removed instantaneously, as when the
fluid penetration is cut off. To help stabilize the solution, the program offers an option to ramp the
fluid pressure linearly over a time period, during one or several substeps.
To implement this ramping option, specify the fluid penetration acting time using the contact element
real constant FPAT. Input a positive number to define the fraction of the time increment of the load
step; input a negative number to define the absolute acting time. The default penetration acting time
is 0.01 times the time increment of the current load step.
At each penetrating point, if the time increment of the current substep is less than the fluid penetration
acting time (FPAT > (tn - tn-1)), the fluid pressure is ramped up linearly from the actual applied pressure
of the previous substep to the full current amount of the fluid pressure over the penetration acting
time period; otherwise (FPAT ≤ (tn - tn-1)), the full amount of current fluid pressure is applied. (See figures
below.) At the pressure-penetration cutoff points, if the time increment of the current substep is less
than the fluid penetration acting time, the fluid pressure is ramped down linearly from the applied
pressure of the previous substep to a zero magnitude over the penetration acting time period; otherwise,
the fluid pressure is immediately removed.
Figure 3.33: Fluid Penetration Acting Time (FPAT) Greater Than Substep
Pressure
(tn-1) FPAT
Current Applied Pressure

(input via SFE,,,PRES)
Actual Applied Pressure

(reported as output item FPRS)
Time
tn-1 tn
Acual applied pressure is ramped to the full current applied pressure

when FPAT>(tn-tn-1)
Figure 3.34: Fluid Penetration Acting Time (FPAT) Less Than Substep
Pressure
FPAT
Current Applied Pressure

(input via SFE,,,PRES)
Actual Applied Pressure

(reported as output item FPRS)
Time
tn-1 tn
Acual applied pressure is ramped to the full current applied pressure

when FPAT<(tn-tn-1)
3.13.5. Redefining or Modifying the Pressure-Penetration Loads

You can redefine or modify fluid pressure-penetration loads and fluid penetration starting points between
load steps using the SFE command.
You can also modify the pressure-penetration criterion (real constant PPCN) and acting time (real constant
FPAT) using the RMODIF command.
To remove a fluid pressure-penetration load, use one of the following methods:
• Delete the pressure load using the SFEDELE command.
• Apply zero pressure using the SFE command.
Defining Solution and Load Step Options
• Deactivate the contact elements using the EKILL command.
Because these methods remove the fluid penetration pressure immediately, convergence difficulties
may occur. To avoid this problem you can add an extra load step which applies a small fluid pressure
(for example, VALi = 1e-8) via the SFE command instead of removing the pressure.
3.13.6. Postprocessing Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads

You can list and display the actual fluid penetration pressure applied on contact and target elements
using FPRS as a contact result item on the PLNSOL, PLESOL, PRNSOL, and PRESOL commands. For
example:
PLESOL,CONT,FPRS
PLNSOL,CONT,FPRS
You can also list and display the fluid penetration pressure applied on target elements by using the
ETABLE command.
3.14. Defining Solution and Load Step Options

Convergence behavior for contact problems depends strongly on the particular problem. The options
listed below are either typical or recommended for most surface-to-surface contact analyses. Please see
the Command Reference for further details.
The time step size must be small enough to capture the proper contact zone. The smooth transfer of
contact forces is disrupted if the time step size is too large. The time step size is specified by a number
of substeps or the time step size itself. The following commands adjust these parameters.
Command(s): NSUBST
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Loads> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Freq and Substps
Main Menu> Preprocessor> Loads> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Time and Substps
Main Menu> Solution> Analysis Type> Sol'n Control ( : Basic Tab)
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Freq and Substps
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Time and Substps
Command(s): DELTIM
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Loads> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Time-Time Step
Main Menu> Solution> Analysis Type> Sol'n Control ( : Basic Tab)
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc>Time-Time Step
Note
A reliable way to set an accurate time step size is to turn automatic time stepping on.
The following options are automatically invoked, but may override them if needed.
Command(s): AUTOTS,ON
GUI: Main Menu> Solution> Analysis Type> Sol'n Control ( : Basic Tab)
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Time-Time Step or
Time and Substps
If the contact status changes during the iteration process, discontinuity can occur. To avoid a slow
convergence rate and use an updated stiffness matrix, set the Newton-Raphson option to FULL.
Command(s): NROPT,FULL,,OFF
GUI: Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Analysis Type> Analysis Options
Also, do not use adaptive descent. Adaptive descent usually does not provide any help for surface-to-
surface contact applications, and we recommend turning it off.
In cases where frictional sliding dominates, set the unsymmetric solver option (NROPT, UNSYM,,OFF)
to avoid slow convergence or divergence.
Set the number of equilibrium equations to a number that is appropriate for a reasonable time step
size. This command defaults to between 15 and 26 iterations, depending upon the physics of the
problem.
Command(s): NEQIT
GUI: Main Menu> Solution> Analysis Type> Sol'n Control ( : Nonlinear Tab)
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Nonlinear> Equilibrium Iter
Because the iterations tend to become unstable for large increments, use the line search option to
stabilize the calculations.
Command(s): LNSRCH
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Nonlinear> Line Search
Turn the predictor-corrector option on, except for dynamic analyses.

Command(s): PRED
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Nonlinear> Predictor
Many convergence failures in contact analyses are the result of using too large a value for contact
stiffness (real constant FKN). Be sure to follow the recommendations given earlier in this chapter for
estimating contact stiffness. If such estimated values lead to a convergence failure, reduce the contact
stiffness and restart.
Conversely, if overpenetration occurs in your contact analysis, you probably need a larger value of FKN.
In this case, gradually increase the contact stiffness value to an appropriate level by redefining it using
RMODIF commands over several load steps in a restart.
Note
For most small strains, small displacements, and small-sliding problems, set NLGEOM, OFF.
This setting will speed up the searching time; however, if the contact problem involves large
sliding, set NLGEOM, ON.
Note
By default, displacement (U) and rotation (ROT) convergence checking are not active. Issue
the CNVTOL,U or CNVTOL,ROT command to add displacement or rotation convergence
checking, if necessary.
3.15. Solving the Problem

You can now solve the analysis the same as you would for any nonlinear analysis. Keep the following
points in mind:
• Always check the real constant sets which are related to contact pairs and check the constraint conditions
on the target surfaces. Any previous "trial runs" could have changed the settings.
Reviewing the Results
• Always check the target surface contact status in the beginning of the analysis. If you detect any unex-
pected gap (or no contact) or overestimated penetration, abort the analysis and then check your geo-
metric model. You can issue the CNCHECK command to verify the initial contact status.
• If your model is experiencing convergence difficulties due to contact, use the NLHIST command as a
debugging tool to monitor contact information during the solution. Before starting the solution, issue
NLHIST to specify the pair-based contact items (such as contact penetration or gap, contact normal
stiffness, etc.) to be tracked. The resulting data are written to a file named Jobname.nlh.
You can also use NLHIST to set parameters to automatically terminate the analysis when a desired
value for a contact result item has been reached. For example, the program can automatically
terminate the analysis when the contact pressure falls below a critical value.
• NLDIAG,CONT is another command that can be used to monitor contact information. When turned
on, this feature tracks the same contact information available through NLHIST for all defined contact
pairs according to the specified writing frequency (each iteration, substep, or load step). The resulting
output is stored in a text file named Jobname.cnd.
• By default, contact pair output quantities are written to the output file (Jobname.OUT) or to the screen,
as specified by the /OUTPUT command. You can redirect contact pair output to a text file named
Jobname.CNM by issuing the command CNTR,OUT,YES before the solution begins.
• Always check your results carefully using standard engineering guidelines.
See Solve the Analysis in the Structural Analysis Guide.
If you are restarting a contact analysis, follow the normal restart procedures as discussed in Restarting
an Analysis in the Basic Analysis Guide. However, be aware that the constraint conditions of target surfaces
may have been set internally. Verify the constraints carefully before restarting an analysis. Only the real
constants FKN, FTOLN, PINB, and FKOP can be changed, and they can only be changed at the point of
restart or at the beginning of a new load step.
3.16. Reviewing the Results

Results from a contact analysis consist mainly of displacements, stresses, strains, reaction forces, and
the contact information (e.g., contact pressure, sliding, and so on). You can review these results in
POST1, the general postprocessor, or in POST26, the time-history postprocessor.
If you issued NLDIAG,CONT before solving the analysis, you can also view contact pair results which
are saved to a text file named Jobname.CND.
For contact-related results, you can select CONT as a plotting or list item. While in POST1, you can also
review the results from within the Contact Manager (via the Contact Manager icon in the Standard
Toolbar). See the "Output Data" section of the element descriptions (in the Element Reference) for the
available output components.
In POST1, only one substep can be read in at a time. The results for the specified substep should have
been written to Jobname.RST (or Jobname.RCN which contains the initial contact configuration
calculated by CNCHECK,POST or the initial adjustments calculated by CNCHECK,ADJUST). The load step
option command (OUTRES) controls which substep results are stored on Jobname.RST.
The following topics are available for reviewing contact results:

3.16.1. Points to Remember
3.16.2. Reviewing Results in POST1

3.16.4. Reviewing Contact Results in the Jobname.CND File
3.16.1. Points to Remember

Following are important guidelines for postprocessing contact analysis results:
• When postprocessing results obtained from a contact analysis, the database must be saved after the first
solution is finished because the nodal connectivity of contact elements is updated and internal nodes are
added during the solution.
• To make sure you are viewing contact results for the correct substep, you should always postprocess results
from the results file (Jobname.RST) and not from the database. Use the SET command in POST1 to read
results from the results file.
• In order to reduce the size of the results file, contact element results (such as temperature, ETABLE quantities,
contact pressure, sliding, and so on) are not stored in the results file if the contact status is far-field. In this
case, to correctly plot or list nodal temperatures at contact surfaces, you must select only the underlying
elements before the plot or list operation.
See also Hints and Tips in the Structural Analysis Guide.

The steps for reviewing results in POST1 are the same as those for a typical nonlinear analysis (see Re-
viewing Results in POST1 in the Structural Analysis Guide).
The following table shows the various contact (CONT) result items available via the PLNSOL and PLESOL
commands.
CONT STAT Contact status[1]:
3-closed and sticking

2-closed and sliding
1-open but near contact (near-field)
0-open and not near contact (far-field)
“ PENE Contact penetration
“ PRES[2] Contact pressure
“ SFRIC[2] Contact friction stress
“ STOT[2] Contact total stress (pressure plus friction)
“ SLIDE Contact sliding distance
“ GAP Contact gap distance
“ FLUX Heat flux at contact surface
“ CNOS Total number of contact status changes during substep
“ FPRS Fluid penetration pressure (surface-to-surface contact only)
1. For MPC-based contact definitions, the value of STAT can be negative. This indicates that one or more
contact constraints were intentionally removed to prevent over-constraint. STAT = -3 is used for MPC
bonded contact; STAT = -2 is used for MPC no-separation contact. Negative values are valid for CONTA171,
CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177.
Reviewing the Results
2. For the contact force-based model (used for CONTA175 with KEYOPT(3) = 0, CONTA176 with KEYOPT(3) =
0 or 1, and CONTA177 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4), PRES, SFRIC, and STOT are the contact normal force, contact
friction force, and total contact force, respectively.
For rigid-to-flexible contact or asymmetric flexible-to-flexible contact, the contact element provides the
true pressure and friction stress. However, for symmetric flexible-to-flexible contact, the true pressure
and friction stress is the average of the pressures and friction stresses from both sides of the contact
elements.
Note
The contact results are only reported at the corner nodes of contact elements. Therefore, for
higher order contact elements, mid-side node contact can occur without pressure being re-
ported. In this case, the element’s contact status and contact pressure reported via ETABLE
may give more precise information.
Note that the contact-specific information (CONT) plots as follows. For 2-D contact analyses, the model
will plot in gray and the requested item will be contoured as an area (trapezoid) along the edge of the
model where the contact elements are located. Use the FACT item to scale 2-D contour size. For 3-D
contact analyses, the model will plot in gray and the requested item will be contoured as a 2-D surface
where the contact elements overlay the model.
For tabular listings, you may also list contact-specific information by using the CONT label and its argu-
ments with the PRNSOL or PRESOL commands or their related menu items.
You should not use the PLESOL or PRESOL command to obtain contact forces for contact elements.
The force values reported by these commands may not be accurate for these elements. Instead, use
the ETABLE command to obtain contact force values.
Various sliding/slip quantities are reported through the ETABLE command. The table below described
these quantities for the 3-D case.
TASS/TASR Algebraic sum of sliding components in S and R directions when the contact status
is sliding or sticking (STAT = 2, 3).
AASS/AASR Absolute sum of sliding components in S and R directions when the contact status
is sliding or sticking F(STAT = 2, 3).
SLIDE Amplitude of total accumulated sliding [SQRT*(TASS**2 + TASR**2)] when the
contact status is sliding or sticking (STAT = 2, 3).
GSLID Amplitude of total accumulated sliding when the contact status is near-field, sliding,
or sticking (STAT = 1, 2, 3).
ELSI Total equivalent elastic slip. This represents the reversible tangential motion from
the point of zero tangential stresses.
PLSI Total equivalent tangential plastic slip. This represents the accumulated irreversible
frictional sliding when the contact status is sliding (STAT = 2).
VREL Equivalent sliding velocity (slip rate).
The energies output for contact elements are not reported separately but are included in the element
energies (for example, PLESOL,SEND) as follows:
• Total contact energy is included in the element strain energy (SEND,ELASTIC)
• Friction dissipation is included in the element plastic energy (SEND,PLASTIC)
• Damping energy is included in the element dissipation energy (SEND,VDAM)
You can animate contact results over time by using the ANTIME command (choose Utility Menu>
PlotCtrls> Animate> Over Time in the user interface).
A Jobname.RCN file is created if you issued CNCHECK,POST or CNCHECK,ADJUST during the analysis.
You can use this file to view contact result items for the initial contact configuration (CNCHECK,POST)
or initial adjustment values reported as structural displacement values (CNCHECK,ADJUST). To do so,
you must explicitly read the results of the first load step from Jobname.RCN by issuing the FILE and
SET,FIRST commands before postprocessing. Otherwise, the result file may be read improperly.

The steps for reviewing results in POST26 are the same as those for a typical nonlinear analysis See
Reviewing Results in POST26 in the Structural Analysis Guide.
3.16.4. Reviewing Contact Results in the Jobname.CND File

You can issue NLDIAG,CONT to monitor contact pair-based results during the solution according to a
specified writing frequency (each iteration, substep, or load step). The resulting output is stored in a
text file named Jobname.CND. The following is a subset of information contained in this file that may
be of interest:
CFNX Total force due to contact pressure - X component

CFNY Total force due to contact pressure - Y component
CFNZ Total force due to contact pressure - Z component
CFSX Total force due to tangential stress - X component
CFSY Total force due to tangential stress - Y component
CFSZ Total force due to tangential stress - Z component
CTRQ Maximum torque in an axisymmetric analysis with MU =
[1] (p. 108) 1.0
1. The maximum torque M (CTRQ) is defined as:
where p is the contact pressure, x is the x coordinate of the contact point on the interface, and s is
the length domain of the contact interface. This definition of torque is associated with a friction
coefficient of unity; it can be evaluated by scaling the friction coefficient for a particular contact
pair. The reported torque M is useful in modeling threaded connectors.
See the NLDIAG command for a complete list of contact results written to Jobname.CND.
Chapter 4: Node-to-Surface Contact
You can use the node-to-surface contact element CONTA175 to model flexible-flexible or rigid-flexible
contact between a surface and a node. Additionally, you can use these elements to represent contact
between two surfaces by specifying one surface as a group of nodes.
Node-to-surface contact is a phenomenon that occurs in most engineering applications: fasteners (nuts,
bolts, rivets, pins), metal forming, rolling operations, dynamic pipe whip, etc. Engineers are interested
in the stresses, deflections, forces, and temperature changes that occur due to contact between struc-
tural parts.
The following node-to-surface contact topics are available:

4.1.The Node-to-Surface Contact Element
4.2. Performing a Node-to-Surface Contact Analysis
4.3. Using CONTA175 for Multiphysics Contact
4.1. The Node-to-Surface Contact Element

Node-to-surface contact is represented by following the positions of points on one surface (the contact
surface, modeled by CONTA175) relative to lines or areas of another surface (the target surface, modeled
by TARGE169 or TARGE170).
CONTA175, in two or three dimensions, is depicted in Figure 4.1: Node-to-Surface Contact Ele-
ments (p. 109).
Figure 4.1: Node-to-Surface Contact Elements

I
Y (or Axial) CONTA175
Y
I CONTA175
target normal target normal
2-D associated target 3-D associated target

surface (TARGE169) surface (TARGE170)
X X
(or Radial)
z
Presented below are characteristics of CONTA175:
• Has one node and its target surface is defined by TARGE169 or TARGE170. CONTA175 uses the same
real constant set as the surface-to-surface contact elements. See Real Constants (p. 35) for more inform-
ation.
• Supports 2-D/3-D rigid-flexible and flexible-flexible contact.
• Does not support 3-D contact surfaces with midside nodes, but can support 2-D/3-D target surfaces
with midside nodes or 2-D contact surfaces with midside nodes.
• Generates elements using the ESURF command, as do the surface-to-surface contact elements.
Node-to-Surface Contact
• Supports structural, thermal, electric, magnetic, pore fluid flow, and diffusion analyses.
Note
CONTA175 is recommended for point-to-surface or edge-to-surface problems. It can also be

used to supplement a surface-to-surface pair at strategic locations where edge contact exists.
For general surface-to-surface contact, CONTA171 through CONTA174 are recommended.
4.2. Performing a Node-to-Surface Contact Analysis

CONTA175 follows the contact pair concept used by surface-to-surface elements CONTA171 through
CONTA174. CONTA175 is paired off with target elements TARGE169 and TARGE170. See Identifying
Contact Pairs (p. 16) for more information. CONTA175 uses most of the same element KEYOPTs and
real constants as the surface-to-surface contact elements. These are described below.
You should avoid midside-noded underlying elements of the contact surface, especially in 3-D. The
“effective stiffness” at the contact surface nodes is very nonuniform. For instance, for a 20-node brick
(SOLID186), the corner nodes have a negative stiffness associated with them. However, the node-to-
surface contact algorithm assumes that the stiffness is uniformly distributed across all the surface nodes
when contact is made. This condition can lead to convergence difficulties when using midside-noded
elements in contact. The midside-noded elements can only be used when bonded or no-separation
contact is defined. You can still use midside nodes on 2-D contact surfaces or on 2-D/3-D target surfaces.
The basic steps for performing a node-to-surface contact analysis using CONTA175 are the same as
those used for a typical surface-to-surface analysis using CONTA171 through CONTA174. See Steps in
a Contact Analysis (p. 15) for details.
The Contact Manager provides an easy-to-use interface to help you construct and manage contact
definitions. You can access the manager via the Contact Manager icon in the ANSYS Standard Toolbar,
or via the menu path Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Contact Pair. See GUI Aids for
Contact Analyses (p. 11) for more information on using the Contact Manager.
Use the ESURF command to generate CONTA175 elements between corresponding contact pairs, sim-
ilar to the surface-to-surface contact elements. The GUI path is:
Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements> Surf/Contact> Node to Surf
Since CONTA175 is a one node element, you are not able to plot the contact results. However, you can
list the results using the PRESOL,CONT or PRETAB commands.
4.2.1. CONTA175 KEYOPTs

CONTA175 uses most of the same KEYOPTs that are used by the surface-to-surface contact elements
CONTA171 through CONTA174. KEYOPT(3) and KEYOPT(4) are used but have different meanings when
used with CONTA175, as described below. See Element KEYOPTS (p. 42) for a listing of the remaining
KEYOPTs.
4.2.1.1. KEYOPT(3)
KEYOPT(3) in CONTA175 allows you to choose between a contact force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0,
default), and a contact traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 1). For the contact traction-based model,
Using CONTA175 for Multiphysics Contact
the program determines the area associated with the contact node. For the single point contact case,
a unit area is used which is equivalent to the contact force-based model.
When the traction-based model is defined, the real constants FKN, FKT, TNOP, TCC, ECC, MCC, PCC,
PSEE, DCC, and DCON have the same units used in surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171
through CONTA174), as do postprocessing items such as PRES, TAUR, TAUS, SFRIC, and so on.
When the force-based model is defined, the units of these quantities have a factor of AREA with respect
to those used in the traction-based model. For example, contact stiffness FKN has units FORCE/LENGTH
for the force-based model, but FORCE/LENGTH3 for the traction-based model; PRES is the contact normal
force in the force-based model, but contact pressure in the traction-based model. See the CONTA175
element description for detailed information on the units for these quantities.
The traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 1) should not be used if the underlying elements are 3-D beam
or pipe elements.
4.2.1.2. KEYOPT(4)
KEYOPT(4) in CONTA175 allows you to choose the contact normal direction. The contact normal can
be either perpendicular to the target surface (KEYOPT(4) = 0, default or KEYOPT(4) = 3), or perpendicular
to the contact surface (KEYOPT(4) = 1, 2). When contact occurs on the bottom surface of a shell or
beam, and shell thickness effect is included (KEYOPT(11) = 1), or CNOF is defined, KEYOPT(4) = 2 or 3
should be used in order to capture the contact.
Real constant TOLS is used to add a small tolerance that will internally extend the edge of the target
surface. TOLS is useful for problems where contact nodes are likely to lie on the edge of the target (as
at symmetry planes or for models generated in a node-to-node contact pattern). In these situations,
the contact node may repeatedly “slip” off the target surface and completely out of contact, resulting
in convergence difficulties from oscillations.
Units for TOLS are percent (1.0 implies a 1.0% increase in the target edge length). A small value of TOLS
will usually prevent this situation from occurring. The default value is 10 for small deflection and 2 for
large deflection (NLGEOM,ON).
4.2.2. CONTA175 Real Constants

CONTA175 uses the same real constants as the surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171 through
CONTA174). The only difference is the units of FKN, FKT, TNOP, TCC, ECC, MCC, PCC, PSEE, DCC, and
DCON for the contact force-based model. See a listing of the real constants in Real Constants (p. 35).
4.3. Using CONTA175 for Multiphysics Contact

You can use node-to-surface contact element CONTA175 to model thermal contact (p. 127), electric
contact (p. 133), magnetic contact (p. 135), pore fluid flow contact (p. 136), and diffusive contact (p. 140)
as you would use the surface-to-surface contact elements. For multiphysics contact, we recommend
that you use the contact traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 1), which allows you to use real constants
TCC, ECC, MCC, PCC, PSEE, DCC, and DCON consistently with the surface-to-surface contact elements.
If you use the contact force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0), you should adjust the values of TCC, ECC,
MCC, PCC, PSEE, DCC, and DCON up or down as you make the element mesh coarser or finer.
Chapter 5: 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact (Pair-Based)
Contact between beams undergoing large displacements can be encountered in many practical applic-
ations. Some examples are hydrogen sensors, water supply lines, nuclear power plant piping, cable
wires and coils, woven fabrics, and tennis racquet strings. You can model 3-D beam-to-beam contact
by using the 3-D line contact element, CONTA177.
Following are alternatives to using CONTA177 elements:
• Use 2-D surface-to-surface contact elements, CONTA171 and CONTA172, to model 2-D beam-to-beam
contact (see Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 15) for more information).
• Use the 3-D line-to-line contact element, CONTA176, to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact. CONTA177
is the preferred element because it is more versatile and can model both beam-to-beam contact and
beam-to-surface contact.
The following 3-D beam-to-beam contact topics are available:

5.1.The 3-D Line Contact Element
5.2. Modeling Beam-to-Beam Contact
5.3. Performing a 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact Analysis
5.1. The 3-D Line Contact Element

3-D line-to-line contact is represented by following the positions of lines on the contact surface, modeled
by CONTA177 elements, relative to lines on the target surface, modeled by TARGE170 elements. Line-
to-line contact in three dimensions is depicted in the figure below.
Figure 5.1: Line-to-Line Contact
CONTA177
J
K
I
3-D target
line segment
The CONTA177 element type:
• Has two nodes or three nodes.
• Is paired with a target surface defined by TARGE170 elements.
• Uses the same real constant set as used for the surface-to-surface contact elements. See Real Constants (p. 35)
for more information.
• Supports 3-D rigid-flexible and flexible-flexible contact.
• Supports 3-D beams and pipes with or without midside nodes.
3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact (Pair-Based)
• Can be generated by the ESURF command, similar to the surface-to-surface contact elements.
5.2. Modeling Beam-to-Beam Contact

There are three different scenarios for 3-D beam-to-beam contact:
• Internal contact, where one beam slides inside another hollow beam (Figure 5.2: Internal Contact (One Beam
Sliding Inside Another) (p. 114)).
• External contact, where two beams are roughly parallel and contact each other along their outer surfaces
(Figure 5.3: External Contact (Two Beams Roughly Parallel) (p. 114)).
• External contact, where contact between the exterior surfaces of two beams is pointwise (Figure 5.4: External
Contact (Two Beams Cross Each Other) (p. 114)).
Figure 5.2: Internal Contact (One Beam Sliding Inside Another)
TARGE170 rt
n
rc
CONTA177
Figure 5.3: External Contact (Two Beams Roughly Parallel)

CONTA177
Figure 5.4: External Contact (Two Beams Cross Each Other)

n
CONTA177
rc
rt
TARGE170
Performing a 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact Analysis
For all three scenarios shown above, use 3-D line segments (straight line or parabola) to define the
target surface (TARGE170). You can attach the contact elements and target elements to 3-D beams or
pipes, which can be first or second order elements. Both flexible-flexible and rigid-flexible contact
between two beams can be considered.
When modeling internal contact, the inner beam (or pipe) should usually be considered the contact
surface and the outer beam (or pipe) should be the target surface. The inner beam can be considered
as the target surface only when the inner beam is much stiffer than the outer beam. When modeling
external contact, the target surface should be associated with the stiffer beam or with the beam having
the coarser mesh.
5.3. Performing a 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact Analysis

Contact element CONTA177 follows the contact pair concept used by the surface-to-surface elements
(CONTA171 through CONTA174). You must pair CONTA177 with 3-D target line segments (TARGE170)
to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact. See Identifying Contact Pairs (p. 16) for more information. CON-
TA177 uses most of the same element KEYOPTs and real constants as the surface-to-surface contact
elements. Any differences are described in the next section.
The basic steps for performing a 3-D beam-to-beam contact analysis are the same as those used for a
typical surface-to-surface analysis using CONTA171 through CONTA174. See Steps in a Contact Analys-
is (p. 15) for details.
Use the ESURF command to generate CONTA177 elements between corresponding contact pairs. (In
the GUI, pick Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements> Surf/Contact> Surf to
Surf.) This procedure is similar to that used for the surface-to-surface contact elements. If the underlying
elements of target element TARGE170 are part of shell edges, use ESURF,,,LINE to generate 3-D line or
parabola target segments.
When using the line segments to form the target surface or using line-to-line contact elements to form
the contact surface, the nodes must be entered in a sequence that defines a continuous line, as shown
in the figure below.
Figure 5.5: Continuous Line Segments
The line can be made up of linear or parabolic segments, depending on whether the attached beam is
made up of first order or second order elements. If the nodal ordering of the underlying beam elements
is not consistent, you must either change them by reversing the node number order of the selected
elements (ESURF,,REVERSE command) or make a consistent element ordering (ENORM command).
You can list the CONTA177 results using the PRESOL,CONT or PRETAB commands. Since CONTA177 is
a 3-D line element, you can also use the PLLS command to display element table items.
commands.

bonded contact; STAT = -2 is used for MPC no-separation contact.
2. For the contact force-based model (used for CONTA177 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4), PRES, SFRIC, and STOT
are the contact normal force, contact friction force, and total contact force, respectively.
5.3.1. KEYOPTs and Real Constants

CONTA177 uses most of the same KEYOPTs that are used by the surface-to-surface contact elements,
CONTA171 through CONTA174. KEYOPT(3), KEYOPT(4), and KEYOPT(14) differ from the other contact
elements, and KEYOPT(11) is not used by CONTA177 for beam-to-beam contact. See Element KEY-
OPTS (p. 42) for a listing of the remaining KEYOPTs.
CONTA177 uses the same real constants used by the surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171
through CONTA174), except for the units of FKN and FKT. See a listing of the real constants in Real
Constants (p. 35).
5.3.1.1. Real Constants R1, R2

For beam-to-beam contact, an important assumption is that of constant circular beam cross section.
The contact radius is assumed to be the same for all CONTA177 elements in the contact pair. Likewise,
the target radius is assumed to be the same for all TARGE170 elements in the contact pair. You supply
the target and contact radii through real constants R1 and R2, respectively.
For a general beam cross section, you can use an equivalent circular beam in the contact definition
(see figure below). Use these guideline to define the equivalent circular cross section:
• Determine the smallest cross section along the beam axis.
• Determine the largest circle embedded in that cross section.
Figure 5.6: Equivalent Circular Cross Section
Actual beam
Contact surface
Use the first real constant, R1, to define the radius on the target side (target radius rt). Use the second
real constant, R2, to define the radius on the contact side (contact radius rc).
To model external contact between the exterior surfaces of two cylindrical beams, set KEYOPT(9) = 0
(default) for the TARGE170 target elements in the contact pair. To model internal contact (a beam or
pipe sliding within another beam or pipe), set KEYOPT(9) = 1 for the TARGE170 elements and input R1
as the inner radius of the outer beam.
In a general contact definition, the equivalent beam radius is specified via SECTYPE and SECDATA
commands instead of using real constants. For more information, see the discussion on applying surface
geometry in a general contact definition.
For both pair-based contact and general contact, if the contact radius and/or target radius are not
defined, the program automatically calculates the equivalent radius for each individual contact/target
element based on the associated geometry of underlying elements. In this case, the equivalent radius
may vary within a contact pair or within a general contact surface.
In the case of a rigid target defined with TARGE170 elements, the program cannot calculate an equivalent
radius because there are no underlying elements. Therefore, you must explicitly input the target radius
for all rigid target elements.
For beam-to-beam contact, the thickness effect is accounted for through the contact and target radii.
Therefore, KEYOPT(11), which controls the thickness effect for line-to-surface contact, is not used.
5.3.1.2. KEYOPT(3)
For CONTA177, KEYOPT(3) determines the type of 3-D beam-to-beam contact as follows:
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1 to model contact between parallel beams
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 3 or 4 to model contact between beams that cross.
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 2 to model contact between parallel beams and/or contact between beams that cross.
For KEYOPT(3) = 0, 1, or 2, the KEYOPT(9) value of the target element (TARGE170) determines whether
you are modeling external contact between parallel beams (KEYOPT(9) = 0, default) or internal contact
between parallel beams (KEYOPT(9) = 1). Internal contact can be a beam inside a hollow beam or a
pipe inside a pipe.
KEYOPT(3) also allows you to choose between a contact force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4), and
a contact traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 1, 2, or 3). For the contact traction-based model, the
program determines the area (based on beam element length and the contact radius, R2) associated
with the contact node.
When the traction-based model is specified, certain real constants (FKN, FKT, TNOP) and postprocessing
items (PRES, TAUR, TAUS, SFRIC, and so on) have the same units as in the surface-to-surface contact
elements (CONTA171 through CONTA174).
When the force-based model is specified, the units of these quantities have a factor of AREA with respect
to those used in the traction-based model. For example, contact stiffness FKN has units FORCE/LENGTH
for the force-based model, but FORCE/LENGTH3 for the traction-based model; PRES is the contact normal
force in the force-based model, but contact pressure in the traction-based model. See the CONTA177
element description for detailed information on the units for these quantities.
5.3.1.3. Real Constant TOLS

For CONTA177, the contact normal is uniquely defined and is perpendicular to both the contact and
the target surfaces (two contacting beams). Real constant TOLS is used to add a small tolerance that
will internally extend the edge of the target surface. TOLS is useful for problems where contact nodes
are likely to lie on the edge of the target (as at symmetry planes or for models generated in a node-to-
node contact pattern). In these situations, the contact node may repeatedly slip off the target surface
and be completely out of contact, resulting in convergence difficulties from oscillations.
5.3.1.4. KEYOPT(4)
You can use CONTA177 with the multipoint constraint (MPC) approach (KEYOPT(2) = 2) to define surface-
based constraints. The KEYOPT(4) setting will determine the type of surface-based constraint (rigid
surface, force-distributed, or coupling constraint). See Surface-based Constraints (p. 205) for more inform-
ation.
5.3.1.5. KEYOPT(14)
KEYOPT(14) allows each contact detection point to interact with multiple target segments simultaneously:
• KEYOPT(14) = 0: each contact detection point can interact with only one target segment
• KEYOPT(14) = 1: each contact detection point can interact with up to four target segments
• KEYOPT(14) = 2: each contact detection point can interact with up to eight target segments
The maximum number of contact interactions allowed at each contact detection point is determined
by the KEYOPT(14) and KEYOPT(3) settings, as outlined in the table below.
Table 5.1: Number of Interactions Allowed at Contact Detection Points
KEYOPT(14) Parallel or KEYOPT(3) Model Contact Contact

Crossing Interactions Interactions at
Beams at Nodes I, J, Intersection
and K [1] Point (IP) on a
Crossing Beam
Element [2]
KEYOPT(14) = 0 Parallel KEYOPT(3) = Force-based 1 0
beams 0

Crossing Beam
Element [2]
KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based
1
All beam KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based 1 1
scenarios 2
Crossing KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based 0 1
beams 3
Force-based
KEYOPT(3) =
4
KEYOPT(14) = 1 Parallel KEYOPT(3) = Force-based 4 maximum 0
beams 0
Traction-based
KEYOPT(3) =
1
All beam KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based 4 maximum 4 maximum
scenarios 2
Crossing KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based 0 4 maximum
beams 3
Force-based
KEYOPT(3) =
4
beams 0
Traction-based
KEYOPT(3) =
1
scenarios 2
beams 3
Force-based
KEYOPT(3) =
4
1. Target segment type: parallel beam and/or 3D surface.
2. Target segment type: crossing beam.
The following example models show different combinations of KEYOPT(14) and KEYOPT(3).
Figure 5.7: Using KEYOPT(14)
KEYOPT(14) = 0 with Parallel Beams (KEYOPT(3) KEYOPT(14) = 1 with Parallel and Crossing Beams
= 1) (KEYOPT(3) = 2)
KEYOPT(14) = 2 with Parallel Beams (KEYOPT(3) = 1)
Chapter 6: Line-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based)
You can use the 3-D line-to-surface contact element, CONTA177, to model flexible-flexible or rigid-
flexible contact between a 3-D beam and a surface or between a shell edge (or feature edge of a solid
body) and a surface. CONTA177 can also model a combination of 3-D beam-to-surface contact and 3-
D beam-to-beam contact when the target surface consists of both surface and line segments.
This chapter focusses on the line-to-surface capabilities of CONTA177. For information on modeling
beam-to-beam contact, see Performing a 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact Analysis.
The following line-to-surface contact topics are available:

6.1.The 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Element
6.2. Performing a 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Analysis
6.1. The 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Element

3-D line-to-surface contact is represented by following the positions of lines on the contact surface,
modeled by CONTA177 elements, relative to 3-D surface segments on the target surface, modeled by
TARGE170 elements.
Line-to-surface contact modeled by CONTA177 is depicted in the figure below.
Figure 6.1: Line-to-Surface Contact

Y
CONTA177
X
Z J
K
I
I K J
CONTA177 Edge of
shell elements
3-D target surface
The CONTA177 element type:
• Has two nodes or three nodes.
• Is paired with a target surface defined by TARGE170 elements.
• Uses the same real constant set as used for the surface-to-surface contact elements. See Real Constants (p. 35)
for more information.
• Supports 3-D rigid-flexible and flexible-flexible contact.
• Supports 3-D beams and shell edges with or without midside nodes.
• Can be generated by the ESURF command (similar to the surface-to-surface contact elements) in many
cases. See Performing a 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Analysis (p. 122) for details.
Line-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based)
The associated 3-D target elements (TARGE170) can be surface segments (TRIA, QUAD, TRI6, QUA8)
and/or line segments (LINE, PARA). Use the 3-D primitive segments (CYLI, CONE, SPHE) to model rigid-
flexible contact.
6.2. Performing a 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Analysis

Contact element CONTA177 follows the contact pair concept used by the surface-to-surface elements
(CONTA171 through CONTA174). You must pair CONTA177 with 3-D target surface segments (TARGE170)
to model 3-D beam-to-surface or 3-D shell edge-to-surface contact. See Identifying Contact Pairs (p. 16)
for more information. CONTA177 uses most of the same element KEYOPTs and real constants as the
surface-to-surface contact elements. Any differences are described in the next section.
The basic steps for performing a 3-D line-to-surface contact analysis are the same as those used for a
typical surface-to-surface analysis using CONTA171 through CONTA174. See Steps in a Contact Analys-
is (p. 15) for details.
When the underlying elements are beams or edges of shell elements you can use the ESURF command
to create CONTA177 elements. (In the GUI, pick Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Ele-
ments> Surf/Contact> Surf to Surf.) This procedure is similar to that used for the surface-to-surface
contact elements.
When using line-to-surface contact elements to form the contact surface, the nodes must be entered
in a sequence that defines a continuous line, as shown in the figure below.
Figure 6.2: Continuous Line Segments
The line can be made up of linear or parabolic segments, depending on whether the attached beam
or shell edge is made up of first order or second order elements. If the nodal ordering of the underlying
beam elements is not consistent, you must either change the node ordering by reversing the node
number order of the selected elements (ESURF,,REVERSE command) or make a consistent element or-
dering (ENORM command).
You can list the CONTA177 results using the PRESOL,CONT or PRETAB commands. Since CONTA177 is
a 3-D line element, you can also use the PLLS command to display element table items.
commands.
Performing a 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Analysis

bonded contact; STAT = -2 is used for MPC no-separation contact.
2. For the contact force-based model (used for CONTA177 with KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4), PRES, SFRIC, and STOT
are the contact normal force, contact friction force, and total contact force, respectively.
6.2.1. KEYOPTs and Real Constants

CONTA177 uses most of the same KEYOPTs that are used by the surface-to-surface contact elements,
CONTA171 through CONTA174. KEYOPT(3) and KEYOPT(4) differ from the other contact elements. KEY-
OPT(8) is ignored for line-to-surface contact. See Element KEYOPTS (p. 42) for a listing of the remaining
KEYOPTs.
CONTA177 uses the same real constants used by the surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171
through CONTA174), except for the units of FKN, FKT, and TNOP. See Real Constants (p. 35) for a complete
list.
6.2.1.1. KEYOPT(3)
Four different scenarios can be modelled by CONTA177:
1. Contact between one beam (or edge) and the surface of a solid or shell
2. Internal contact where one beam (or pipe) slides inside another hollow beam (or pipe)
3. External contact between two beams (or edges) that lie next to each other and are roughly parallel
4. External contact between two beams (or edges) that cross
KEYOPT(3) controls which of the above scenarios are allowed for the element type, and also controls
the contact model used (force-based or traction-based):
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 0 for the first three scenarios. The program reports contact force (contact force-based
model).
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 1 for the first three scenarios. The program reports contact pressure (contact traction-
based model).
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 2 for all scenarios. The program reports contact pressure (contact traction-based
model).
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 3 for the fourth scenario. The program reports contact pressure (contact traction-
based model).
• Use KEYOPT(3) = 4 for the fourth scenarios. The program reports contact force (contact force-based
model).
For the contact traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 1, 2, or 3), the program determines the area (based
on the beam element length and beam section radius) associated with the contact node. When the
traction-based model is specified, certain real constants (FKN, FKT, TNOP) and postprocessing items
(PRES, TAUR, TAUS, SRIC, and so on) have the same units as in the surface-to-surface contact elements
(CONTA171 through CONTA174).
When the force-based model is specified (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 4), the units of these quantities have a factor
of AREA with respect to those used in the traction-based model. For example, contact stiffness FKN has
units FORCE/LENGTH for the force-based model, but FORCE/LENGTH3 for the traction-based model.
Furthermore, PRES is the contact normal force in the force-based model, but contact pressure in the
traction-based model. See the CONTA177 element description for detailed information on the units for
these quantities.
6.2.1.2. Accounting for Thickness Effect (KEYOPT(11))

For line-to-surface contact, set KEYOPT(11) = 1 to include the shell/beam thickness effect. The thickness
effect of underlying beam elements (on the contact side) is accounted for via the contact radius input
as real constants R2. If the contact radius is not defined, the program automatically calculates the
equivalent radius for each individual contact element based on the associated geometry of underlying
elements. The thickness effect of underlying shell elements (on the target side) is also accounted for
when KEYOPT(11) =1. For more information, see Using KEYOPT(11) (p. 82).
For beam-to-beam contact, the thickness effect is accounted for through the target and contact radii
input as real constants R1 and R2, and KEYOPT(11) is ignored.
6.2.1.3. Real Constants R1 and R2

To model beam-to-beam or edge-to-edge contact, the contact/target surface is assumed to be the
surface of a cylinder. For a general beam cross section other than the circular section, you need to es-
timate an equivalent circular radius. Follow these guidelines to define the equivalent radius:
• Determine the smallest cross section along the beam axis.
• Determine the largest circle embedded in that cross section.
Figure 6.3: Equivalent Circular Cross Section
Actual beam
Contact surface
The associated target segment elements TARGE170 are either LINE or PARA segment types. Use the
first real constant, R1, to define the equivalent radius on the target side. Use the second real constant,
R2, to define the equivalent radius on the contact side.
Performing a 3-D Line-to-Surface Contact Analysis
In a general contact definition, the equivalent beam radius is specified via SECTYPE and SECDATA
commands instead of using real constants. For more information, see the discussion on applying surface
geometry in a general contact definition.
For both pair-based contact and general contact, if the contact radius and/or target radius are not
defined, the program automatically calculates the equivalent radius for each individual contact/target
element based on the associated geometry of underlying elements. In this case, the equivalent radius
may vary within a contact pair or within a general contact surface.
6.2.1.4. Real Constant TOLS

For CONTA177, the contact normal is uniquely defined and is perpendicular to the target surfaces. Real
constant TOLS is used to add a small tolerance that will internally extend the edge of the target surface.
TOLS is useful for problems where contact nodes are likely to lie on the edge of the target (as at symmetry
planes or for models generated in a node-to-node contact pattern). In these situations, the contact
node may repeatedly slip off the target surface and be completely out of contact, resulting in convergence
difficulties from oscillations.
6.2.1.5. KEYOPT(4)
You can use CONTA177 with the multipoint constraint (MPC) approach (KEYOPT(2) = 2) to define surface-
based constraints. The KEYOPT(4) setting will determine the type of surface-based constraint (rigid
surface, force-distributed, or coupling constraint). See Surface-based Constraints (p. 205) for more inform-
ation.
6.2.1.6. KEYOPT(14)
KEYOPT(14) allows each contact detection point to interact with multiple target segments simultaneously:
• KEYOPT(14) = 0: each contact detection point can interact with only one target segment
• KEYOPT(14) = 1: each contact detection point can interact with up to four target segments
• KEYOPT(14) = 2: each contact detection point can interact with up to eight target segments
The maximum number of contact interactions allowed at each contact detection point is determined
by the KEYOPT(14) and KEYOPT(3) settings, as outlined in the table below.
Table 6.1: Number of Interactions Allowed at Contact Detection Points

Crossing Beam
Element [2]
KEYOPT(14) = 0 Parallel KEYOPT(3) = Force-based 1 0
beams 0
Traction-based

Crossing Beam
Element [2]
KEYOPT(3) =
1
All beam KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based 1 1
scenarios 2
Crossing KEYOPT(3) = Traction-based 0 1
beams 3
Force-based
KEYOPT(3) =
4
beams 0
Traction-based
KEYOPT(3) =
1
scenarios 2
beams 3
Force-based
KEYOPT(3) =
4
beams 0
Traction-based
KEYOPT(3) =
1
scenarios 2
beams 3
Force-based
KEYOPT(3) =
4
1. Target segment type: parallel beam and/or 3D surface.
2. Target segment type: crossing beam.
Chapter 7: Multiphysics Contact
Multiphysics applications (involving two or more fields) often require the inclusion of contact interaction
between two or more surfaces or between a surface and its surroundings. These contact interactions
can be modeled by using the thermal, electric, magnetic, pore fluid flow, and diffusion flux capabilities
of the surface-to-surface and node-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173,
CONTA174, and CONTA175) .
The following multiphysics contact topics are available:

7.1. Modeling Thermal Contact
7.2. Modeling Electric Contact
7.3. Modeling Magnetic Contact
7.4. Modeling Pore Fluid Flow at the Contact Interface
7.5. Modeling Diffusion Flow at the Contact Interface
7.1. Modeling Thermal Contact

You can use surface-to-surface contact elements and the node-to-surface contact element, in combination
with thermal-structural coupled field solid elements or thermal elements, to model heat transfer that
occurs in the contact surface. To activate both the structural and thermal DOFs, set KEYOPT(1) = 1. To
activate the thermal DOF only, set KEYOPT(1) = 2.
The following thermal contact features are supported.
• Thermal contact conduction between two contacting surfaces.
• Heat convection from a free surface to the environment or between two open surfaces separated by small
gap (near-field convection).
• Heat radiation from a free surface to the environment or between two open surfaces separated by a small
gap (near-field radiation).
• Heat generation due to frictional dissipation.
• Heat flux input.
Note
When KEYOPT(1) is set to 2 (thermal DOF only), the program ignores heat generation due
to friction.
7.1.1. Thermal Contact Behavior vs. Contact Status

Each contact pair can cover one or more thermal contact features. Which feature is active depends on
the contact status:
Closed Contact: Thermal contact conduction transfers heat between two contacting surfaces.
Frictional Sliding: Frictional dissipated energy generates the heat to both the contact and target surfaces.
Multiphysics Contact
Near-Field Contact: Both heat convection and radiation between the contact and target surfaces are taken into
account.The external flux value contributes to the contact surface.
Free-Surface Contact: Heat convection and radiation between the contact surface and the environment are
taken into account.The external flux value only contributes to both contact and target surfaces. Free-surface
contact refers to either far-field contact or a user-specified free thermal surface (p. 128) (KEYOPT(3) = 1 on the
target element).
7.1.2. Free Thermal Surface

If you wish to model free surface convection, free surface radiation, or a surface with a supplied heat
flux value, you can define a “free” thermal surface. A free thermal surface can be a contact surface with
no associated target (that is, the contact pair lacks target elements). You can also set KEYOPT(3) = 1 of
the target element type definition to define a free thermal surface. When this KEYOPT is set, both free
surface radiation and convection are considered as long as open contact is detected. In this case, there
is no convective and radiative heat transfer between the contact and target surfaces.
7.1.3. Temperature on Target Surface

For interface heat conduction, near-field convection, or near-field radiation, a temperature for both the
contact and target surfaces is required. For a general target surface, the temperature varies along the
surface (see figure below). In this case, the temperature at the intersection between the target surface
and the normal from the contact detection point represents the target temperature. For a rigid target,
the temperature on the pilot node represents the entire rigid target surface temperature, if the pilot
node exists; otherwise, the rigid surface temperature equals a uniform temperature specified via the
TUNIF or BFUNIF command.
Figure 7.1: Target Temperature
7.1.4. Modeling Conduction

To take into account the conductive heat transfer between contact and target surfaces, you need to
specify the thermal contact conductance coefficient which is real constant TCC of the contact element.
7.1.4.1. Using TCC

The conductive heat transfer between two contacting surfaces is defined by
where
= heat flux per unit area
Modeling Thermal Contact
= thermal contact conductance coefficient, having units of heat/(time * temperature) for

force-based node-to-surface contact, or units of heat/(time * temperature * area) for the traction-
based model
and = temperatures of the contact points on the target and contact surfaces.
The TCC value is input through a real constant, which can be made a function of temperature ( ),
pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate compression, negative PRESSURE index values indicate
tension), geometric penetration (positive GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index
values indicate an open gap), time, and initial contact detection point location (at the beginning of
solution) by using tabular input (i.e., %tabname%). For more information, see Defining Real Constants
in Tabular Format (p. 40).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP is also available for defining TCC. To use this subroutine, you must
TCC has units of heat/(time * area * temperature). If contact occurs, a small value of TCC yields a
measured amount of imperfect contact and a temperature discontinuity across the interface. For large
values of TCC, the resulting temperature discontinuity tends to vanish and perfect thermal contact is
approached. When not in contact, however, it is assumed that no heat is transferred across the interface.
To model contact conduction between two surfaces where a small gap exists, use KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5
to define either the bonded contact or no-separation contact options (see Selecting Surface Interaction
Models (p. 72)).
Note
If CONV is not defined through the SFE command, real constant TCC will be used instead
for modeling convection between two opening surfaces only if tabular input or a user sub-
routine is used. In this case, can be made a function of temperature ( ),

geometric gap, time, and initial contact detection point location by using the tabular input
as described above.
7.1.4.2. Using the Quasi Solver Option

You can take advantage of the fast thermal transient solver option (THOPT,QUASI) in the contact ana-
lysis. (See Nonlinear Options in the Thermal Analysis Guide for more information on this solver option.)
To do so, you must use the following contact element key option:
KEYOPT(1) = 2 - Temperature DOF only
The following solver options must also be set:
ANTYPE,TRANS
THOPT,QUASI
EQSLV,JCG/ICCG/PCG/SPARSE
When using the fast thermal transient solver, the user subroutines USERFRIC and USERINTER should not
be used.
7.1.5. Modeling Convection

To model convective heat transfer, you must specify the heat convection coefficient CONV using the
SFE command (with KVAL = 1 and CONV as a table parameter). CONV can be a constant value (only
uniform is allowed) or a function of temperature, time, or location as specified through tabular input.
For free surface convection (see Thermal Contact Behavior vs. Contact Status (p. 127) for a definition of
free-surface contact), you must also specify bulk temperature through the SFE command (with KVAL =
2 and CONV as a table parameter), or specify a uniform temperature via the TUNIF or BFUNIF command.
The SFE surface load must be applied to the contact elements only. If either the convection coefficient
or bulk temperature is not specified, the convection loading will not be active.
Note
If CONV is not defined through the SFE command, real constant TCC will be used instead
only if it is defined by tabular input or a user subroutine. TCC can be made a function of
temperature , geometric gap (positive GAP index values indicate penetration,

negative GAP index values indicate an open gap), time, and initial contact detection point
location by using tabular input (i.e., %tabname%).
7.1.6. Modeling Radiation

7.1.6.1. Background
To model radiative heat transfer, specify the following:
• Emissivity value EMIS, specified through the material property definition.
• Stefan-Boltzmann constant SBCT, specified through a real constant.
• Offset temperature TOFFST. If you define your data in terms of degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius, you
must specify a temperature offset using the TOFFST command.
• Radiation view factor RDVF, specified through a real constant (defaults to 1).
• Environment (ambient) temperature. It is only used for modeling radiation between a portion of the contact
surface to the environment when the contact status is free-surface contact (see Thermal Contact Behavior
vs. Contact Status (p. 127)). The temperature can be applied either on the contact elements via the SFE
command with KVAL = 2 and CONV specified as a table parameter (this is the same as the bulk temperature
in free-surface convection modeling), or via the TUNIF or BFUNIF command. If the environment temperature
is not specified, the free-surface radiation loading will not be active.
7.1.6.2. Using SBCT and RDVF

When contact is open, heat transfer through radiation can occur. The equation is defined by
where
Modeling Thermal Contact
= temperature offset from absolute zero to zero (defined through the TOFFST com-
mand)
= surface emissivity (input as material property)
= Stefan-Boltzmann constant (input as real constant). There is no default for SBCT; if it
is not defined, the radiation effect is excluded. The Stefan-Boltzmann constant should correspond
to the units of the FE model to be solved (for example, 0.1190 x 10-10 BTU/hr-in2-R4; 5.67 x 10-8
W/m2-K4
= radiation view factor, input as a real constant (defaults to 1). RDVF can be defined as
a function of temperature, geometric gap distance (negative GAP index values indicate an open
gap), time, and initial contact detection point location (at the beginning of solution) by using
tabular input (i.e., %tabname%). The user subroutine USERCNPROP is also available for defining
RDVF (specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value). RDVF is only used for
near-field radiation. For far-field radiation, RDVF is set to 1.0 and a user-assigned value is ignored.
Other free-surface conditions recognize user-specified RDVF.
For near-field radiation, when an intersection from a contact detection point to the target surface (in
the direction of normal to the contact point) is detected, and the gap distance is smaller than the pinball
radius, is the target temperature at the intersection. The radiation modeling here assumes that the
radiative heat transfer occurs in the direction of the normal between two surfaces with a small gap. By
defining RDVF as a function of gap, you can account for geometry effects. Use the Radiosity Solver
method for more generalized radiation problems (see the Thermal Analysis Guide for more information).
For free-surface contact radiation, becomes the ambient temperature defined by bulk temperature
input on the SFE command (with KVAL = 2 and CONV as the table). For a definition of free-surface
contact, see Thermal Contact Behavior vs. Contact Status (p. 127).
7.1.7. Modeling Heat Generation Due to Friction

7.1.7.1. Background
In order to model heat generation due to frictional dissipated energy, you would typically perform a
coupled transient thermal-structural analysis. If inertia effects are negligible, you can turn off transient
effects on structural DOFs by using the command TIMINT,STRUC,OFF. However, you must include
transient effects on the thermal DOF. Two real constants are required:
• FHTG is the frictional dissipated energy converted into heat.
• FWGT is the weight factor for the distribution of heat between contact and target surfaces.
7.1.7.2. Using FHTG and FWGT

In the coupled thermal-structural contact modeling, the rate of frictional dissipation is given by
where
= equivalent frictional stress

= sliding rate
= fraction of frictional dissipated energy converted into heat. This value defaults to 1
and can be input as a real constant. For an input value of true 0, you must enter a very small
value (for example, 1 x 10-8). If you enter 0, the program interprets this as an input of the default
value.
The amount of frictional dissipation on contact and target surfaces is defined by
and
Where is the contact side and is the target side, and is the weight factor for the distribution
of heat between the contact and target surfaces (input as a real constant). By default, . For
-8
an input of true 0, you must enter a very small value (for example, 1 x 10 ). If you enter 0, the program
interprets this as an input of the default value.
7.1.8. Modeling External Heat Flux

You can apply heat flux on the contact elements through the SFE command. Only uniform flux can be
applied. Heat flux cannot be applied on target elements. However, for near-field contact, the external
flux is applied on contact and will contribute to target elements.
For a free thermal surface, if KEYOPT(3) of the target element is set to 1, the external flux is only applied
on the contact side. On a given contact element either CONV or HFLUX (but not both) may be specified.
However, you can define two different contact pairs: one models convection and the other models heat
flux.
7.1.9. Modeling Heat Transfer Among Thermal Shells

The 3-D surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA173 and CONTA174) can be used to model thermal
contact at the surface of thermal shell elements (SHELL131, SHELL132). The degrees of freedom of the
thermal shells can be TEMP, TBOT, or TTOP, and the contact can occur at either the top or the bottom
surface.
On the contact element, set KEYOPT(1) = 2 (temperature DOF only) and also set an appropriate value
for KEYOPT(13). As shown in the table below, KEYOPT(13) enables you to control the temperature degrees
of freedom (TEMP, TBOT, TTOP) activated on the contact surface and the target surface when the heat
transfer is taking place between thermal shell elements or between thermal shell and thermal solid
elements.
To model heat transfer between a thermal shell and a rigid target surface, use KEYOPT(13) = 0, 3, or 5.
KEYOPT(13) DOF on Contact Surface DOF on Target Surface

0 TEMP TEMP
1 TBOT TBOT
2 TTOP TTOP
3 TBOT TEMP
4 TEMP TBOT
5 TTOP TEMP
Modeling Electric Contact
KEYOPT(13) DOF on Contact Surface DOF on Target Surface

6 TEMP TTOP
7 TBOT TTOP
8 TTOP TBOT
7.2. Modeling Electric Contact

You can use surface-to-surface contact elements or the node-to-surface contact element, in combination
with thermal-electric elements and solid coupled field elements to model electric current conduction.
You can also use surface-to-surface contact elements, in combination with piezoelectric and electrostatic
elements, to model electric charge across a contacting interface.
KEYOPT(1) provides degree of freedom options for modeling electric contact. For combined structur-
al/thermal/electric contact, set KEYOPT(1) = 3 to activate the structural, thermal, and electric current
DOFs. For pure thermal/electric contact, set KEYOPT(1) = 4 to activate the thermal and electric current
DOFs. For piezoelectric contact, set KEYOPT(1) = 5 to activate the structural and piezoelectric DOFs. For
electrostatic contact, set KEYOPT(1) = 6 to activate the electrostatic DOF.
The electric contact features are:
• Electric conduction between two contacting surfaces.
• Heat generation due to electric dissipation.
• Electric charge across the contacting interface.
7.2.1. Modeling Surface Interaction

7.2.1.1. Background
To take into account the surface interaction for electric contact, you need to specify the electric contact
conductance per unit area if you are using the electric current degree of freedom, or the electric contact
capacitance per unit area if you are using the piezoelectric or electrostatic degrees of freedom. For
either case, this parameter is input as real constant ECC. You can use tabular input to define ECC as a
function of contact pressure (pressure as a table), average temperature on contact detection point
(temperature as a table), time, and other primary variables. If the bonded contact or no-separation
contact option is set, contact interaction can occur between two surfaces separated by a narrow gap.
7.2.1.2. Using ECC

The interaction between two contacting surfaces is defined by
where:
= current density for the electric potential (VOLT) degree of freedom (KEYOPT(1) = 3 or 4),
or the electric charge density (KEYOPT(1) = 5, or 6).
= electric contact conductance for the electric potential (VOLT) degree of freedom (KEY-
OPT(1) = 3 or 4), or the electric contact capacitance per unit area for (KEYOPT(1) = 5, or 6).
and = voltages at the contact points on the target and contact surfaces.
The ECC value is input through a real constant, which can be a function of temperature ( ), contact
pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate compression, negative PRESSURE index values indicate
tension), geometric penetration (positive GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index
values indicate an open gap), time, and initial contact detection point location (at the beginning of
solution) by using tabular input (i.e., %tabname%). The user subroutine USERCNPROP is also available
for defining ECC (specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value).
For the current conduction option, the electric contact conductance ECC has units of electric conduct-
ivity/length. For the piezoelectric and electrostatic options, the electric contact capacitance ECC has
units of capacitance per unit area. To model surface interaction between two surfaces where a small
gap exists, use KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5 to define either the bonded contact or no-separation contact options
(see Selecting Surface Interaction Models (p. 72)).
Note
For force-based node-to-surface contact, ECC has units of (electric conductivity * length) or
the capacitance.
7.2.2. Modeling Heat Generation Due to Electric Current

For electric current field analyses (KEYOPT(1) = 3 or 4), the heat generation due to electric current is
given by
where
= fraction of electric dissipated energy converted into heat (Joule heating). This value
defaults to 1 and can be input as a real constant. For an input value of true 0, you must enter
a very small value (for example, 1 x 10-8). If you enter 0, the program interprets this as an input
of the default value.
= current density
and = the voltages at the contact points on the contact and target surfaces
The amount of electric heat dissipation on contact and target surfaces is defined by
and
Where is the contact side and is the target side, and is the weight factor for the contact
heat dissipation between the contact and target surfaces (input as a real constant). FWGT is the same
real constant used for frictional heat generation. By default, . For an input of true 0, you
must enter a very small value (for example, 1 x 10-8). If you enter 0, the program interprets this as an
input of the default value.
Modeling Magnetic Contact
7.3. Modeling Magnetic Contact

You can use surface-to-surface contact elements or the node-to-surface contact element to model
magnetic flux across two contacted bodies. The following situations are possible.
• Non-perfect contact to account for the effects of a small air gap between mating components. This typically
occurs at the interface between adjoining bodies. In this situation, there is a gap permeance effect where
an MMF drop occurs. You can model this effect by inputting the gap permeance real constant, MCC. This
option works best if the magnetic flux is normal to the gap interface.
• Perfect contact across dissimilar meshes. This is typically used to model the air gap in a machine, for example,
where the rotor and stator meshes meet.
For both types of magnetic contact, you must set KEYOPT(1) = 7 to select the degree-of-freedom option.
For the 2-D case, the magnetic potential degree of fredom, AZ, is active. For the 3-D case, only the
scalar potential degree of freedom, MAG, is active, and scalar potential formulations (reduced (RSP),
difference (DSP), or general (GSP)) are available (see MAGOPT).
Note
3-D magnetic contact is not supported for the edge-based formulation (AZ).
Non-perfect magnetic contact is only available for the 3-D contact elements, CONTA173,
CONTA174, and CONTA175 (3-D only).
For more information on which element types should be used for a particular analysis, see the element
discussions in the appropriate chapter of the Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Analysis Guide. For inform-
ation on the use of the AZ degree of freedom, see Specifying Element Types and Options. For more
information on the use of the MAG DOF, see Build the Model.
For details on how to set up a contact analysis, see Steps in a Contact Analysis (p. 15).
For an example input listing showing a 2-D static magnetic contact analysis, see Example: 2-D Static
Magnetic Contact Analysis.
7.3.1. Using MCC

The magnetic flux across the contacting interface is defined by:
where:
= magnetic flux density

and = magnetic potential at the contact points on the target and contact surfaces
= contact permeance coefficient (Henries/meters2 in MKS units)
The MCC value is input through a real constant, which can be a function of temperature ( ),
geometric penetration (positive GAP index values indicate penetration, negative GAP index values in-
dicate an open gap), time, and initial contact detection point location (at the beginning of solution) by
using tabular input (i.e., %tabname%). The user subroutine USERCNPROP is also available for defining
MCC (specify the table name %_CNPROP% as the real constant value).
MCC values can be approximated as , where is the gap permeability and is the gap width.
If the no-separation contact or bonded contact option is set (KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5), contact interaction
can occur between two surfaces separated by a narrow gap.
7.3.2. Modeling Perfect Magnetic Contact

Perfect magnetic contact supports dissimilar meshes on both sides of the contacting interface ( ).
You must use the internal MPC approach (p. 197) by setting KEYOPT(2) = 2. You must also set KEYOPT(4)
= 1 or 2 for contact nodal detection, and KEYOPT(12) = 5, 6 for bonded contact.
7.4. Modeling Pore Fluid Flow at the Contact Interface

You can use surface-to-surface contact elements and the node-to-surface contact element in combination
with the coupled pore-pressure mechanical solid elements (CPT212, CPT213, CPT215, CPT216, CPT217)
to model pore fluid flow normal to the contact surface. To activate both the structural and pore-pressure
degrees of freedom, set KEYOPT(1) = 8. To activate the structural, pore-pressure, and temperature degrees
of freedom, set KEYOPT(1) = 9 for coupled thermal-pore-fluid-flow-structural analyses.
The following pore fluid flow features are supported:

7.4.1. Pore Fluid Permeability Across Two Contacting or Near-Field Surfaces
7.4.2. Pore Fluid Volume Flow for Near-Field Contact
7.4.3. Pore Fluid Flow from Far-Field Contact to the Environment
7.4.4. Coupled Heat Transfer with Pore Fluid Flow
Note
The reported contact pressure and the friction computations do not include the pore fluid
pressure contribution directly. The program assumes that the pore fluid flows only in the
contact normal direction. There is no fluid flowing tangentially to the contact surface.
7.4.1. Pore Fluid Permeability Across Two Contacting or Near-Field Surfaces

To take into account the pore fluid permeability across two surfaces that are in contact or separated
by a small gap distance (near-field), you need to specify the pore-pressure permeability coefficient,
which is input as real constant PCC of the contact element.
7.4.1.1. Using PCC

The pore fluid flux density from the contact surface to the target surface is defined as:
where
= the pore fluid flux density per unit area
Modeling Pore Fluid Flow at the Contact Interface
= the pore-pressure permeability coefficient, having units of length5/(time * force) for

force-based node-to-surface contact, or units of length3/(time * force) for the traction-based
model.
and = pore pressures of the contact points on the target and contact surfaces.
A small value of yields a measured amount of imperfect contact and a pore-pressure discontinuity
across the interface. For large values of , the resulting pore-pressure discontinuity tends to vanish
and perfect permeable contact is approached.
The pore-pressure permeability coefficient is input via the PCC real constant on the contact element.
By using tabular input (see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40)), you can define PCC as
a function of temperature ( ), pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate compression,

negative PRESSURE index values indicate tension), time, and initial contact detection point location (at
the beginning of solution).
For example, you could use tabular input to specify PCC as a function of GAP such that different fluid
permeability coefficients are applied based on the contact status, whether it is closed contact (positive
GAP) or near-field contact (negative GAP). You could also specify a cutoff gap distance beyond which
no fluid flow occurs (PCC = 0).
The USERCNPROP user subroutine is also available for defining PCC. To use this subroutine, you must
7.4.1.2. Pore Pressure on the Target Surface

When modeling pore fluid permeability, a pore pressure for both the contact and target surfaces is re-
quired.
For a deformable target surface, the pore pressure varies along the surface. In this case, the temperature
at the intersection between the target surface and the normal from the contact detection point represents
the target pore pressure.
For a rigid target, the pore pressure on the pilot node (if a pilot node is defined) represents the pore
pressure for the entire rigid target surface.
7.4.2. Pore Fluid Volume Flow for Near-Field Contact

To model pore fluid volume flow, which is associated with adding or removing fluid volume for near-
field contact while the gap distance is changing, you would typically perform a coupled transient pore-
fluid-flow analysis. (In a steady-state analysis, the rate of the opening gap distance is zero, so the con-
tribution from this kind of gap-related fluid volume flow is zero.)
Two contact element real constants are required to model pore fluid volume flow:
• FPFT is the participation factor of the gap-related pore fluid flow.
• FPWT is the weight factor for the distribution of gap-related pore fluid flow between contact and target
surfaces.
7.4.2.1. Using FPFT and FPWT

In a transient pore fluid flow analysis, the pore fluid volume flows into the contact surface due to the
gap distance change:
and the pore fluid volume flows into the target surface:
where
= the rate of contact gap distance

= the participation factor of the gap-related pore fluid flow (input as a contact element
real constant); the FPFT value is in the range of 0-1 and defaults to 0 (no contribution from
gap-related fluid flow)
= the weight factor for the distribution of pore fluid volume flow between contact and
target surfaces (input as a contact element real constant); FPWT defaults to 0.5
If you input a value of 0 for real constant FPWT, the program interprets that as the default value. In
order to have a true zero weight factor, enter a very small, non-zero value, such as 1 x 10-8. In general,
you can specify the weight factor as follows: , where and are the material permeab-
ilities of underlying elements from the contact and target sides.
The FPFT real constant can be made a function of temperature ( ), gap distance (negative GAP
index values indicate an open gap), time, and initial contact detection point location (at the beginning
of solution) by using tabular input (see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40)). For example,
you could specify a cutoff gap distance (via a function of GAP) beyond which no gap-related fluid flow
occurs (FPFT = 0).
The USERCNPROP user subroutine is also available for defining FPFT. To use this subroutine, you must
7.4.3. Pore Fluid Flow from Far-Field Contact to the Environment

To model pore fluid flow from far-field contact to the environment, you need to specify the following
contact element real constants:
• PSEE is the pore fluid seepage coefficient.
• ABPP is the ambient pore pressure.
The pore fluid flow for open contact is defined as:
where
Modeling Pore Fluid Flow at the Contact Interface
= pore pressure on the contact surface

There are three pore fluid flow conditions for open contact:
• Impermeable (PSEE = 0)
• Semipermeable (PSEE > 0)
• Drainage-only flow
The drainage-only flow condition indicates that normal pore fluid flow occurs only from the far-field
contact to the environment when the pore pressure at the contact surface is positive:
7.4.3.1. Using ABPP and PSEE
Use the real constant ABPP to define the ambient pore pressure, which has units of force/length2. The
default value of ABPP is 0.
The pore seepage coefficient, PSEE, defaults to 0, which defines the impermeable condition for far-field
contact. Specify a positive PSEE value to define the semi-permeable condition. PSEE has units of
length5/(time * force) for the force-based node-to-surface contact model, or units of length3/(time *
force) for the traction-based model.
As a special definition, you can specify ABPP to the value of -1.E20 to activate the drainage-only flow
condition. In this case, the program sets ABPP = 0 internally. To achieve near-zero pore pressure at the
contact surface (free-draining flow), you need to specify the value of PSEE to be much larger than:
Large values of PSEE can lead to poor conditions in the global stiffness matrix and convergence diffi-
culties. Choosing a value of would obtain near-zero pore pressure (free-

draining) on the far-field contact surface, in most cases.
The PSEE and ABPP real constants can be made a function of temperature ( ), time, and initial
contact detection point location (at the beginning of solution) by using tabular input (see Defining Real
Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40)). For example, you might define the ambient pore pressure, ABPP,
to be a function of position. You can also define a non-uniform seepage coefficient ABPP for consolid-
ation analysis
The user subroutine USERCNPROP is also available for defining PSEE and ABPP. To use this subroutine,
7.4.4. Coupled Heat Transfer with Pore Fluid Flow

To model heat transfer across the contact interface in conjunction with the pore fluid flow, set KEYOPT(1)
= 9. In this case, you can define the pore-pressure permeability coefficient (PCC), the pore fluid seepage
coefficient (PSEE), and the ambient pore pressure (ABPP) to be a function of temperature. See Modeling
Thermal Contact (p. 127) for details on defining other heat transfer-related properties.
7.5. Modeling Diffusion Flow at the Contact Interface

You can use surface-to-surface contact elements and the node-to-surface contact element in combination
with the coupled-field solid elements (PLANE223, SOLID226, SOLID227) and diffusion solid elements
(PLANE238, SOLID239, SOLID240) to model diffusion flow normal to the contact surface.
Use KEYOPT(1) on the contact elements to control which degrees of freedom are included. The following
diffusion effects can be modeled:
Contact Element Keyoption DOFs Analysis Physics

KEYOPT(1) = 11 UX, UY, UZ, CONC, TEMP Coupled
Structural-Thermal-Diffusion
KEYOPT(1) = 12 UX, UY, UZ, CONC, TEMP, VOLT Coupled
Structural-Thermal-Electric-Diffusion
KEYOPT(1) = 13 UX, UY, UZ, CONC Coupled Structural-Diffusion
KEYOPT(1) = 14 CONC Single-Field Concentration
The following diffusive contact interactions are supported:

7.5.1. Diffusion Flow Across Two Contacting or Near-Field Surfaces
7.5.2. Diffusion Flow from Far-Field Contact to the Environment
7.5.1. Diffusion Flow Across Two Contacting or Near-Field Surfaces

To take into account the diffusion flow across two surfaces that are in contact or separated by a small
gap distance (near-field), you need to specify the contact diffusivity coefficient, which is input as real
constant DCC of the contact element.
7.5.1.1. Using DCC

The diffusion flux density from the contact surface to the target surface is defined as:
where:
q = the diffusion flux density per unit area

DCC = the contact diffusivity coefficient, having units of length3/time for force-based node-to-
surface contact, or units of length/time for the traction-based model
Cc and Ct = concentration of the contact points on the contact and target surfaces
A relatively small value of DCC yields a measured amount of imperfect contact and a diffusion discon-
tinuity across the interface. For relatively large values of DCC, the resulting diffusion discontinuity tends
to vanish, and perfect diffusive contact is approached.
The contact diffusivity coefficient is input via the DCC real constant on the contact element. By using
tabular input (see Defining Real Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40)), you can define DCC as a function
of temperature ( ), pressure (positive PRESSURE index values indicate compression, negative
Modeling Diffusion Flow at the Contact Interface
PRESSURE index values indicate tension), time, and initial contact detection point location (at the begin-
ning of solution).
For example, you could use tabular input to specify DCC as a function of GAP such that different diffus-
ivity coefficients are applied based on the contact status, whether it is closed contact (positive GAP) or
near-field contact (negative GAP). You could also specify a cutoff gap distance beyond which no diffusion
flow occurs (DCC = 0).
The USERCNPROP user subroutine is also available for defining DCC. To use this subroutine, you must
7.5.1.2. Concentration on the Target Surface

When modeling diffusion flow, concentrations for both the contact and target surfaces are required.
For a deformable target surface, the concentration varies along the surface. In this case, the concentration
at the intersection between the target surface and the normal from the contact detection point represents
the target concentration.
For a rigid target, the concentration on the pilot node (if a pilot node is defined) represents the concen-
tration for the entire rigid target surface.
7.5.2. Diffusion Flow from Far-Field Contact to the Environment

To model diffusion flow from far-field contact to the environment, you need to specify the following
contact element real constants:
• DCON is the diffusive convection coefficient.
• ABDC is the ambient concentration.
The diffusion flux density for open contact is defined as:
7.5.2.1. Using ABDC and DCON
The ambient concentration, ABDC, has units of mass/length3, or it is dimensionless if normalized con-
centration is defined for the underlying solid elements. The default value of ABDC is 0.
The diffusive convection coefficient, DCON, defaults to 0, which defines the no-diffusion condition for
far-field contact. DCON has units of length3/time for the force-based node-to-surface contact model,
or units of length/time for the traction-based model.
The DCON and ABDC real constants can be made a function of temperature ( ), time, and initial
contact detection point location (at the beginning of solution) by using tabular input (see Defining Real
Constants in Tabular Format (p. 40)).
The user subroutine USERCNPROP is also available for defining DCON and ABDC. To use this subroutine,
Chapter 8: General Contact
General contact is a contact modeling technique that greatly simplifies the contact specification process.
This method offers automated contact creation and requires minimal user input compared to the pair-
based contact definition method (see Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact (p. 2)).
General contact is most useful when the geometry of the model makes it difficult to determine contact
pairs.
The following general contact topics are available:

8.1. General Contact Overview
8.2. Modeling General Contact - Basic Procedure
8.3. Creating Rigid Target Surfaces
8.4. Generating General Contact Surfaces (GCGEN Command)
8.5. Identifying General Contact Surfaces
8.6. Applying Surface Geometry Correction
8.7. Defining Non-Default Contact Settings
8.8. Defining Contact Interactions (GCDEF Command)
8.9. Managing Contact Interactions Between Surfaces
8.10. Defining Interface Behavior
8.11. Assigning Contact Properties via Real Constants
8.12. Other Useful Tools for General Contact
8.1. General Contact Overview

The procedure for defining general contact is simplified compared to pair-based contact. The GCGEN
command and the GCDEF command are key components to this simplified procedure.
The GCGEN command automatically creates all required contact elements for the general contact
definition, including:
• surface contact elements (CONTA172, CONTA174) overlaid on the exterior surfaces of deformable
bodies;
• 3-D line contact elements (CONTA177) overlaid on 3-D beams, on feature edges of 3-D deformable
bodies, and on perimeter edges of 3-D shell structures;
• vertex-to-surface contact elements (CONTA175) overlaid on the convex corners of deformable bodies
and shell structures (2-D or 3-D) and on endpoints of 3-D beam structures.
Target elements (TARGE169, TARGE170) overlaid on the surfaces of standalone rigid bodies can also be
part of the general contact definition, but must be defined manually.
By default, frictionless standard contact is assumed for all general contact interactions, and default
values are used for other contact settings and properties (element key options and real constants). The
GCDEF command enables you to further define specific contact interactions between surfaces or to
exclude contact interaction for surfaces that should never come into contact.
Following are characteristics of the general contact method:
General Contact
• The general contact surfaces are generated automatically by the GCGEN command based on physical parts
and geometric shapes in the model.
• Because the general contact surfaces are represented by existing contact and target elements, you can
easily display the surfaces and the contact results.
• All contact and target elements in the general contact definition are assigned a real constant ID equal to
zero and a material ID equal to zero. This is a notable difference between general contact and pair-based
contact.
• Each general contact surface is assigned a unique section ID and a unique element type ID.
• The material ID and real constant ID input on the GCDEF command are associated with the interface prop-
erties (defined via MP or TB commands) and the contact control parameters (defined via the R or RMODIF
commands) for the specified contact interaction.
• Contact searching takes place among all general contact surfaces. This is especially advantageous for contact
between multiple, very thin layers.
• General contact automatically designates asymmetric contact and target pairing for contact interactions.
The automatic asymmetric pairing logic is also used for self-contact within a surface.
• General contact and pair-based contact can exist together in a model. The program automatically excludes
general contact interactions that overlap with pair-based contact definitions.
• Lower-order surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171, CONTA173) can also be part of a general
contact definition, but must be defined manually (p. 187).
• In a general contact definition, surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA171 to CONTA174) are used as
the primary contact constraints. 3-D edge-to-surface elements (CONTA177) and the 2-D or 3-D vertex-to-
surface elements (CONTA175) can also be included as supplemental constraints. The additional edge-to-
surface contact can more accurately resolve contact involving feature edges of solid bodies and perimeter
edges of shell structures penetrating into other surfaces. The vertex-to-surface contact formulation is intended
to prevent penetrations between convex corners of solid bodies and shell surfaces as well as endpoints of
beam structures into other surfaces.
• CONTA177 can also be used to model 3-D beam-to-beam contact in a general contact definition. Three
scenarios are available: crossing beams in contact, nearly parallel beams in contact, and a beam sliding inside
a hollow beam. Use KEYOPT(3) to control whether only one or all of these scenarios are included in the
model.
8.2. Modeling General Contact - Basic Procedure

Modeling general contact consists of the basic steps outlined below.
Step Task Commands Used

1 Build the finite element model Use typical modeling
commands as described in the
Modeling and Meshing Guide
2 Create rigid target surfaces (p. 146) (if needed) via mesh tools LMESH, AMESH
[1]
3 Generate general contact surfaces (p. 147) GCGEN
Modeling General Contact - Basic Procedure
Step Task Commands Used

4 Identify general contact surfaces (p. 154) where specific contact CM
control is needed [1]
5 Apply surface geometry corrections (p. 159) where needed [1] SECTYPE, SECDATA
6 Define non-default contact settings (p. 160) [1] KEYOPT
7 Define contact interactions or exclusions (p. 163) between specificGCDEF
surfaces [1]
8 Assign contact interface behavior (p. 180) [1] MP, TB
9 Assign contact properties via real constants (p. 182) [1] R, RMODIF
1. This step is optional.
In many cases, you only need to complete steps 1 and 3 in order to implement general contact in your
analysis. The remaining steps are typically needed only if non-default interface behavior is required in
some regions of the model.
To demonstrate the simplicity of this procedure, general contact is defined for the four-piece piston
assembly shown below.
Figure 8.1: Piston Assembly
For this example it is assumed that the finite element model is already in place and that the following
two node components have been created: PIN contains exterior nodes on the cylindrical surface of the
pin; ROD contains exterior nodes on the surface of the rod that can contact the pin.
The goal is to define bonded contact between the pin and the connecting rod, and no-separation
sliding contact everywhere else. Following is a summary of the input required for the general contact
definition.
/PREP7
! Build the finite model and create all base elements
! Create a node component PIN (exterior nodes on the cylindrical surface of the pin)
! Create a node component ROD (exterior nodes on the cylindrical surface of the rod)
!
GCGEN ! Form general contact surfaces
SECTYPE,PIN,CONTACT,CYLINDER ! Cylindrical geometry correction on pin
General Contact
SECTDATA, … ! Define the section data

SECTYPE,ROD,CONTACT,CYLINDER ! Cylincrical geometry correction on rod
SECTDATA, … ! Define the section data
GCDEF,AUTO,all,all,NoseID,RID1 ! Define default contact interaction
!
! NoseID is a specified material ID; RID1 is a specified real constant ID
!
TB,INTER,NoseID,,ANOSE ! Specify interface behavior: ANOSE is no-separation always
RMOD,RID1… ! Specify contact control parameters
GCDEF,AUTO,PIN,ROD,BondID,RID2 ! Define a specific contact interaction

! between the pin and rod
! BondID is a material ID, RID2 is a real constant ID
!
TB,INTER,BondID,,ABOND ! Specify interface behavior: ABOND is bonded always
8.3. Creating Rigid Target Surfaces

You can include rigid target surfaces in the general contact definition by manually meshing rigid surfaces
with target elements (TARGE169 or TARGE170). Rigid target surfaces should usually be defined before
the GCGEN command is used to create contact elements in the general contact definition.
These rigid target surfaces are similar to rigid targets used in a pair-based contact definition with one
significant difference. In a pair-based contact definition, you assign a unique real constant ID to the rigid
target elements of each rigid-to-deformable contact pair. However, in a general contact definition you
assign a zero real constant ID and a unique section ID to the rigid target elements of each rigid surface.
For a solid model geometry, use the LMESH command to create 2-D rigid surfaces and the AMESH
command to create 3-D rigid surfaces. Alternatively, you can generate the rigid target elements using
direct-generation modeling techniques. In either case you need to assign a zero real constant ID (REAL,0),
a zero material ID (MAT,0), an appropriate section ID (SECNUM), and an appropriate element type ID
(TYPE) to the target elements.
As an example, you may choose to use an element type ID = 100 and a section ID = 101. In this case
you would issue the following commands before meshing a 3-D target surface:
ET,100,170,,1
TYPE,100
SECNUM,101
REAL,0
MAT,0
Before creating a target segment primitive shape (2-D circle, 3-D cylinder, 3-D cone, or 3-D sphere) via
direct generation, you must specify the geometric shape via the TSHAP command and the associated
radii via a section definition (SECTYPE and SECDATA commands). For example:
ET,100,170,,1 ! Target element TARGE170
TSHAP,CONE ! Define 3D cone
SECTYPE,101,CONTACE,RADIUS ! Specify the RADIUS section type as section 101
SECDATA,R1,R2 ! Enter radius values for the cone
TYPE,100 ! Set attribute pointers
SECNUM,101
REAL,0
MAT,0
E,node1,node2
You can assign only one pilot node (if needed) to each rigid target surface. The target element associated
with the pilot node has the same section ID, but a zero real constant ID (as do other target elements
of each rigid surface).
Generating General Contact Surfaces (GCGEN Command)
8.4. Generating General Contact Surfaces (GCGEN Command)

After building a complete finite element model and defining rigid target surfaces (if needed), the next
step is to define general contact via the GCGEN command. This command automatically generates
general contact surfaces and assigns section IDs to each surface based on physical parts and geometric
shapes in the model. The general contact surfaces overlay the exterior faces of existing base elements,
which can be 2-D or 3-D solid elements, 3-D shell elements (top and bottom), 3-D beam elements, or
2-D shell elements (top and bottom).
Various settings on the GCGEN command allow you to control how the general contact surfaces are
defined, as described in the following sections:
8.4.1. GCGEN Command Action (Option)
8.4.2. Edge Control Key (EdgeKEY)
8.4.3. Surface Splitting Key (SplitKEY)
8.4.4. Feature Angle (FeatureANGLE)
8.4.5. Base Element Selection (SelOpt)
8.4.1. GCGEN Command Action (Option)

The general contact elements can be created, updated, removed, and selected using the Option argu-
ment on the GCGEN command. These options are described in the table below.
By default, GCGEN automatically defines contact surfaces on exterior faces of the base elements in the
model. It creates surface contact elements for modeling surface-to-surface contact (CONTA172 for a 2-
D model, CONTA174 for a 3-D model), and 3-D line contact elements (CONTA177) for modeling 3-D
beam-to-beam contact and/or 3-D beam-to-surface contact.
Note that the surface-to-surface contact elements (CONTA172 and CONTA174) generated by GCGEN
are overlaid on the surfaces of both linear (lower-order) and quadratic (higher-order) solid and shell
elements.
Elements created by GCGEN are identified by a zero real constant ID.
Options for Creating General Contact (GCGEN,Option)

Option Action Comments
NEW Create a new general contact This option removes all existing general contact elements
definition and generates new elements with new section IDs. Any
existing GCDEF specifications, SECTYPE / SECDATA general
contact data, and general contact element types are also
removed. If no general contact elements or data exist, this
option behaves the same as Option = UPDATE.
UPDATE Create general contact This is the default option. Use this option if your model
elements on newly added (or contain existing general contact elements and you wish to
selected) base elements create additional general contact elements on newly added
(or selected) base elements. The newly generated contact
elements are assigned new section IDs. Existing general
contact elements remain with their previously assigned
section IDs and element attributes. Existing GCDEF and
SECTYPE / SECDATA general contact data are respected.
If no general contact elements or data exist, this option
behaves the same as Option = NEW.
General Contact
DELETE Remove the general contact This option completely removes the general contact
definition definition, including all contact elements, existing GCDEF
specifications, SECTYPE / SECDATA general contact data,
and general contact element types.
SELECT Select all general contact Use this option to select all contact and target elements
elements in the general contact definition. (This option is valid
only in PREP7.)
ESEL,S,REAL,GCN is an alternative way to do the same

selection. In this case, the component label GCN
indicates that all contact and target elements used in
a general contact definition (that is, elements identified
by real constant ID = zero) are to be selected. (The ESEL
command is valid in any processor.)
By default, 3-D beam-to-beam contact and 3-D beam-to-surface contact are included under the general
contact definition as long as any 3-D beam elements are selected in the model. To exclude 3-D beam-
to-beam contact and 3-D beam-to-surface contact, either unselect the beam elements before issuing
GCGEN, or delete the CONTA177 general contact elements after the GCGEN command is issued.
When base elements involve existing interfaces that are connected by one of the following methods:
• pretension elements (PRETS179),
• node-to-node contact elements (CONTA178),
• cohesive interface elements (INTER202 to INTER205),
• external constraint equations (created by the CEINTF command), or
• externally coupled degrees of freedom (created by the CPINTF command),
you need to either unselect those base elements on the interfaces before issuing the GCGEN command,
or you need to delete the general contact elements created by GCGEN on those interfaces after the
GCGEN command is issued.
8.4.2. Edge Control Key (EdgeKEY)

In addition to surface-to-surface contact and beam-to-beam contact, the general contact definition can
include 3-D edge-to-surface and 3-D edge-to-edge contact (CONTA177 elements), and 2-D or 3-D vertex-
to-surface contact (CONTA175). CONTA177 line contact elements are added to solid body feature edges
and shell body perimeter edges, and CONTA175 point elements are added to convex corners of solid
and shell bodies and endpoints of beam structures. The purpose of adding these line and point elements
is to avoid localized penetration of a feature's edge or corner into other surfaces and edges.
The EdgeKEY argument of the GCGEN command enables you to control placement of the CONTA177
and CONTA175 elements. By default (EdgeKEY = 0), no supplemental CONTA177 or CONTA175 elements
are included; that is, 3-D edge-to-surface, 3-D edge-to-edge, and 3-D vertex-to-surface contact are not
considered.
EdgeKEY Action
0 Exclude all edges and vertices (default)
EdgeKEY Action
1 Include feature edges only
2 Include shell perimeter edges only
3 Include both feature edges and shell perimeter edges
4 Include feature edges and vertices, shell perimeter edges and vertices, and beam
vertices
5 Include feature vertices, shell perimeter vertices, and beam vertices
8.4.3. Surface Splitting Key (SplitKEY)

GCGEN automatically assigns section IDs and element type IDs to general contact surfaces. You can
control how the IDs are assigned to the surfaces by specifying the SplitKEY argument on the GCGEN
command.
SplitKEY Action
SPLIT Assign a different section ID and contact element type ID for every geometric face of
each physical part (default)
PART Assign a different section ID and contact element type ID for every surface that covers
a physical part
Using SplitKEY = PART
When SplitKEY = PART, the program assigns a unique section ID and contact element type ID for
every surface that covers a physical part. In other words, the program assigns different section IDs and
element type IDs to surfaces that are not connected (see the figure of the piston model below). Compared
to the SPLIT option, this option produces fewer unique section IDs, which can make it easier to specify
interface interactions via the GCDEF command. The PART option is recommended for large assemblies
modeled with bonded contact.
Figure 8.2: General Contact Surfaces:SplitKEY = PART
In some cases, the surface geometry shapes vary across different regions of a physical part, and it may
be desirable to have a different section ID assigned to each geometric surface. For instance, you may
General Contact
wish to apply a geometry correction only on the cylindrical surface of a cylinder but not on the two
circular ends. In this case, you should set SplitKEY = SPLIT instead of PART.
Using SplitKEY = SPLIT
When SplitKEY = SPLIT, the program assigns different section IDs and contact element type IDs to
each unconnected part, and also assigns different IDs to every split face within each part and different
section IDs to the top and bottom surfaces of 2-D shell and 3-D shell bodies. Many more section IDs
and contact element type IDs are created as compared to the PART option, as shown in the figure below.
(See the discussion of split criteria in Feature Angle (FeatureANGLE) (p. 150)).
Figure 8.3: General Contact Surfaces:SplitKEY = SPLIT
As the default option, the SPLIT logic gives you more flexibility for assigning interface interactions
(GCDEF command) to different portions of the model that might come into contact. Note that a geometry
correction can be applied directly on a split face of a physical part.
8.4.4. Feature Angle (FeatureANGLE)

The FeatureANGLE argument on the GCGEN command is an angle tolerance used for determining
feature edges (EdgeKEY) and general surfaces (SplitKey).
The exterior facets of the selected base solid and shell elements are divided into subsets based on the
angle between the normals of neighboring faces (see Theta in Figure 8.4: Angle Between Normals of
Adjacent Element Faces (p. 151)). On a flat or smooth surface as shown in this figure, adjacent exterior
element faces have normals that are parallel or nearly parallel; that is, the angle between the adjacent
normals is near zero degrees.
Figure 8.4: Angle Between Normals of Adjacent Element Faces
When the angle Theta between the normals of two adjacent faces is greater than FeatureANGLE, the
two faces are considered to be on two separate surfaces (SplitKey = SPLIT); the edge between the
faces may be convex or concave (see Figure 8.5: Convex and Concave Edges (p. 151)). A convex (or outside)
edge is considered to be a feature edge and may be affected by the EdgeKEY setting.
Figure 8.5: Convex and Concave Edges
The edge/split calculation accounts for the curvature of high-order base elements, which typically have
an angle near zero degrees between facets, even for a coarse mesh on a curved surface. As long as the
base elements include midside nodes that follow the curved surfaces, you should not have to use a
larger value of FeatureANGLE to properly subdivide surfaces on coarsely meshed, curved objects.
Figure 8.6: General Contact Surfaces Created by Using Default GCGEN Settings (p. 152) shows the resulting
general contact surfaces for the example model when GCGEN is issued with default settings (Featur-
eANGLE = 42, EdgeKEY = 0, SplitKey = SPLIT). Each general contact surface is identified by a unique
General Contact
section ID. This is illustrated in the figure by different colors representing different section IDs for surfaces
determined as a result of the SPLIT option.
Figure 8.6: General Contact Surfaces Created by Using Default GCGEN Settings
A FeatureANGLE value that is too small can cause the inclusion of unwanted feature edges, or cause
extraneous splitting on continuous surfaces. A FeatureANGLE value that is too large can cause the
omission of needed feature edges (EdgeKEY), or cause independent portions of the base model exter-
ior to be lumped together as a single general surface (SplitKey). Any of these situations can reduce
accuracy or efficiency of the general contact solution.
It is recommended that you plot and verify edge contact elements (created via EdgeKEY) and section
IDs of the new general contact elements after issuing GCGEN.
8.4.5. Base Element Selection (SelOpt)

You can control which base elements are considered for the general contact generation by specifying
the selection key (SelOpt) on the GCGEN command:
SelOpt Action
ATTACH Use a recursive adjacency selection to obtain complete physical parts, starting from the
selected base elements, before generating general contact elements (default).
SELECT Use only the initially selected base elements to generate general contact elements.
The SelOpt = SELECT option creates general contact elements overlaid on the free faces of selected
base elements. Element faces are determined from the selected nodes. All nodes on the face must be
selected for the face to be used. The operation is similar to that used for generating contact elements
via the ESURF command. This option is useful for splitting a smooth general contact surface into several
sub-surfaces when different sub-surfaces have different interface behaviors.
The SelOpt = ATTACH option is used to create general contact surfaces for the entire model. It is
usually issued after all specific general contact surfaces are created via the SelOpt = SELECT option.
The newly generated general contact surfaces will not overlap with the existing surfaces when Option
= UPDATE (default) on the GCGEN command.
As an example, consider the model shown below in which a rubber seal is being pushed from the left
by a block so that the seal’s bulb passes through the fixed channel on the right. Frictional contact inter-
actions A, D, & E are defined with the Lagrange contact algorithm (KEYOPT(2) = 3). The friction coefficient
applied to A is 0.2 and to D and E is 0.1
Figure 8.7: Rubber Seal Example
The example input below assumes that node components exist for surfaces A, D, and E as labeled in
the figure.
/prep7
mp,mu,100,.1
mp,mu,110,.2
tb,inter,120,,,rough
tb,inter,130,,,standard
cmsel,s,bulb_node ! Select node component for surface A

elsn
gcgen,,,,select ! Create general contact surface at surface A
cmsel,s,upperShoulder ! Select node component for surface D
esln
gcgen,,,,select ! Create general contact surface at surface D
cmsel,s,lowerShoulder ! Select node component for surface E
esln
gcgen,,,,select ! Create general contact surface at surface E
allsel,all
keyopt,gcn,2,3 ! Define Lagrange multiplier method for A, D, E
gcgen ! Generate the rest of the general contact surfaces
gcdef,auto,all,all,130
gcdef,symm,all,self,120
gcdef,asym,outeredge_node,leftblock_node,120
gcdef,asym,bulb_node,channel_node,110
gcdef,asym,upperShoulder,channel_node,100
gcdef,asym,lowerShoulder,channel_node,100
General Contact
8.5. Identifying General Contact Surfaces

The use of section ID numbers to identify general contact surfaces plays an important role in the gen-
eral contact framework. The GCDEF command, which defines contact interactions between specific
surfaces, accepts section IDs for the surfaces involved. Geometry corrections that you can apply to certain
contact surfaces via SECTYPE and SECDATA commands also rely on section IDs to identify the affected
surfaces. Similarly, element type IDs play a roll when defining non-default contact properties via the
KEYOPT command.
When many parts exist in a finite element model, determining a specific section ID or element type ID
can be difficult. To circumvent this problem, the GCDEF, SECTYPE, and KEYOPT commands can accept
node component names as input in place of section IDs. Thus, you do not necessarily need to know
section and element type ID numbers in order to manage general contact interactions between surfaces.
8.5.1. Using Section IDs to Identify Surfaces

The section IDs that identify general contact surfaces and the element type IDs that identify general
contact element types are assigned automatically during execution of the GCGEN command. You can
list the section IDs and element type IDs for general contact elements by issuing the ELIST command.
The IDs can also be displayed on an element plot (EPLOT command) by turning on the section number
or element type display key (/PNUM,SECT,1 or /PNUM,TYPE,1).
The example below demonstrates a 2-D model having four general contact surfaces that may interact.
The GCGEN command created general contact elements on the surfaces and assigned a unique section
ID to each surface as shown in the figure.
Figure 8.8: 2-D Example - Section IDs at the Contact Surfaces
Assume that material ID = 5 (which defines a particular contact behavior) should be assigned to the
contact interactions. In this case, you would issue the following GCDEF commands to assign the prop-
erties for all possible contact interactions (see Defining Contact Interactions (GCDEF Command) (p. 163)
for command details):
Identifying General Contact Surfaces
GCDEF,,15,12,5
GCDEF,,15,13,5
GCDEF,,16,12,5
GCDEF,,16,13,5
For this simple model, it was easy to identify the section IDs associated with the surfaces of interest,
and the above commands are valid input.
8.5.2. Using Nodal Components to Identify Surfaces

There are several drawbacks to using section IDs to identify general contact surfaces on commands
such as GCDEF. First, there is no way to predict the section IDs for the surfaces involved until after the
GCGEN command is issued; you must list or plot the elements after GCGEN to determine the section
IDs. Another concern is that reusing the same input with a modified mesh could produce different
section IDs. Reusing the same input in a later release of Mechanical APDL might also result in different
section IDs. In these situations, the input might create invalid GCDEF specifications.
To avoid these issues, it is good practice to define node components (CM command) on each of the
surfaces where you may need to define non-default general contact interactions. When creating the
node components, use select logic based on spatial location, or reference the underlying solid model
(or CAD model) and select the attached nodes. This will minimize the impact of remeshing on the node
component definition. Each node component may contain one or more than one general contact attribute
(section ID or element type ID). You can then reference those node components on the GCDEF, SECTYPE,
and KEYOPT commands instead of inputting section IDs.
Continuing with our 2-D example, the figure below shows node components NCMP1 and NCMP2 that
contain nodes on the surfaces that might come into contact. Note that both node components encompass
more than one surface.
Figure 8.9: 2-D Example - Node Components at the Contact Surfaces
The component names can be input instead of section IDs on the GCDEF command:
GCDEF,,NCMP1,NCMP2,5
General Contact
The GCDEF command loops through all valid section IDs found in each node component and creates
general contact interactions for all possible surface combinations. As a result, the input was greatly
simplified by using node components.
Use of component names is especially convenient when writing a batch input file or macro for defining
general contact, or a command snippet for use in ANSYS Workbench. (Note that ANSYS Workbench
creates node components automatically wherever you define a named selection on the geometry.)
The output echo of the GCDEF, SECTYPE, and KEYOPT commands show the general contact section
IDs or type IDs referenced by the given node components (sections 12, 13, 15, and 16 in this example).
This is how the command information is stored and listed. Keep in mind that downstream changes to
the nodal components cannot change what is already defined by one of these commands.
For a section ID (or element type ID) of a particular surface to be considered, all nodes (including midside
nodes, if any) of at least one contact element on that surface must be included in the node component.
In this example, the contact elements on the circular arc (shown in green on the figure below) are not
included in the GCDEF specification because no element on that surface has all of its nodes included
in either of the node components.
Figure 8.10: Nodes Associated with More Than One Section ID
Next, consider two 3-D solid bodies separated by a shell body, all of which can possibly contact each
other at the shaded locations (see figure below).
Identifying General Contact Surfaces
Figure 8.11: 3-D Example - A Shell Body Between Two Solid Bodies
Suppose the shell has different surface characteristics on each side; perhaps the top (TOP) is slick but
the bottom (BOT) is coated with a quick-bonding, super-strength adhesive. In this case, two different
material ID numbers are needed for the general contact interactions involving the two shell sides (assume
material 5 at the shell top and material 6 at the shell bottom).
Note that orientation of the shell elements is controlled by the element node order (counterclockwise
when viewed from the TOP side); it is important that you know which side is the top and which side is
the bottom when defining general contact interactions for shell elements.
The first step is to establish nodal components for each of the 3 surfaces (the shell is one surface that
has a top and a bottom). The node component names are NCMP3, NCMP4, and NCMP5.
Figure 8.12: 3-D Example - Node Components at the Contact Surfaces
General Contact
For shell elements, you can add the extension _TOP or _BOT to the component name entered on the
GCDEF command to indicate whether section IDs from the top or bottom surface will be considered.
The following command assigns material ID 5 to the general contact interaction between the left block
and the top of the shell:
GCDEF,,NCMP3,NCMP4_TOP,5
In a similar manner, material number 6 is assigned to the general contact interaction between the shell
bottom and the right block:
GCDEF,,NCMP4_BOT,NCMP5,6
Finally, the following command is issued to account for possible interactions between the two solid
blocks. Material 7 is assumed for this interaction:
Depending upon the base element types and the options you use on GCGEN, you may have face, edge,
and vertex general contact elements on or around a surface. Ordinarily, all three types of general contact
elements are addressed by the nodal component input options. However, you can isolate one type with
the _FACE, _EDGE, and _VERT component name extensions, which operate the same as the _TOP and
_BOT extensions. See Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Nodal Components (p. 164) for
more information.
Continuing with the same example, assume that the command GCGEN,,,4 (where EdgeKEY = 4) was
used to generate the general contact. In this case, the model also includes CONTA177 edge elements
and CONTA175 vertex elements in the general contact definition, as shown in the zoomed in figure
below. The NCMP3 node component surface is on the left, and the NCMP4 node component surface
(the shell element surface) is on the right.
Figure 8.13: 3-D Example - Identifying Edge and Vertex Elements
Consider the following GCDEF specification involving node components NCMP3 and NCMP4:
Applying Surface Geometry Correction
This specification between the left block surface (NCMP3) and the top of the shell (NCMP4) applies to
all face, edge, and vertex general contact elements on those surfaces.
You could separately call out face, edge, or vertex general contact elements in any desired specification:
GCDEF,,NCMP3_FACE,NCMP4_TOP,15
GCDEF,,NCMP3_EDGE,NCMP4_BOT,16
GCDEF,,NCMP3_VERT,NCMP4_FACE,17
You could also specify how surface general contact elements (CONTA174 in this example) interact with
CONTA175 vertex general contact elements throughout the entire model:
GCDEF,,ALL_VERT,ALL_FACE,27
8.6. Applying Surface Geometry Correction

In general, curved contact and target surfaces can be well approximated by linear (lower-order) or
quadratic (higher-order) contact and target elements when the mesh is sufficiently refined. However,
in certain circumstances this is not the case; for example, when linear elements are used or when the
midside nodes of quadratic elements do not lie exactly on the initial curved geometry because a third
party mesh generator was used. Thus, in some contact applications, using a faceted surface in place of
the true curved geometry can significantly affect the accuracy of contact stresses.
To avoid this problem, you can use an optional geometric correction for circular segments and for
spherical and revolute (cylindrical) surfaces via SECTYPE and SECDATA section commands (see Surface
Smoothing). Geometry correction is available for surface-to-surface contact elements; TARGE169,
TARGE170, CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, and CONTA174.
All types of geometry correction for contact (that is, contact section sub-types on the SECTYPE command)
are available for general contact surfaces, including the bolt-thread geometry correction. See Geometry
Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces for details.
Input a section ID or a node component name on the SECTYPE command to identify the general contact
surface that needs correction. For example, to apply a cylindrical geometry correction to a specific surface
whose section ID can be represented by a pre-defined node component, use the following command:
SECTYPE,ComponentName,CONTACT,CYLINDER
SECDATA,X1,Y1,Z1,X2,Y2,Z2
An extension can be added to the component name to limit the scope of the section IDs used from
the node component, as described in Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Nodal Compon-
ents (p. 164). The labels ALL_EDGE, ALL_FACE, ALL_TOP, and ALL_BOT can also be input on the SECTYPE
command to identify the general contact surface. (See the GCDEF command for details of the meaning
of each label.)
Equivalent Radius for Beam-to-Beam and Edge-to-Edge Contact

To model 3-D beam-to-beam contact and edge-to-edge contact (CONTA177 element), the program as-
sumes two cylinders are coming into contact. The equivalent radius of the assumed cylindrical surface
is defined via SECTYPE and SECDATA commands:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,RADIUS ! Set Type = CONTACT and Subtype = RADIUS for user-defined contact radius
SECDATA,VAL1,VAL2,VAL3 ! VAL1 and VAL2 are radius values; VAL3 is a flag
where:
VAL1 is the outer radius of the beam (use this for external beam-to-beam contact).
General Contact
VAL2 is the inner radius of the beam (use this for internal beam-to-beam contact).
VAL3 is a flag to specify external or internal beam-to-beam contact. The default is external
contact. Set VAL3 = 1 to model internal beam-to-beam contact.
If the radius is not defined, the program determines a corresponding radius for each CONTA177 contact
element based on the geometry of the underlying element.
This same SECTYPE and SECDATA input format is used to define the radius of a TARGE170 rigid target
element that represents a beam (a line or parabola) in a general contact definition. However, for the
TARGE170 element, the program cannot determine a corresponding radius if one is not supplied because
there is no underlying element. Therefore, you must explicitly input the target radius for all TARGE170
target segments.
Radius (or Radii) of Primitive Rigid Target Segments

Some primitive rigid target segments require a radius (or radii) to be input as part of their definition.
These include the 2-D circle segment (TARGE169 element) and the 3-D cylinder, sphere, and cone segment
types (TARGE170 element). The radius or radii associated with the rigid target geometry are defined via
SECTYPE and SECDATA commands, as follows:
SECTYPE,SECID,CONTACT,RADIUS ! Set Type = CONTACT and Subtype = RADIUS
SECDATA,VAL1,VAL1 ! Enter radius values R1 and R2
where VAL1 and VAL2 are the radius values required for the target geometry being defined (see the
TARGE169 and TARGE170 descriptions for specific geometry details).
8.7. Defining Non-Default Contact Settings

Each contact element type includes a number of key options (KEYOPTs) that control contact algorithms
and other settings. General contact uses some of these key options in the same way as pair-based
contact. However, some key options may be set to a different value by the GCGEN command, or they
may not be used by general contact. The table below summarizes the contact element key options and
how they are used differently for pair-based contact and general contact.
Table 8.1: KEYOPT Settings for Pair-Based vs. General Contact
KEYOPT Description Pair-Based General Comments for

Contact Contact General
Default Default Contact
Usage
1 Selects DOF Manual Automatic Not applicable
DOF selection to CONTA175
based on and CONTA177
underlying
elements
2 Contact Algorithm Augmented Penalty GCGEN sets
Lagrange KEYOPT(2) = 1
3 Unit control for No unit n/a This KEYOPT is
(CONTA171 normal contact control not supported
to stiffness
CONTA174)
Defining Non-Default Contact Settings

Usage
3 Vertex contact type Contact Contact GCGEN sets
(CONTA175) force-based traction-based KEYOPT(3) = 1
model model
3 Beam/edge contact Parallel beams Mixed parallel GCGEN sets
(CONTA177) type and crossing KEYOPT(3) = 2
beams
4 Location of contact Gauss Gauss Not applicable
detection point point for point for to CONTA177
CONTA171 CONTA171
to to
CONTA174 CONTA174
Normal Normal
to target to target
surface surface
for for
CONTA175 CONTA175
5 CNOF/ICONT No No
adjustment adjustment adjustment
6 Contact stiffness Use default Use default
variation range range
7 Element level time No control No control KEYOPT(7) = 4
increment control is not
supported
8 Asymmetric contact No action n/a This KEYOPT is
selection not used; it is
replaced by
GCDEF,Op-
tion
9 Effect of initial Include all n/a This KEYOPT is
penetration or gap not used; it is
replaced by
TBDATA,,C1.
The default
behavior is to
exclude effects
of initial
penetration/gap
10 Contact stiffness Between Between GCGEN sets
update iterations iterations KEYOPT(10) =
0
11 Beam/shell thickness Exclude Include GCGEN
effect for sets
CONTA171 KEYOPT(11)
= 1 for
General Contact

Usage
to CONTA171
CONTA174 to
CONTA174
Exclude
for KEYOPT(11)
CONTA175 = 1 for
CONTA177
when the
underlying
elements
are beams
12 Behavior of contact Standard n/a This KEYOPT is
surface not used; it is
replaced by
TB,INTER,,,TB-
OPT
13 Degree of freedom TEMP n/a This KEYOPT is
control for contact not supported
involving thermal
shells
14 Behavior of fluid Iteration-based n/a This KEYOPT is
(CONTA171 penetration load not supported
to
CONTA174)
14 Multiple target One segment Four GCGEN sets
(CONTA177) segments segments KEYOPT(14) =
1
15 Effect of Active only in Active only in
stabilization first load step first load step
damping
16 Squeal damping Damping n/a This KEYOPT is
controls scaling factor not supported
18 Sliding behavior Finite sliding Finite sliding
The default settings assigned by GCGEN are the recommended settings; they are suitable for most
contact simulations. For some specific applications, you may need to override the defaults. Use the
KEYOPT command to define non-default settings for a specific general contact surface identified by a
unique element type ID:
KEYOPT,ITYPE,KNUM,VALUE
If you do not know the element type ID (ITYPE), you may prefer to input a node component that
contains nodes on the surface of interest. See Identifying General Contact Surfaces (p. 154) for details.
In the following example, the projection-based contact formulation is specified for a surface that is
identified by an element type ID associated with a predefined nodal component:
Defining Contact Interactions (GCDEF Command)
KEYOPT,ComponentName,KNUM,VALUE
An extension can be added to the component name to limit the scope of the element type IDs used
from the node component, as described in Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Nodal
Components (p. 164). The labels ALL_EDGE, ALL_FACE, ALL_VERT, ALL_TOP, and ALL_BOT can also be
input on the KEYOPT command to identify the general contact surface. (See the GCDEF command for
details of the meaning of each label.)
To set an element key option for all contact element types in the general contact definition, input the
label GCN instead of an ID number in the ITYPE field:
KEYOPT,GCN,KNUM,VALUE
The above command must be issued after the GCGEN command.
You can define general contact elements manually using the ESURF command instead of using GCGEN.
However, contact elements created by ESURF use the pair-based default settings. You should consider
changing the settings manually for these elements so that they correspond to the general contact default
values.
8.8. Defining Contact Interactions (GCDEF Command)

By default, the program automatically uses standard, frictionless interaction behavior among all general
contact surfaces, including self-contact.
You can define a specific (non-default) interaction behavior for any surface that will potentially come
into contact with another surface in the general contact definition. You can also exclude contact inter-
action, for example, where one surface will never contact with another surface during the analysis.
Use the GCDEF command to define specific interactions or exclusions:

GCDEF,Option,SECT1,SECT2,MATID,REALID
where:
• Option is typically an interface pairing option (AUTO, ASYM, SYMM, or EXCL); see Assigning Interface
Pairing Options for details.
• SECT1 and SECT2 are section ID numbers that identify the two general contact surfaces for which the
interaction is defined. Alternatively, you can input the name of a nodal component that contains multiple
section IDs in the SECT1 and/or SECT2 fields. Other labels such as ALL and SELF are also valid input
for these fields.
• MATID and REALID are material and real constant IDs used to specify contact interaction properties
and other contact parameters at the interface.
The following GCDEF usage topics are available:

8.8.1. Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Surfaces
8.8.2. Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Nodal Components
8.8.3. Specifying General Contact Interactions for the Entire Model
8.8.4. Specifying Contact Exclusions
8.8.5. Assigning Interface Pairing Options
8.8.6. Deleting Specified General Contact Interactions
General Contact
8.8.1. Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Surfaces

Each general contact surface is identified by a unique section ID, which is typically generated by the
GCGEN command. When defining a contact interaction between specific surfaces, you input the section
ID numbers (SECT1 and SECT2) on the GCDEF command to indicate the two surfaces for which contact
can occur. You must input SECT1 and SECT2; there are no defaults.
Contact Between Two Surfaces
A general contact interaction defined between two surfaces (where SECT1 ≠ SECT2, but both are >
0) is the most specific type of general contact specification (comparable to controlling a specific contact
pair):
GCDEF,AUTO,SECT1,SECT2,MATID,REALID
Self Contact
To control self-contact between different portions of a single general contact surface, input the same
section ID for both SECT1 and SECT2. In the following example, self contact is defined for the general
contact surface identified by section ID = 3:
GCDEF,AUTO,3,3,MATID,REALID
Alternatively, you can set SECT1 or SECT2 = SELF:

GCDEF,AUTO,3,SELF,MATID,REALID
The two types of general contact specifications described above—contact defined between two specific
surfaces and self-contact—are the most specific types of general contact interactions that you can
define.
8.8.2. Specifying General Contact Interactions Between Nodal Components

Instead of inputting a specific section ID in the SECT1 or SECT2 field of the GCDEF command, you
can specify the name of a nodal component that is currently defined within the finite element model.
The nodal component must have been previously defined via the CM command and must contain ex-
terior nodes of one or more surfaces. Component names are valid input for SECT1 and SECT2 when
Option = (blank), ASYM, AUTO, SYMM, EXCL, DELETE, LIST, TABLE, or TABLESOL.
In the example below, the GCDEF command specifies contact between nodal components representing
the pin and rod surfaces of the model discussed in Modeling General Contact - Basic Procedure (p. 144).
NSEL,S,NODE,.... ! Select a set of nodes on pin surface
CM,PIN,NODE ! Group selected nodes into component PIN
NSEL,S,NODE,.... ! Select a set of nodes on rod surface
CM,ROD,NODE ! Group selected nodes into component ROD
!
GCDEF,ASYM,PIN,ROD,BondID,REALID ! Define asymmetric bonded contact between
! components PIN and ROD (BondID is a maerial ID)
The GCDEF command loops through all valid section IDs found in each node component input for
SECT1 and SECT2. The node component names are not stored or listed; instead the interpreted section
IDs are stored and listed as separate GCDEF entries.
Thus, when the node components input for SECT1 and SECT2 contain nodes from multiple general
contact surfaces having different section IDs, all possible combinations of SECT1/SECT2 interactions
are considered in the general contact definition. As an example, if component 1 (input for SECT1)
contains nodes from N1 section IDs and component 2 (input for SECT2) contains nodes from N2 section
IDs, the GCDEF command defines contact interactions for N1×N2 surface combinations.
Contact can be defined between general contact surfaces using a combination of section IDs and defined
components, as illustrated below:
GCDEF,AUTO,1,COMP2,MATID,REALID ! Define auto asymetric contact
! between SECT1 and component COMP2
GCDEF,AUTO,COMP1,SELF,MATID,REALID ! Define self contact for component COMP1
The scope of general contact section IDs from a node component can be limited by adding one of the
following extensions onto the component name that you input:
_edge Returns only section IDs of all CONTA177 general contact line elements (which may be on edges
of 3-D solid or shell base elements, or on beam base elements)
_face Returns only section IDs of general contact elements on faces of solid or shell base elements
(includes contact elements on both the top and bottom of shell elements)
_vert Returns only section IDs of all CONTA175 general contact vertex elements (which may be on convex
corners of 2-D or 3-D solid or shell base elements)
_top Returns only section IDs of general contact elements on top faces of shell base elements and on
faces of solid base elements
_bot Returns only section IDs of general contact elements on bottom faces of shell base elements and
on faces of solid base elements
If none of these extensions is present, the given GCDEF specification is applied to all types of general
contact elements.
The following example demonstrates use of the extensions:

GCDEF,EXCLUDE,7,COMP2_EDGE ! Exclude contact between SECT7 and component COMP2 edges
GCDEF,SYMM,COMP1_TOP,SELF,MATID ! Define symmetric self contact for component COMP1 top faces
Be cautious when using GCDEF,EXCLUDE. If you do not specify an extension on the component name,
both faces and edges are excluded by default.
8.8.3. Specifying General Contact Interactions for the Entire Model

To make global changes for general contact, you can input the label ALL instead of a specific section
ID in the SECT1 and SECT2 fields of the GCDEF command.
For example, to override the default frictionless contact among all general contact surfaces with a dif-
ferent interface behavior or contact control, issue:
GCDEF,Option,ALL,ALL,MATID
where MATID corresponds to a behavior other than standard frictionless behavior (for example, always
bonded).
To define specifications for self contact for all general contact surfaces, issue:
GCDEF,Option,ALL,SELF,MATID,REALID
or
GCDEF,Option,SELF,ALL,MATID,REALID
General Contact
Either of these command controls the general contact behavior for self contact for all surfaces (section
1 with section 1, section 2 with section 2, and so on).
To control general contact interaction between a specific surface and any general contact surface (an-
other surface or itself ), issue:
GCDEF,Option,SECT1,ALL,MATID,REALID
or
GCDEF,Option,ALL,SECT2,MATID,REALID
The above two commands are equivalent except when Option is set to ASYM (asymmetric contact).
For example, the following command treats SECT1 as the contact surface with respect to all other
surfaces, which will be target surfaces:
GCDEF,ASYM,SECT1,ALL,MATID,REALID
On the other hand, the following command treats SECT2 as the target surface with respect to all other
surfaces, which will be contact surfaces:
GCDEF,ASYM,ALL,SECT2,MATID,REALID
The labels ALL_EDGE, ALL_FACE, ALL_VERT, ALL_TOP, and ALL_BOT are also valid input for SECT1 and
SECT2. (See GCDEF for details of the meaning of each label.) These labels apply to all defined general
contact element section IDs in the model without regard to the select status of the elements or attached
nodes. The labels are immediately converted to section ID numbers, unlike the ALL label which is stored
as ALL.
In some coarse mesh situations where there are no nodes internal to a surface, ALL_FACE, ALL_TOP,
and ALL_BOT may pick up CONTA172 or CONTA174 section or type IDs that would be missed for a
node component containing all defined nodes.
8.8.4. Specifying Contact Exclusions

The GCDEF command allows you to exclude contact between specified surfaces. Use Option = EXCL
and specify the surfaces SECT1 and SECT2:
GCDEF,EXCL,SECT1,SECT2
There are two possible reasons to define a contact exclusion:
• To improve computational performance by excluding surfaces that are not likely to interact
• To improve modeling robustness by avoiding physically unreasonable contact interactions (see Example 8.1: Ex-
cluding Spurious Contact (p. 167))
To exclude self-contact within a surface, set SECT1 = SECT2. For example, the following command
excludes self contact for the surface identified by section ID number 4:
GCDEF,EXCL,4,4
To exclude self-contact for all general contact surfaces, issue:

GCDEF,EXCL,All,SELF
or
GCDEF,EXCL,SELF,ALL
For many assembly models, self-contact is unlikely to occur. Using one of the above commands to exclude
self-contact prevents unreasonable interactions within each part, in particular for assemblies with very
thin parts.
To exclude contact between a particular surface and all other general contact surfaces (partial general
contact exclusion), issue:
GCDEF,EXCL,SECT1,ALL
or
GCDEF,EXCL,ALL,SECT2
Alternatively, you may delete general contact elements on surfaces that should be excluded. This results
in an even more efficient solution.
To exclude all general contact interactions, which completely overrides the default frictionless contact,
issue:
GCDEF,EXCL,ALL,ALL
The labels ALL_EDGE, ALL_FACE, ALL_VERT, ALL_TOP, and ALL_BOT are also valid input for SECT1 and
SECT2. (See GCDEF for details of the meaning of each label.) For example
GCDEF,EXCL,4,ALL_EDGE ! Exclude contact between section 4 and all edges
Example 8.1: Excluding Spurious Contact
Consider the model below in which one shell box (node component BI) is fitted inside another shell
box (node component BE). For this shell-to-shell contact example, some of the shell elements of the
inner and outer boxes overlap, and the general contact solution detects two possible contact interactions:
1. The exterior surface of the inner shell box contacting the interior surface of the outer shell box
2. The interior surface of the inner shell box contacting the exterior surface of the outer shell box
The second interaction is obviously spurious contact, and it should be excluded manually by issuing:
GCDEF,EXCL,BE_TOP,BI_BOT
Figure 8.14: Contact Between Two Shell Boxes
General Contact
8.8.4.1. Automatic Contact Exclusions

ANSYS automatically excludes general contact in the following situations:
• Excludes general contact elements that overlap with existing contact pairs. For instance, if a pair-based in-
teraction has been defined between surface 1 and surface 2, the program automatically excludes general
contact interactions between these two surfaces so that only the contact pair definition is used. The surfaces
involved could either be a subset of general contact surfaces or could overlap fully/partially over several
general contact surfaces.
• Excludes contact interaction between any two rigid surfaces, and self-contact within each rigid surface.
• Keeps one side of the contact-target pairing if automatic asymmetric contact logic is used, while excluding
the opposite side of the contact interaction.
• Excludes contact interactions for portions of surfaces that largely penetrate each other (larger than one
quarter of the pinball radius) in the initial configuration, except when the user defines an absolute pinball
radius.
8.8.5. Assigning Interface Pairing Options

The Option field on the GCDEF command accepts four input labels that enable you to define the in-
terface pairing option for general contact surfaces identified by SECT1 and SECT2.
Option Description Command

Label
AUTO Automatic asymmetric contact between GCDEF,AUTO,SECT1,SECT2,MATID,REALID
surfaces SECT1 and SECT2; this is the
default if Option was not previously
specified
ASYM Asymmetric contact with SECT1 as the GCDEF,ASYM,SECT1,SECT2,MATID,REALID
contact surface and SECT2 as the target

surface
SYMM Symmetric contact between surfaces GCDEF,SYMM,SECT1,SECT2,MATID,REALID
SECT1 and SECT2
EXCL Exclude contact interaction between GCDEF,EXCL,SECT1,SECT2
surfaces SECT1 and SECT2. MATID and
REALID are ignored.
The automatic asymmetric pairing option (Option = AUTO) is based mainly on relative mesh refinement
and material rigidity. This logic is also used for self-contact within a surface (when SECT1 = SECT2).
For example when a user-defined surface overlays several unconnected parts, contact between parts
having the same section ID as well as contact of each part with itself are considered to be self-contact.
Self-contact within a physical part always uses symmetric contact.
The automatic asymmetric pairing logic, which is set by default for surface-to-surface contact (CONTA171
to CONTA174), works well in most cases.
For the asymmetric pairing option (Option = ASYM), the guidelines for assigning contact-target pairing
rules for pair-based contact discussed in Designating Contact and Target Surfaces (p. 17) are also ap-
plicable for situations in which you manually define the asymmetric logic for the general contact.
The symmetric pairing option (Option = SYMM) is often used when the interface mesh from both
sides is relatively coarse. Symmetric contact enforces the contact constraint conditions at more surface
locations than asymmetric contact. The limitations of symmetric logic for pair-based contact discussed
in Asymmetric Contact vs. Symmetric Contact (p. 18) are also applicable for situations in which you
manually specify symmetric general contact.
The symmetric pairing logic is set by default for 3-D beam-to-beam or edge-to-edge contact (CONTA177).
Examples: Self-Contact
The following table presents examples of how to use the contact pairing options for self-contact.
Self-Contact Pairing Example Command Notes

Automatic asymmetric contact for self-contact within GCDEF,AUTO,5,5,MATID,REALID Option =
a specific surface identified by Section ID = 5 ASYM is
Symmetric contact for self-contact within a specific GCDEF,SYMM,6,6,MATID,REALID not valid
surface identified by Section ID = 6 for a
self-contact
Automatic asymmetric contact for self-contact within GCDEF,AUTO,COMP1,COMP2,MATID,REALID
definition;
surfaces defined via nodal components if input, it
Automatic asymmetric contact for self-contact within GCDEF,AUTO,ALL,SELF,MATID,REALID will be
all surfaces treated as
Symmetric contact for self-contact within all surfaces GCDEF,SYMM,ALL,SELF,MATID,REALID Option =
AUTO.
Examples: Contact Between One Surface and All Other General Contact Surfaces
The following table presents examples of how to use the contact pairing options to define interactions
between one specific surface and all general contact surfaces.
Contact Pairing Example (One Command Notes

Surface to All Surfaces)
Automatic asymmetric contact GCDEF,AUTO,SECT1,ALL,MATID,REALID In some cases, a conflict can
between one specific surface and or arise between general
all general contact surfaces contact specifications for
GCDEF,AUTO,ALL,SECT2,MATID,REALID one surface to all surfaces.
When this occurs, the

Symmetric contact between one GCDEF,SYMM,SECT1,ALL,MATID,REALID
program determines the
specific surface and all general or actual material ID (MATID)
contact surfaces
GCDEF,SYMM,ALL,SECT2,MATID,REALID
and real constant ID (REAL-
ID) to use during solution.
Asymmetric contact between GCDEF,ASYM,SECT1,ALL,MATID,REALID Issue GCDEF,TABLE before
SECT1 and all general contact the solution to verify which
surfaces, where SECT1 is the IDs will be used.
contact surface
As an example, consider the
Asymmetric contact between GCDEF,ASYM,ALL,SECT2,MATID,REALID
following general contact
SECT2 and all general contact specifications:
surfaces, where SECT2 is the
target surface GCDEF,Option1,6,ALL,MATID1,REALID1
GCDEF,Option2,7,ALL,MATID2,REALID2
Automatic asymmetric contact GCDEF,AUTO,COMP1,ALL,MATID,REALID
between surface specified via
General Contact
Contact Pairing Example (One Command Notes

Surface to All Surfaces)
nodal component COMP1 and all To avoid a conflict, you can
general contact surfaces add a specific entry for
surfaces 6 and 7:
GCDEF,Option,6,7,MATID,REALID
Examples: Contact Among All General Contact Surfaces
The following table presents examples of how to use the contact pairing options to define contact
among all general contact surfaces.
Contact Pairing Example (All Surfaces) Command Notes

Automatic asymmetric contact among all GCDEF,AUTO,ALL,ALL,MATID,REALID Option = ASYM is not
general contact surfaces valid for all general contact
surfaces; if input, it will be
treated as Option =
AUTO.
Symmetric contact among all general GCDEF,SYMM,ALL,ALL,MATID,REALID
contact surfaces
8.8.6. Deleting Specified General Contact Interactions

If you need to remove a particular general contact specification that was previously defined, use Option
= DELETE on the GCDEF command:
GCDEF,DELETE,SECT1,SECT2
To remove general contact interactions previously defined by “ALL,ALL”, issue:

GCDEF,DELETE,ALL,ALL
Note that GCDEF,DELETE,ALL,ALL does not remove the entire GCDEF table; it merely removes any ex-
isting GCDEF,,ALL,ALL definitions, while leaving intact any existing GCDEF definitions that are more
specific.
To remove the entire GCDEF table, issue:

GCDEF,DELETE,TOTAL
It is good practice to list all interactions (GCDEF,LIST) before and after a GCDEF,DELETE command.
8.9. Managing Contact Interactions Between Surfaces

The GCDEF command is used to define specific (non-default) contact interactions between general
contact surfaces identified by section IDs (SECT1 and SECT2). Generally, GCDEF commands are order
independent. However, there are a few situations in which the order matters. Understanding how the
GCDEF commands are stored and executed will help you to better manage contact interactions in your
model.
The following topics related to managing general contact interactions are available:
8.9.1. GCDEF Command Entries and Execution
8.9.2.The LIST and TABLE Options of GCDEF
Managing Contact Interactions Between Surfaces
8.9.3. Example of How to Use the LIST and TABLE Options

8.9.4. Retrieving Information with *GET Commands
8.9.1. GCDEF Command Entries and Execution

Each entry of the GCDEF command defines one contact interaction. The GCDEF command should be
issued after all general contact surfaces have been generated, via the GCGEN command and/or manually.
GCDEF is not an action command; each GCDEF entry is saved in the database and written to the .CDB
file (see the CDWRITE command).
In most cases the order of the GCDEF commands is unimportant. You may find it more intuitive to
enter them in the order of least specific to most specific general contact definitions. The GCDEF command
sequence is important only if one or more of the Option, MATID, and REALID fields is redefined
(overwritten) on the same GCDEF entry (for the same combination of section IDs) or if an entry is deleted.
The program executes user-defined contact interactions internally based on the following sequence:
1. First, all frictionless general interactions are applied by default
2. The general contact interaction/exclusion entries are applied and overwrite above entries:
GCDEF,Option,ALL,ALL,MATID,REALID
3. The general self-contact interaction/exclusion entries are applied and overwrite above entries:
GCDEF,Option,ALL,SELF,MATID,REALID
or
GCDEF,Option,SELF,ALL,MATID,REALID
4. The partial general contact interaction/exclusion entries are applied and overwrite above entries:
GCDEF,Option,SECT1,ALL,MATID,REALID
or
GCDEF,Option,ALL,SECT2,MATID,REALID
5. Finally, all individual contact interaction/exclusion entries are applied and overwrite above entries:
or
or
GCDEF,Option,SECT1,SELF,MATID,REALID
For the same record (SECT1 and SECT2), the latest entry for Option, MATID, and REALID overwrites
any previous one.
8.9.2. The LIST and TABLE Options of GCDEF

The GCDEF command has options to list interactions that you have specified. It also has two options
to display the contact interactions in a table format. These options are described in the table below.
The list and table options can be used for a specific contact interaction (SECT1,SECT2) or a range of
contact interactions (SECT1 to SECT1END, SECT2 to SECT2END).
The MATID and REALID fields of the GCDEF command are ignored for these list and table options.
General Contact
Option Action Examples

LIST Lists general contact interactions defined by List a particular general contact
GCDEF; no interpretation is applied. interaction:
GCDEF,LIST,SECT1,SECT2
List a range of general contact interactions

spanning contact sections SECT1 to
SECT1END and target sections SECT2 to
SECT2END:
GCDEF,LIST,SECT1,SECT2,,,SECT1END,SECT2END
List all general contact interactions:

GCDEF,LIST
TABLE Interprets the stored GCDEF data and Display a range of general contact
displays general contact interactions in a interactions in table format spanning
tabular format. contact sections SECT1 to SECT1END and
target sections SECT2 to SECT2END:
The table includes default interactions as
GCDEF,TABLE,SECT1,SECT2,,,SECT1END,SECT2END
well as those specified through GCDEF
commands. Duplicate table entries are Display all interactions in tabular format
compressed out in some cases. (without compression):
GCDEF,TABLE,TOTAL
TABLESOL Lists a table showing actual interactions Display a range of the actual general
considered during solution. This option contact interactions used during solution
is only available after the SOLVE in table format, with the range spanning
command. from contact sections SECT1 to
SECT1END and target sections SECT2 to
For auto asymmetric contact, TABLESOL SECT2END::
indicates which of the possible contact
GCDEF,TABLESOL,SECT1,SECT2,,,SECT1END,SECT2END
versus target surface combinations was
considered.
8.9.3. Example of How to Use the LIST and TABLE Options

The LIST and TABLE options of the GCDEF command are useful for tracking the contact interactions
that are defined between specific surfaces. GCDEF,LIST lists the stored GCDEF data; no interpretation
is applied. GCDEF,TABLE interprets the stored data onto the available section combinations and presents
the information in a table format.
The following examples demonstrate how to interpret the LIST and TABLE output.
Consider a situation where GCGEN creates four general contact surfaces with section IDs 2 through 5:
gcgen
GENERATE GENERAL CONTACT ELEMENTS...

New general contact elements have Section ID from 2 to 5
Using the LIST and TABLE options before defining any specific contact interactions results in the output
as shown below:
gcdef,list
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = LIST
*** WARNING *** CP = 0.000 TIME= 00:00:00

There are no contact definitions to list.
The LIST operation shows no stored GCDEF data entries.

gcdef,table
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = TABLE
Section1 Section2 M MAT R REAL a/A Auto Asym (program/user) S Symm E Exclude
(contact) (target) * Default - Unused or Undefined
2 0 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - ... a -
R | * ... *
| ... ... ...
| ... ... ...
5 M | a - ... a -
R | * ... *
GCDEF,TABLE shows that all section ID combinations would use default settings if solved at this point.
The defaults are automatic asymmetric contact (indicated by “a”), default real constant ID (indicated by
“*” in the R rows), and no defined material ID (indicated by “-” in the M rows) which results in the default
behavior of standard frictionless contact. Rows and columns 3 and 4 are omitted (represented by "...")
because they are the same as surrounding rows and columns 2 and 5.
To see the entire table, issue GCDEF,TABLE,TOTAL.

gcdef,table,total
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = TABLE (COMPLETE)
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
3 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
4 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
5 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
We first define asymmetric contact between section ID 2 (contact surface) and section ID 3 (target surface):
gcdef,asym,2,3 ! GCDEF #1
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = ASYM

BETWEEN SECTIONS 2 (CONTACT) AND 3 (TARGET)
gcdef,list
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = LIST (COMPLETE)
Section1 Section2 Interaction Material Real

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
2 3 ASYM - -
gcdef,table
General Contact
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a - a -
R | * * * *
3 M | - a - a - a -
R | - * * *
4 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
5 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
The effect is seen in the 2/3 and 3/2 table entries: 2/3 is active (* indicates default for real constant ID)
and 3/2 is inactive (- indicates unused real constant ID). This will be easier to see later when a nonzero
real constant ID is assigned for entry 2/3. (Note that GCDEF command #1 did not specify MATID or
REALID.)
Next, we enter GCDEF,ASYM to reverse the asymmetric contact order for sections 2 and 3:
gcdef,asym,3,2 ! GCDEF #2 - overwrites 2,3 (same record)
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = ASYM

BETWEEN SECTIONS 3 (CONTACT) AND 2 (TARGET)
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
3 2 ASYM - -
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a - a -
R | * - * *
3 M | - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
4 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
5 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
There is still only one GCDEF entry listed since the second GCDEF command overwrote the first one.
In the table, 3/2 is active and 2/3 is inactive.
Next, we add a material ID to that same 2/3 entry. Because the Option field is blank, the previous
Option (which was ASYM) is unchanged.
gcdef,,2,3,102 ! GCDEF #3 - mat 102
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION =

BETWEEN SECTIONS 2 AND 3
Use material number = 102
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
3 2 ASYM 102 -
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a - a -
R | * - * *
3 M | 102 a - a - a -
R | * * * *
4 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
5 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
Next, we add material and real constant IDs to be used in the contact between section IDs 2 and 4:
gcdef,,2,4, 101,201 ! GCDEF #4 - mat 101 real 201

Use real constant number = 201
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 a -
R | * - 201 *
3 M | 102 a - a - a -
R | * * * *
4 M | a 101 a - a - a -
R | 201 * * *
5 M | a - a - a - a -
R | * * * *
Next, we specify symmetric contact between section IDs 2 and 5 and assign material ID 101:
gcdef,symm,2,5,101 ! GCDEF #5 - mat 101
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = SYMM

gcdef,list
General Contact

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
2 5 SYMM 101 -
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 S 101
R | * - 201 *
3 M | 102 a - a - a -
R | * * * *
4 M | a 101 a - a - a -
R | 201 * * *
5 M | S 101 a - a - a -
R | * * * *
Next, we specify material ID 301 for contact between section ID 3 and any other section:
gcdef,,3,all, 301 ! GCDEF #6 - mat 301

BETWEEN SECTION 3 AND ALL OTHER SECTIONS
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
2 5 SYMM 101 -
3 ALL - 301 -
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 S 101
R | * - 201 *
3 M | 102 a 301 a 301 a 301
R | * * * *
4 M | a 101 a 301 a - a -
R | 201 * * *
5 M | S 101 a 301 a - a -
R | * * * *
The 3/ALL material ID setting applies to 3/3, 3/4 (4/3), and 3/5 (5/3). It does not apply to 2/3 (3/2), because
there is a more specific 2/3 (3/2) setting for material ID. It does not matter in what order the 2/3 and
3/ALL settings are defined for material ID, or in what order they are listed. This priority based assignment
is performed separately for Option, MATID, and REALID for every combination of section IDs used
by general contact.
Next, we specify real constant ID 401 for all general contact:

gcdef,,all,all, ,401 ! GCDEF #7 - real 401

DEFAULT IF NOT SPECIFIED OTHERWISE
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
ALL ALL - - 401
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
2 5 SYMM 101 -
3 ALL - 301 -
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 S 101
R | 401 - 201 401
3 M | 102 a 301 a 301 a 301
R | 401 401 401 401
4 M | a 101 a 301 a - a -
R | 201 401 401 401
5 M | S 101 a 301 a - a -
R | 401 401 401 401
The ALL/ALL real constant setting applies to most of the table, but it does not apply to 2/4 (4/2) because
there is a more specific 2/4 (4/2) setting for real constant ID.
Next, we specify real constant ID 501 for all self contact; that is, contact between general contact elements
having the same section ID. This is represented by diagonal entries in the table.
gcdef,,all,self, ,501 ! GCDEF #8 - real 501

ALL SELF CONTACT
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
ALL SELF - - 501
ALL ALL - - 401
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
2 5 SYMM 101 -
3 ALL - 301 -
gcdef,table
General Contact
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 S 101
R | 501 - 201 401
3 M | 102 a 301 a 301 a 301
R | 401 501 401 401
4 M | a 101 a 301 a - a -
R | 201 401 501 401
5 M | S 101 a 301 a - a -
R | 401 401 401 501
The ALL/SELF Real setting takes precedence over ALL/ALL, where it applies.
Next, we exclude contact between section ID 4 and any other section:

gcdef,excl,4,all ! GCDEF #9
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = EXCLUDE

BETWEEN SECTION 4 AND ALL OTHER SECTIONS
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
ALL SELF - - 501
ALL ALL - - 401
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
2 5 SYMM 101 -
3 ALL - 301 -
4 ALL EXCLUDE - -
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 S 101
R | 501 - 201 401
3 M | 102 a 301 E a 301
R | 401 501 E 401
4 M | a 101 E E E
R | 201 E E E
5 M | S 101 a 301 E a -
R | 401 401 E 501
The Option = EXCL (exclude) setting for 4/ALL applies to 3/4 (4/3), 4/4, and 4/5 (5/4). But it does not
apply to 2/4 (4/2), because there is a more specific 2/4 (4/2) setting for Option.
After the SOLVE command is issued, the TABLESOLU option can be used to show the MAT and REAL
values used during solution.
/solu
solve
gcdef,tablesolu
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = TABLESOLU
Section1 Section2 M MAT R REAL

(contact) (target) - Unused or Undefined
. 2. 3. 4. 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | - - 101 101
R |. 501. . 201. 401
3 M | 102 301 - 301
R |. 401. 501. . 401
4 M | - - - -
R |. . . .
5 M | 101 - - -
R |. 401. . . 501
Finally, we illustrate GCDEF,DELETE, which removes an entry in the list and might affect many entries
in the table or at SOLVE.
/prep7
gcdef,dele,all,all ! GCDEF #10 - delete entry for all all
GENERAL CONTACT PROPERTY OPTION = DELETE

DEFAULT IF NOT SPECIFIED OTHERWISE
gcdef,list

(contact) (target)
----------------------------------------------------------
ALL SELF - - 501
3 2 ASYM 102 -
2 4 - 101 201
2 5 SYMM 101 -
3 ALL - 301 -
4 ALL EXCLUDE
gcdef,table
2 3 4 5
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 M | a - - a 101 S 101
R | 501 - 201 *
3 M | 102 a - a 301 a 301
R | * 501 * *
4 M | a 101 a 301 a - a -
R | 201 * 501 *
5 M | S 101 a 301 a - a -
R | * * * 501
In most cases the order of GCDEF commands is unimportant. However, there are a few exceptions. In
the contrived example presented here, the order of GCDEF commands #1 and #2 matters because the
last one entered determines the section 2/3 ASYM contact/target assignment. In addition, GCDEF #7
and #10 define and then delete the ALL/ALL entry. Otherwise, the order of the ten GCDEF commands
does not affect the solution.
8.9.4. Retrieving Information with *GET Commands

Several *GET command formats are available for retrieving information related to general contact surfaces.
In these commands, Sect1 and Sect2 represent section ID numbers of general contact surfaces.
*GET Command Format Action Comments

*GET,Par,GCN,0,MAT,Sect1,,Sect2 Retrieves the material ID (MATID) This is equivalent to the get
used for the contact interaction function SECTOMAT(Sect1,Sect2)
General Contact
*GET Command Format Action Comments

at the interface between Sect1
and Sect2
*GET,Par,GCN,0,REAL,Sect1,,Sect2Retrieves the real constant ID This is equivalent to the get
(REALID) used for the contact function SECTOREAL(Sect1,Sect2)
interaction at the interface
between Sect1 and Sect2
*GET,Par,GCN,0,DEF,Sect1,,Sect2 Retrieves a number that indicates Possible values are:
the type of contact defined for
the contact interaction at the 0 - “Excluded” general
interface between Sect1 and contact between Sect1 /
Sect2 Sect2
1 - Asymmetric general
contact between Sect1
(contact) / Sect2 (target)
2 - Asymmetric general
contact between Sect1
(target) / Sect2 (contact)
3 - Symmetric general
contact between Sect1 /
Sect2
8.10. Defining Interface Behavior

In a general contact definition, the default contact interface behavior is frictionless standard contact.
You can assign non-default interface behaviors to specific surfaces via the GCDEF command:
GCDEF,,SECT1,SECT2,MATID
The non-default interface behavior is identified by a material number (MATID), and the general contact
surfaces are identified by section IDs (SECT1 and SECT2). If MATID is zero or undefined, the default
frictionless standard contact is assumed.
When you assign a non-zero MATID on the GCDEF command, you will typically input the same number
in the material reference number field (MAT) on one or both of the following commands:
MP,MU,MATID ! Friction
TB,INTER,MATID ! Contact interaction
Unlike pair-based contact, the material ID (MATID) used on the GCDEF command is not a contact element
attribute in a general contact definition.
8.10.1. Friction
Similar to pair-based contact, the friction coefficient used in the general contact definition can be spe-
cified via the MP,MU or TB,FRIC command; see Coefficient of Friction (p. 51) for details. User-defined
friction is also available; see Writing Your Own Friction Law (USERFRIC) (p. 87) for details.
The following example defines frictional contact with a coefficient of 0.2 at a specific contact interface;
MATID = 10 is used to identify the non-default behavior:
GCDEF,,SECT1,SECT2,10
MP,MU,10,0.2
Defining Interface Behavior
8.10.2. Contact Interaction Options Specified by TB Command

Contact interactions for general contact definitions are specified via the command TB,INTER,MATID,,,TB-
OPT, where the interaction option is input as a TBOPT label. (KEYOPT(12) is not used to specify the
contact interaction, as it is for pair-based contact.)
The following example defines "always bonded" contact behavior at a contact interface; MATID = 12
is used to identify the non-default behavior:
GCDEF,,SECT1,SECT2,12
TB,INTER,12,,,ABOND
The table below lists all possible interaction options.
TBOPT Interaction Description

Label Behavior
STANDARD Standard Normal pressure equals zero if separation occurs. (Similar to KEYOPT(12)
unilateral contact = 0 for pair-based contact elements.)
ROUGH Rough (no sliding) Perfectly rough frictional contact where there is no sliding. (Similar to
KEYOPT(12) = 1 for pair-based contact elements.)
NOSEPE No separation No separation contact in which the target and contact surfaces are tied
(sliding permitted) for the remainder of the analysis once contact is established (although
sliding is permitted). (Similar to KEYOPT(12) = 2 for pair-based contact
elements.)
BONDED Bonded contact Bonded contact in which the target and contact surfaces are bonded in
(no separation, no all directions (once contact is established) for the remainder of the
sliding) analysis. (Similar to KEYOPT(12) = 3 for pair-based contact elements.)
ANOSEP No separation No separation contact in which contact detection points that are either
(always) initially inside the pinball region or that once involve contact always
attach to the target surface along the normal direction to the contact
surface (sliding is permitted). (Similar to KEYOPT(12) = 4 for pair-based
contact elements.)
ABOND Bonded (always) Bonded contact in which contact detection points that are either initially
inside the pinball region or that once involve contact always attach to
the target surface along the normal and tangent directions to the contact
surface (fully bonded). (Similar to KEYOPT(12) = 5 for pair-based contact
elements.)
IBOND Bonded (initial Bonded contact in which the contact detection points that are initially
contact) in a closed state will remain attached to the target surface, and the
contact detection points that are initially in an open state will remain
open throughout the analysis. (Similar to KEYOPT(12) = 6 for pair-based
contact elements.)
USER User-defined User-defined interaction model programmed via the user subroutine,
USERINTER. See Defining Your Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER)
for details.
All of the above options use material constant (C1) on the TBDATA command. The value of C1 defines
the effect of initial penetration or gap, as described in the table below.
General Contact
C1 Description
Value
0 Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset. (Similar to KEYOPT(9) = 0 for
pair-based contact elements.)
1 Exclude both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset. (Similar to KEYOPT(9) = 1 for
2 Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset, but with ramped effects. (Similar
to KEYOPT(9) = 2 for pair-based contact elements.)
3 Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap). (Similar to KEYOPT(9) = 3
for pair-based contact elements.)
4 Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects.
(Similar to KEYOPT(9) = 4 for pair-based contact elements.)
5 Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap) regardless of the initial
contact status (near-field or closed). (Similar to KEYOPT(9) = 5 for pair-based contact elements.)
6 Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects
regardless of the initial contact status (near-field or closed). (Similar to KEYOPT(9) = 6 for
Note that the effects of C1 input are dependent on which TBOPT label was previously defined. The in-
dicated initial gap effect is considered only if TBOPT = ANOSE or TBOPT = ABOND is defined.
Note
If TBDATA is not issued, the program uses C1 = 1 (exclude both initial geometrical penetration
or gap and offset) by default.
You can modify the friction coefficient between load steps or in a restart by re-issuing MP,MU or TB,FRIC
commands. You can also modify contact interface behaviors between load steps or in a linear perturb-
ation analysis by resetting TBOPT on the TB,INTER command.
8.11. Assigning Contact Properties via Real Constants

The program uses real constants to control contact parameters and properties for both general contact
and pair-based contact. However, the assignment of these properties is handled differently for the two
types of contact.
In a pair-based definition, the real constant ID is assigned to the contact and target elements as one
of the element attributes. In a general contact definition, the real constant ID (REALID) is assigned via
the GCDEF command which controls the contact properties at a specific general contact interface
identified by section IDs (SECT1 and SECT2). Unlike pair-based contact, the real constant ID (REALID)
used on the GCDEF command is not a contact element attribute.
If the REALID is not specified or is set to zero on GCDEF, all default real constant values are used for
the specified interface throughout the entire analysis.
Most real constants used in a pair-based contact definition (see Real Constants (p. 35)) are also available
in a general contact definition, with the following exceptions:
• R1, R2, PMAX, PMIN, PPCN, FPAT, COR, FDMD, and FDMS are not supported in a general contact definition.
Assigning Contact Properties via Real Constants
• General contact provides default values for TCC, ECC, MCC, PCC, and DCC based on the highest conductivity
and element sizes of underlying elements from both sides of the contact interface. The default values of
these real constants are not provided in the pair-based definition.
• The program-provided defaults for certain real constants may not be identical for pair-based contact and
general contact. For example, the resulting contact stiffness (FKN) and pinball radius (PINB) vary between
the two contact definitions. The resulting pinball (PINB) in the general contact definition is no longer important
for standard contact. However, it is critical in some situations such as for bonded contact (TB,INTER,,,ABOND)
and for resolving initial interference fit (TB,INTER with TBDATA,,2). Specifying an absolute PINB value
(negative input value) is highly recommended in these situations.
The table below compares default real constant values between pair-based contact and general contact
and also indicates which real constants are not used in a general contact definition.
Table 8.2: Real Constant Defaults for Pair-Based vs. General Contact
Real Constants Description Pair-Based General

Contact Contact
No. Name
1 R1 Radius associated with target 0 Not
geometry supported
Target radius (CONTA176 and Calculated [6]
CONTA177) by
program
2 R2 Radius associated with target 0 Not
geometry supported
Superelement thickness 1 [6]
Contact radius (CONTA176 and Calculated
CONTA177) by
program
3 FKN Normal penalty stiffness factor 1 1 [1]
4 FTOLN Penetration tolerance factor 0.1 0.1 [1]
5 ICONT Initial contact closure 0 0
6 PINB Pinball region [2] [2] [1]
7 PMAX Upper limit of initial penetration 0 Not
supported
8 PMIN Lower limit of initial penetration 0 Not
supported
9 TAUMAX Maximum friction stress 1.00E+20 1.00E+20
10 CNOF Contact surface offset 0 0
11 FKOP Contact opening stiffness 1 1 [1]
12 FKT Tangent penalty stiffness factor 1 1 [1]
13 COHE Contact cohesion 0 0
14 TCC Thermal contact conductance 0 Auto [3]
15 FHTG Frictional heating factor 1 1
16 SBCT Stefan-Boltzmann constant 0 0
General Contact

Contact Contact
No. Name
17 RDVF Radiation view factor 1 1
18 FWGT Heat distribution weighing factor 0.5 0.5
19 ECC Electric contact conductance 0 Auto [3]
20 FHEG Joule dissipation weighting factor 1 1
21 FACT Static/dynamic ratio 1 1
22 DC Exponential decay coefficient 0 0
23 SLTO Allowable elastic slip 1% 1% [1]
24 TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact [5] [5]
pressure
25 TOLS Target edge extension factor [4] [4]
26 MCC Magnetic contact permeance 0 Auto [3]
27 PPCN Pressure-penetration criterion 0 Not
supported
28 FPAT Fluid penetration acting time 0.01 Not
supported
29 COR Coefficient of restitution 1 Not
supported
30 STRM Load step number for ramping 1 1
penetration
31 FDMN Normal stabilization damping factor 1 1 [1]
32 FDMT Tangential stabilization damping 0.001 0.001 [1]
factor
33 FDMD Destabilizing squeal damping factor 1 Not
supported
34 FDMS Stabilizing squeal damping factor 0 Not
supported
35 TBND Critical bonding temperature No default No
default
36 WBID Internal contact pair ID (used only n/a n/a
by the Results Tracker in Workbench
Mechanical)
37 PCC Pore fluid contact permeability 0 Auto [3]
coefficient
38 PSEE Pore fluid seepage coefficient 0 0
39 ABPP Ambient pore pressure 0 0
40 FPFT Gap pore fluid flow participation 0 0
factor
41 FPWT Gap pore fluid flow distribution 0.5 0.5
weighting factor
42 DCC Contact diffusivity coefficient 0 Auto [3]
Assigning Contact Properties via Real Constants

Contact Contact
No. Name
43 DCON Diffusive convection coefficient 0 0
44 ABDC Ambient concentration 0 0
1. The internal default may be different for pair-based contact and general contact.
2. The program-provided defaults for pinball region varies between the two contact definitions.
3. The default value is calculated as a function of highest conductivity and mesh size at the interface.
4. 10% of target length for NLGEOM,OFF; 2% of target length for NLGEOM,ON.
5. TNOP defaults to the force convergence tolerance divided by contact area at contact nodes.
6. The R1 and R2 real constants are not used in a general contact definition. However, you can input radius
values required by contact and target elements via a section definition (SECTYPE and SECDATA commands).
This includes the radius of a general contact surface that represents 3-D beam-to-beam or 3-D edge-to-
edge contact, and radius values associated with rigid target segments. See Applying Surface Geometry
Correction (p. 159) for details.
Examples
When you assign a non-zero REALID on the GCDEF command, you will typically input the same
number in the real constant set ID field (NSET) on the R and RMODIF commands.
The following example defines a contact stiffness factor (FKN) of 10 at a specific contact interface;
REALID = 14 is used to identify the non-default property:
GCDEF,,SECT1,SECT2,,14
R,14,,,10.
If the REALID has been specified by a previous GCDEF command, you can use the RMODIF command
to add any non-default real constant values regardless of whether or not an associated R command
was issued.
Use NSET = GCN on the R and RMODIF commands to define or modify real constants for all real constant
sets that were previously assigned by GCDEF. For example:
R,GCN,R1,R2,R3,R4,R5,R6
or
RMODIF,GCN,STLOC,V1,V2,V3,V4,V5,V6
Note that the GCN label only acts on real constant sets predefined by GCDEF commands. The default
real constant set (REALID = 0 or undefined) is not affected.
For example, the following command defines a contact stiffness factor (FKN) of 10 for all real constant
sets previously specified by GCDEF commands:
RMODIF,GCN,3,10
General Contact
8.12. Other Useful Tools for General Contact

The following are other useful tools that can be used with a general contact definition:
8.12.1. Checking Initial Contact Status (CNCHECK Command)
8.12.2.Tracking Contact Results (NLHIST Command)
8.12.3. Setting Contact Diagnostics (NLDIAG Command)
8.12.4. Creating General Contact Elements Manually
8.12.5. Converting Pair-Based Contact to General Contact
8.12.1. Checking Initial Contact Status (CNCHECK Command)

The CNCHECK command provides initial contact status information for both pair-based contact and
general contact. The format of the command is:
CNCHECK,Option,RID1,RID2,RINC,InterType,TRlevel,CGAP,CPEN,IOFF
For general contact (InterType = GCN), RID1 and RID2 are section IDs associated with general
contact surfaces instead of real constant IDs (as for pair-based contact). If RINC = 0, the Option is
performed between the two sections, RID1 and RID2. If RINC > 0, the Option is performed among
all specified sections (RID1 to RID2 with increment of RINC).
Following is a list of Option labels that are valid for general contact.
Option Action
DETAIL List all contact pair properties (default)
SUMMARY List only the open/closed status for each contact pair
POST Execute a partial solution to write the initial contact configuration to the Job-
name.RCN file
ADJUST Physically move contact nodes to the target in order to close a gap or reduce
penetration; the initial adjustment is converted to structural displacement values
(UX, UY, UZ) and stored in the Jobname.RCN file
TRIM Trim contact pair (remove certain contact and target elements)
UNSE Unselect certain contact and target elements
When InterType, RID1, RID2, and RINC are not specified, the CNCHECK command provides and/or
adjusts the initial contact status for both pair-based and general contact definitions.
For more information, refer to the CNCHECK command description in the Command Reference.
8.12.2. Tracking Contact Results (NLHIST Command)

The NLHIST command enables you to monitor general contact information during the solution. Before
starting the solution, issue the appropriate NLHIST,GCN commands to specify the contact result items
(such as contact penetration or gap, contact normal stiffness, and so on) that you want to track. The
resulting data are written to a file named Jobname.nlh.
The user-specified name (Name argument) that you input on the NLHIST command is used to create
a parameter for the result item. This enables you to monitor and reuse the contact tracking parameter
during solution.
Other Useful Tools for General Contact
As an example, the following command monitors the maximum contact pressure on a general contact
surface with section ID = 101:
NLHIST,GCN,PRESSURE,CONT,PRES,101 ! PRESSURE is a user-specified name
For more information, refer to the NLHIST command description in the Command Reference.
8.12.3. Setting Contact Diagnostics (NLDIAG Command)

Use the command NLDIAG,CONT to monitor contact diagnostic information during the solution. This
feature tracks the same contact information available through NLHIST for all defined contact pairs ac-
cording to a specified frequency (each iteration, substep, or load step). The resulting output is stored
in a text file named Jobname.cnd.
Contact pair ID is one of the items listed In the Jobname.cnd file. A positive contact pair ID refers to
a real constant ID for a pair-based contact definition; a negative contact pair ID refers to a section ID
of a surface in a general contact definition.
For more information, refer to the NLDIAG command description in the Command Reference.
8.12.4. Creating General Contact Elements Manually

The GCGEN command offers the easiest method for defining general contact. However, any general
contact element type can be created manually instead of through GCGEN. In addition, the lower-order
surface-to-surface contact elements, CONTA171 and CONTA173 are not created by GCGEN and must
be created manually in order to be included in a general contact definition.
To create general contact elements manually, create the contact elements as you would for pair-based
contact (see Generating Contact Elements), but assign a zero real constant ID (REAL,0) and a zero ma-
terial ID (MAT,0). You must also assign a unique section ID (SECNUM) and a unique element type ID
(TYPE) to identify the elements in each general contact surface. This is similar to the procedure described
for creating rigid target surfaces (p. 146).
8.12.5. Converting Pair-Based Contact to General Contact

Pair-based contact and general contact can coexist in the same model. However, you can easily convert
the contact pairs to the general contact definition if desired. To achieve this, use EMODIF commands
to assign a zero real constant ID and a zero material ID to the selected contact or target elements:
EMOD,ALL,REAL,GCN
EMOD,ALL,MAT,GCN
This functionality can be useful in the ANSYS Workbench application. As an example, consider an
asymmetric contact pair defined by ANSYS Workbench with REALID = CID, MATID = CID, contact element
type = CID, and target element type = TID. The following command sequence converts the pair-based
contact to general contact:
ESEL,S,REAL,,CID ! Select contact pair
EMOD,ALL,REAL,GCN ! Assign 0 real constant ID to elements
EMOD,ALL,MAT,GCN ! Assign 0 material ID to elements
ESEL,S,TYPE,,CID ! Select contact elements
EMOD,ALL,SECN,CID ! Assign section ID = CID to elements
ET,TID,174 ! Switch target element type to contact element type
! for deformable contact
ESEL,S,TYPE,,TID ! Select contact elements
EMOD,ALL,SECN,TID ! Assign section ID = TID to elements
EMOD,ALL,REAL,GCN ! Assign real constant ID = 0 (for general contact)
GCDEF,EXCL,CID,ALL ! Exclude interaction associated with CID
General Contact
GCDEF,EXCL,TID,ALL ! Exclude interaction associated with TID

GCDEF,ASYM,CID,TID,CID,CID ! Define interaction associated with CID/TID
TB,INTER,CID,,,TBOPT ! Define interface behavior
The following example demonstrates conversion of pair-based contact to general contact for symmetric
contact pairs defined by ANSYS Workbench with REALID = CID1/CID2, MATID = CID1, contact element
type = CID1/CID2, and target element type = TID1/TID2:
ESEL,S,TYPE,,CID1 ! Select contact elements associated with CID1
EMOD,ALL,SECN,CID1 ! Assign section ID = CID1 to elements
ESEL,S,TYPE,,CID2 ! Select contact elements associated with CID2
EMOD,ALL,SECN,CID2 ! Assign section ID = CID2 to elements
ESEL,S,TYPE,,TID1 ! Select target elements associated with TID1
ESEL,A,TYPE,,TID2 ! Select target elements associated with TID2
EDEL,ALL ! Delete target elements (no longer needed)
GCDEF,EXCL,CID1,ALL ! Exclude interaction associated with CID1
GCDEF,EXCL,CID2,ALL ! Exclude interaction associated with CID2
GCDEF,SYMM,CID1,CID2,CID1,CID1 ! Define symmetric interaction associated with CID1/CID2
TB,INTER,CID1,,,TBOPT ! Define interface behavior
Chapter 9: Node-to-Node Contact
You can use node-to-node contact elements to model point-to-point contact (flexible-flexible or rigid-
flexible). Additionally, you can use these elements to represent contact between two surfaces by spe-
cifying individual node-to-node contact between the opposing nodes of each surface. This use requires
that the nodes of the two opposing surfaces match up geometrically and that the relative sliding
between the two surfaces is negligible. In addition, the deflections (rotations) of the two surfaces must
remain small.
The following node-to-node contact topics are available:

9.1. Node-to-Node Contact Elements
9.2. Performing a Node-to-Node Contact Analysis
9.1. Node-to-Node Contact Elements

The most commonly used node-to-node element is shown in the following figure.
Figure 9.1: Node-to-Node Contact Element
In terms of solution CPU time, the CONTA178 element shown is the simplest and least expensive of all
contact element types. When modeling conditions warrant its use, it can be an effective tool for mod-
eling a variety of contact situations. Following are some notable features offered with CONTA178:
• Several contact algorithms, including the Lagrange method (KEYOPT(2))
• Semiautomatic contact stiffness (real constants FKN-FKS)
• Flexibility for defining contact normal
• Many contact behaviors (KEYOPT(10))
• Cylindrical and spherical gaps with friction (KEYOPT(1))
• Damper (real constants CV1, CV2)
• Multiphysics contact (KEYOPT(6),TCC, ECC)
• Real constants in tabular format
Node-to-Node Contact
• User subroutines for user-defined friction, interface interactions, and real constants (USERFRIC, USER-
INTER, and USERCNPROP)
9.2. Performing a Node-to-Node Contact Analysis

The procedure for performing a node-to-node contact analysis is similar to that described for the node-
to-surface contact elements in Node-to-Surface Contact (p. 109). The following describes the typical
steps in a node-to-node contact analysis. Each of these steps is explained in detail.
1. Create the geometry and mesh the model. (p. 190)
2. Generate the contact elements. (p. 190)
3. Define the contact normal. (p. 191)
4. Define the initial interference or gap. (p. 192)
5. Select the contact algorithm. (p. 193)
6. Apply the necessary boundary conditions. (p. 193)
7. Define the solution options. (p. 193)
8. Solve the problem. (p. 194)
9. Review the results. (p. 195)
9.2.1. Creating Geometry and Meshing the Model

Node-to-node contact elements transmit forces at the nodes (compared to surface-to-surface contact
elements which transmit pressures at Gauss points). This feature limits their use to low order elements
only.
You must identify where contact might occur during the deformation of your model. The nodes on the
two surfaces of potential contact must line up. Once you've identified potential contact surfaces and
created an adequate mesh you can create the contact elements.
9.2.2. Generating Contact Elements

You can generate node-to-node contact element in one of two ways:
1. Use the direct generation method:

Command(s): E
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements> User Numbered> Thru Nodes
2. Use the EINTF command to generate the contact elements automatically at coincident nodes or offset
nodes. This is discussed in detail in the following subsections.
9.2.2.1. Generating Contact Elements Automatically at Coincident Nodes

If the two bodies are in the “just touching” position, you can use the EINTF command to automatically
generate the contact elements. In this case, the menu path is Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling>
Create> Elements> Auto Numbered> At Coincident Nodes. Only nodes within the tolerance value
Performing a Node-to-Node Contact Analysis
set in the first argument (TOLER) are considered as coincident. If you wish to check a subset of nodes
for coincidence, first select all the nodes you wish to check using the NSEL command.
9.2.2.2. Generating Contact Elements Automatically at Offset Nodes

If the two bodies are separated by a gap, the EINTF command can be used to create elements between
offset nodes by specifying the node location increments (DX, DY, DZ) in the coordinate system KCN.
The GUI path is Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Elements> Auto Numbered> Offset
Nodes.
If KOPT is set to 1, the nodes belonging to the contact elements created are rotated into the coordinate
system KCN.
For example, the following figure shows contact between two concentric pipes separated by a gap. In
this example, KCN would be a cylindrical coordinate system centered in O, and DX would be set in Δ
(Δ± TOLER).
Figure 9.2: Contact Between Two Concentric Pipes
9.2.2.3. Node Ordering

Node ordering can be critical in determining the contact normal. You can use EINTF,,,LOW or EINTF,,,HIGH
to control node ordering. When using the LOW argument, the 2-node elements are generated from the
lowest numbered node to the highest numbered node. When using HIGH, 2-node elements are generated
from the highest to the lowest. To check the contact normal, use /PSYMB,ESYS. If you discover that the
ordering is incorrect, you can reverse it using EINTF,,,REVE. To determine which side of the interface
contains the I nodes, use the following commands:
ESEL,,ENAME,,178
NSLE,,POS,1
ESLN
NSLE
EPLOT
9.2.3. Defining the Contact Normal

The contact normal direction is of primary importance in a contact analysis with CONTA178. By default
[KEYOPT(5) = 0 and NX, NY, NZ = 0], the program will calculate the contact normal direction based on
the initial positions of the I and J nodes, such that a positive displacement (in the element coordinate
system) of node J relative to node I opens the gap. However, you must specify the contact normal dir-
ection for any of the following conditions:
• If nodes I and J have the same initial coordinates.
• If the model has an initial interference condition in which the underlying elements' geometry overlaps.
• If the initial open gap distance is very small.
In the above cases, the ordering of nodes I and J is critical. The correct contact normal usually points
from node I toward node J unless contact is initially overlapped.
You can specify the contact normal by means of real constants NX, NY, NZ (direction cosines related to
the global Cartesian system) or element KEYOPT(5). The following lists the various options for KEYOPT(5):
KEYOPT(5) = 0
The contact normal is either based on the real constant values of NX, NY, NZ or on node locations when
NX, NY, NZ are not defined. For two dimensional contact, NZ = 0.
KEYOPT(5) = 1 (2,3)
The contact normal points in a direction which averages the direction cosines of the X (Y, Z) axis of the
nodal coordinates on both nodes I and J. The direction cosines on nodes I and J should be very close. This
option may be supported by the NORA and NORL commands, which rotate the X axis of the nodal coordin-
ate system to point to the surface normal of solid models. The GUI paths for these commands are, respect-
ively:
Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Move/Modify> Rotate Node CS> To Surf Normal>
On Areas
On Lines
With Area
Figure 9.3: Two Concentric Pipes, Normals Rotated Properly
For a pipe-within-a-pipe, this portrays the normals rotated properly.
KEYOPT(5) = 4 (5,6)
The contact normal points to X (Y, Z) of the element coordinate system issued by the ESYS command. If
you use this option, make sure that the element coordinate system specified by ESYS is the Cartesian
system.
9.2.4. Defining the Initial Interference or Gap

With CONTA178, the gap size can be automatically calculated from the GAP real constant plus the node
locations (projection of vector points from node I to J on the contact normal). This is the default (KEY-
OPT(4) = 0) This means that if you want the initial gap to be determined by the node locations only,
set KEYOPT(4) = 0 and the real constant GAP to 0.
If KEYOPT(4) = 1, the initial gap size is only based on the real constant GAP (it ignores the node location).
A negative value for the gap size can be used to model initial interference.
You can ramp initial interference using KEYOPT(9) = 1.
9.2.5. Selecting the Contact Algorithm

You can choose from among the following contact algorithms for CONTA178:
• Pure Lagrange Multiplier
• Lagrange multiplier on the contact normal, penalty on the frictional (tangential) direction.
• Augmented Lagrange method
• Pure penalty method.
When using CONTA178 with the pure penalty method or the augmented Lagrange method, a “semi-
automatic” setting is provided for the contact normal and tangential stiffnesses.
The program provides a default normal contact stiffness FKN, which is based on Young's modulus E
and the size of the underlying elements. FKN and FKS are factors. If you want to import absolute values
for FKN and FKS, use negative values.
9.2.6. Applying Necessary Boundary Conditions

You can now apply necessary boundary conditions as you would do for any analysis type. For more
information on applying boundary conditions, see the appropriate analysis description in the Structural
Analysis Guide.
When using the Lagrange multiplier method, be careful not to overconstrain the model. The model is
overconstrained when a contact constraint at a node conflicts with a prescribed boundary condition
on that degree of freedom at the same node. The following figure illustrates this issue:
Figure 9.4: Example of Overconstrained Contact Problem
Both nodes I and J are fixed in the X direction. The model is overconstrained only when the two bodies
are in contact and bonded contact or rough friction has been defined. It can also occur if the contact
status is “sticking,” In these cases, the constraint in the X-direction is duplicated which causes an over-
constrained model.
“Zero Pivot” and “Numerical Singularity” warning messages indicate overcontraints in a model. Overcon-
straints can lead to convergence difficulties and/or inaccurate results. They can be easily avoided by
changing the contact definition or the boundary conditions.
9.2.7. Defining the Solution Options

Convergence behavior for contact problems depends strongly on the particular problem. The options
listed below are either typical or recommended for most node-to-node contact analyses.
• Set the appropriate element-level automatic time-step behavior via KEYOPT(7).
• The time step size must be small enough to capture the proper contact zone. The smooth transfer of
contact forces is disrupted if the time step size is too large. A reliable way to set an accurate time step
size is to use automatic time stepping (AUTOTS,ON), which is active by default.
Command(s): AUTOTS,ON
GUI: Main Menu> Solution> Analysis Type> Sol'n Control ( : Basic Tab)
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Time-Time Step
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Time/Frequenc> Time and Substps
• Set the number of equilibrium equations to a number that is appropriate for a reasonable time step
size. The number of equilibrium equations defaults to between 15 and 26 iterations, depending upon
the physics of the problem.
Command(s): NEQIT
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Nonlinear> Equilibrium Iter
• Turn the predictor-corrector option on.

Command(s): PRED
Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Load Step Opts> Nonlinear> Predictor
• Set the Newton-Raphson option to FULL, with adaptive descent on.

Command(s): NROPT,FULL,,ON
GUI: Main Menu> Solution> Unabridged Menu> Analysis Type> Analysis Options
• For analysis involving friction, using NROPT, UNSYM is useful (and sometimes required if the coefficient
of friction μ is > 0.2) for problems where the normal and tangential (sliding) motions are strongly
coupled.
• NLGEOM, ON is supported but the contact normal is not updated during the analysis. Make sure that
only small rotations occur along the contact surfaces (except for the cylindrical gap option).
• Many convergence failures in contact analysis are the result of using too large a value for contact stiffness
(real constant KN). Be sure to follow the recommendations given previously in this section for an initial
estimate for contact stiffness. If such estimated values lead to a convergence failure, reduce the contact
stiffness and restart. (You must also explicitly define the tangent stiffness - see the Note below.)
• Conversely, if overpenetration occurred in your contact analysis, you probably used a value of KN that
was too small. In this case, gradually increase the contact stiffness value to an appropriate level by re-
defining it using new R commands over several load steps in a restart. (You must also explicitly define
the tangent stiffness - see the Note statement below.)
Although you can change the contact stiffness value (real constant KN), you cannot change any other
real constants between load steps. Therefore, if you plan to change KN in a restart (or from one load
step to the next), you cannot allow the value of the tangent (or "sticking") contact stiffness (real constant
KT) to be defined by default, because the program would then attempt to redefine the tangent stiffness
as the contact stiffness changed. You must explicitly define the tangent stiffness whenever you change
the contact stiffness to maintain a consistent value for the tangent stiffness throughout all load steps.
9.2.8. Solving the Problem

You can now solve the analysis the same as you would for any linear or nonlinear analysis. See Solve
the Analysis in the Structural Analysis Guide.
9.2.9. Reviewing the Results

Postprocessing of contact result items for these elements requires the use of ETABLE commands.
The steps for reviewing results in POST26 are the same as those for a typical nonlinear analysis See
Reviewing Results in POST26 in the Structural Analysis Guide.
For general information on postprocessing, refer to the Basic Analysis Guide.
Chapter 10: Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies
You can use the internal multipoint constraint (MPC) approach (KEYOPT(2) = 2), in conjunction with
certain bonded and no separation contact definitions (KEYOPT(12) = 4, 5, or 6), to define various contact
assemblies and kinematic constraints. This capability is available for contact elements CONTA171,
CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177. By this method, the program
builds MPC equations internally based on the contact kinematics. You can use this method to model
the following contact assemblies and surface-based constraints:
• Solid-solid assembly - both contact and target surfaces paste onto solid element faces
• Shell-shell assembly - both contact and target surfaces paste onto shell element faces
• Shell-solid assembly - the contact surface pastes onto shell element faces and the target surfaces paste onto
solid element faces
• Rigid surface constraint - the contact nodes are constrained to the rigid body motion defined by the pilot
node (similar to the CERIG command)
• Force-distributed constraint - the forces or displacements applied to the pilot node are distributed to contact
nodes, in an average sense, through shape functions (similar to the RBE3 command)
• Coupling constraint - the degrees of freedom at contact nodes are forced to have the same solution as at
the pilot node (similar to the CP command)
• Beam-solid assembly - one beam end-node is the pilot node which connects to the solid or shell surface
(use the rigid surface constraint or force-distributed constraint type of MPC)
The internal MPC approach can overcome the drawbacks of the traditional contact algorithms and
other multipoint constraint tools. For example:
• Degrees of freedom of the contact surface nodes are eliminated, reducing the wave front size of the system
equation solver.
• No contact stiffness is required as input. For a small deformation problem, this represents true linear contact
behavior; no iterations are needed to solve the system of equations. For large deformation problems, the
MPC equations are updated during each iteration, overcoming the small strain restriction in conventional
constraint equations.
• Both translational and rotational degrees of freedom can be constrained.
• Generation of internal MPC is simple because it uses contact pair definitions.
• Shape functions are taken into account automatically; no weight factor is needed for a force-distributed
multipoint constraint (which is similar to the RBE3 command) if you use higher order elements or axisym-
metric elements. In addition to forces, displacements can be applied on the pilot node for this type of MPC.
The following MPC topics are available:

10.1. Modeling Solid-Solid and Shell-Shell Assemblies
Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies
10.2. Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly

10.3. Surface-Based Constraints
10.4. Modeling Rigid Bodies
10.5. Overconstraint Detection and Elimination
10.6. Restrictions and Recommendations for Internal MPC
Before using the internal MPC feature, be sure to review the last topic listed above on restrictions and
recommendations.
10.1. Modeling Solid-Solid and Shell-Shell Assemblies

To define solid-solid or shell-shell assemblies using the internal MPC approach, you must set the following
key options on the contact elements:
KEYOPT(2) = 2 MPC based approach

KEYOPT(12) = 4, 5, No separation (see note below), bonded always, or
or 6 bonded initial
KEYOPT(4) = 1, 2, or Nodal detection or surface projection based method
3 for CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174
KEYOPT(4) = 0 or 1 Contact normal direction for CONTA175
Note
When used with the MPC approach, the no separation option (KEYOPT(12) = 4) is only valid
for modeling solid-solid assemblies that represent a slider line or slider plane.
The following key options are ignored: KEYOPT(8) (it is always set to 2 internally), KEYOPT(10).
The following real constants are used: R1, R2, ICONT, PINB, CNOF, PMAX, PMIN, TOLS. All other real
constants are ignored.
The contact surface must be defined on the deformable bodies, and the target surface must be defined
on either deformable or rigid bodies in the contact pair. In order to prevent overconstraint, only asym-
metric contact is supported. If symmetric pairs are defined, the program automatically selects one pair
and ignores the other pair (acting as KEYOPT(8) = 2). The self-contact pair definition is not supported.
The following topics related to modeling solid-solid and shell-shell assemblies are available:
10.1.1. Choosing the Nodal Detection Method
10.1.2. Controlling Behavior at the Contact Surface
10.1.3. Controlling Degrees of Freedom Used in the MPC Constraint
10.1.4. Using the MPC Approach for Multiphysics Applications
10.1.1. Choosing the Nodal Detection Method

The nodal detection method (KEYOPT(4) = 1) and the surface projection based method (KEYOPT(4) =
3) are well suited for contact pairs in which the contact surface normal direction is nearly opposite to
the target surface normal direction. These methods, however, should not be used when the projection
along the contact normal does not intersect the target surface. KEYOPT(4) = 2 can be used for all cases,
regardless of the normal directions. This option is also well suited for the case when the contact normal
direction is nearly perpendicular to the target normal direction.
Modeling Solid-Solid and Shell-Shell Assemblies
The surface projection based method (KEYOPT(4) = 3) enforces contact constraints on the overlapping
area of contact and target elements in an average sense, rather than on each contact node as the other
nodal detection methods do (KEYOPT(4) = 1 and 2). Therefore, each internal constraint equation due
to the projection based method can involve multiple contact nodes and target nodes. In general, this
method provides much more accurate and smoother stress distributions near the contact interface in-
volving dissimilar meshes than the other contact detection options. This holds true even more so for
higher order elements involved in contact. However, the projection based method may significantly
increase computational cost when the target element meshes are much more refined than the contact
element meshes. To resolve this performance issue, you should flip the contact and target surfaces.
When the contact node does not exactly lie on the target surface (i.e., offsets exist), using the projection
based method for a solid-solid assembly may not represent rigid body rotation correctly. To ensure the
correct behavior for rigid body rotation, you can move the contact nodes onto the target surface by
issuing the CNCHECK,ADJUST/MORPH command in the beginning of the analysis.
10.1.2. Controlling Behavior at the Contact Surface

For the bonded always option (KEYOPT(12) = 5) and no separation option (KEYOPT(12) = 4), any contact
node that lies inside the pinball region (PINB) can be the constrained node in the MPC definition if an
intersection with the target surface is detected in the contact normal direction. This holds true at the
beginning of deformation, as well as during the deformation process. A relatively small PINB may be
used to prevent any false contact. When KEYOPT(12) is set to the bonded always or no separation option,
PINB defaults to 0.25 (25% of the contact depth) for small deformation analysis (NLGEOM,OFF), and 0.5
(50% of the contact depth) for large deformation analysis (NLGEOM,ON). (The default PINB value may
differ from what is described here if CNOF is input. See Defining the Pinball Region (PINB) (p. 71) for
more information.)
For the "bonded initial" option (KEYOPT(12) = 6), only those contact nodes that are initially in contact
or have a very small gap but lie inside the adjustment zone (ICONT) are always constrained via internal
MPC. Those contact nodes that are initially open will never be constrained, even though they may later
penetrate into the target surface during the deformation process. In order to capture contact, you
should specify proper ICONT or CNOF values. Use CNCHECK in conjunction with ICONT to move all the
contact nodes that are inside the ICONT zone onto the target surface in the initial configuration, without
causing any strain. When the "bonded initial" option is set and KEYOPT(5) = 0 or 4, ICONT defaults to
0.05. See Adjusting Initial Contact Conditions (p. 59) for more information on using KEYOPT(5), CNOF,
and ICONT.
10.1.3. Controlling Degrees of Freedom Used in the MPC Constraint

You can use KEYOPT(4) on the target element (TARGE169 or TARGE170) to control individual degrees
of freedom for the constraint. For example, if you are using TARGE170 elements with 3-D contact ele-
ments, you might specify that only UX, UY, and ROTZ be used in the constraint. You can do this by
entering a six digit value for KEYOPT(4). The first to sixth digits represent ROTZ, ROTY, ROTX, UZ, UY,
UX, respectively. The number 1 (one) indicates the DOF is active, and the number 0 (zero) indicates the
DOF is not active. Therefore, to specify that UX, UY, and ROTZ be used in the constraint, you would
enter 100011 as the KEYOPT(4) value.
For a 3-D model, you can also use KEYOPT(5) of the target element (TARGE170) to explicitly define the
type of constraint, as described below for solid-solid and shell-shell assemblies.
10.1.3.1. Modeling a 3-D Solid-Solid Assembly

For a solid-solid assembly (no rotational DOFs), the KEYOPT(5) = 0, 1, and 2 settings of the target element
(TARGE170) are equivalent: a projection constraint type is built if an intersection is found from the
contact normal to the target surface. This function works similarly to the CEINTF command; the contact
surface acts as "region A" nodes, and the target surface acts as "region B" elements. Note that when a
gap or penetration exists, both the exterior nodes of the target surface (the target nodes) and the in-
terior nodes of underlying elements of the target surface are included in the constraint set.
Use KEYOPT(5) = 3, 4, or 5 of TARGE170 to form a force-distributed constraint (p. 205) type (no rotational
DOFs):
• For KEYOPT(5) = 3, the constraint equations are built only if an intersection is found from the contact
normal to the target surface.
• KEYOPT(5) = 4 behaves the same as KEYTOPT(5) = 3 if an intersection is found from the contact normal
to the target surface; otherwise, constraint equations are built as long as contact nodes and target
segments are inside the pinball region.
• For KEYOPT(5) = 5, the constraint equations are always built as long as contact nodes and target segments
are inside the pinball region, regardless of whether an intersection exists between the contact normal
and the target surface. KEYOPT(5) = 5 is useful when the contact surface partially overlaps with the
target surface or when no projection is found.
10.1.3.2. Modeling a 3-D Shell-Shell Assembly

For a shell-shell assembly, set KEYOPT(5) = 0, 1, or 2 of the target element (TARGE170) to build a pro-
jection constraint type if an intersection is found from the contact normal to the target surface. This
function works similarly to the CEINTF command; the contact surface acts as "region A" nodes, and the
target surface acts as "region B" elements. KEYOPT(5) = 0 and KEYOPT(5) = 2 are equivalent: both
translational DOFs and rotational DOFs are included in the constraint set in an uncoupled manner. Only
the rotational DOFs are included in the constraint set if KEYOPT(5) = 1.
Use KEYOPT(5) = 3, 4, 5 of TARGE170 to form the force-distributed constraint (p. 205) type. This function
is similar to modeling a shell-solid assembly (p. 201): both translational DOFs and rotational DOFs of
contact nodes and translational DOFs of target nodes are included in the constraint set in a coupled
manner.
• For KEYOPT(5) = 3, the constraint equations are only built if an intersection is found from the contact
normal to the target surface.
• KEYOPT(5) = 4 behaves the same as KEYOPT(5) = 3 if an intersection is found from the contact normal
to the target surface; otherwise, constraint equations are built as long as contact nodes and target
segments are inside the pinball region.
• When KEYOPT(5) = 5, the constraint equations are always built as long as contact nodes and target
segments are inside the pinball region, regardless of whether an intersection exists between the contact
normal and the target surface.
10.1.3.3. Additional Hints and Recommendations

Keep these important points in mind when determining the type of constraint to use for the assembly:
Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly
• For the 3-D case, if you specify KEYOPT(4) on the target element, only the degrees of freedom that are
common to both the KEYOPT(4) degree-of-freedom set and the KEYOPT(5) degree-of-freedom set will be
considered in the constraint equations.
• When the no separation option (KEYOPT(12) = 4 on the contact element) is used with the MPC approach to
model solid-solid assemblies, only the KEYOPT(5) = 0 and 1 options (auto detection or solid-solid constraint)
described above are valid. If the auto detection option is set (KEYOPT(5) = 0) and the program finds a shell-
shell assembly or shell-solid assembly in this situation (contact nodes contain rotational DOFs), the solution
will terminate.
• If overconstraint occurs in a bonded shell-shell assembly (for example, contact is defined on both sides of
a shell surface) when using the MPC algorithm, you can switch to the penalty method or the augmented
Lagrangian method. See Bonded Contact for Shell-Shell Assemblies (p. 75) for more information.
• Setting KEYOPT(5) = 2 for a shell-shell assembly constrains the rotational and translational degrees of freedom
from both sides. However, the rotational and translational degrees of freedom are decoupled. This option
can model situations where one shell edge lines up well with another shell surface. This provides a valid
answer which is closer to a matching mesh solution.
If a certain amount of gap or penetration exists in the assembly interface, setting the KEYOPT(5) = 2
constraint option on the target element causes artificial constraints to be added, which can result in
an inaccurate solution. In this case, it is recommended that you use the force-distributed constraint
type by setting KEYOPT(5) = 3, 4, or 5. One drawback of using the force-distributed constraint type
is that the initial gap or penetration will remain during the solution (similar to setting KEYOPT(9) =
1 on the contact element).
10.1.4. Using the MPC Approach for Multiphysics Applications

The MPC approach can be used for multiphysics applications as well as structural applications. The de-
grees of freedom specified for the contact elements via KEYOPT(1) determine the physics fields that
will be considered for contact. See Multiphysics Contact for more information on multiphysics contact
capabilities.
If the temperature degree of freedom is active in the model (KEYOPT(1) = 1 or 2), the program builds
MPC equations not only for structural degrees of freedom, but also for the temperature DOF. In this
case, the real constant TCC is ignored. If only the temperature DOF is set (KEYOPT(1) = 2) and other
solution options are defined (ANTYPE,,TRANS; THOPT,QUASI; EQSLV,JCG/ICCG/PCG/SPARSE), the internal
MPC approach can support fast thermal transient analysis (see Nonlinear Options in the Thermal Analysis
Guide). Internal MPC equations for temperature DOF are built to support heat transfer between the two
bonded surfaces.
10.2. Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly

The 3-D shell-solid assembly provides a transition from a shell element region to a solid element region.
This approach is useful when local modeling requires a full three-dimensional model with a relatively
fine mesh, but other parts of the structure can be represented by shell elements (see Figure 10.1: Example
of Shell-Solid Assembly (p. 202)). No alignment is required between the solid element mesh and the
shell element mesh. The contact surface or edge must be built on the shell element side. The target
surface must be built on the solid elements side.
Figure 10.1: Example of Shell-Solid Assembly
To define a shell-solid assembly using the internal MPC approach, you must set the following key options
on the contact elements:
KEYOPT(2) = 2 MPC-based approach

KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6 Bonded always or bonded initial
KEYOPT(4) = 1 or 2 Nodal detection for CONTA171, CONTA172,
CONTA173, CONTA174 [1]
KEYOPT(4) = 0 or 1 Contact normal direction for CONTA175
1. The surface projection based method for contact detection (KEYOPT(4) = 3) is usually not suitable for
modeling shell-solid assemblies.
The following real constants are also used: ICONT, FTOL, PINB, CNOF, PMAX, PMIN, TOLS.
The following key options are ignored: KEYOPT(8), KEYOPT(10), KEYOPT(1) > 0.
In most cases, the program automatically constrains both translational and rotational degrees of freedom
for a shell-solid assembly (see Figure 10.2: Shell-Solid Assembly (Original Mesh) (p. 203)). However, you
can use KEYOPT(5) of the target element (TARGE170) to explicitly define the type of constraint:
KEYOPT(5) = 0 - Auto constraint type detection (default). Based on the underlying element type,
this option automatically identifies the appropriate constraint type and internally sets KEYOPT(5)
to the appropriate value: KEYOPT(5) = 1 for a solid-solid assembly; KEYOPT(5) = 2 for a shell-shell
assembly; KEYOPT(5) = 3 for a shell-solid assembly.
KEYOPT(5) = 1 - Projected constraint if an intersection is found from the contact normal to the target
surface. Only translational DOFs are included in the constraint set.
KEYOPT(5) = 2 - Projected constraint if an intersection is found from the contact normal to the target
surface. Both translational and rotational DOFs are included in the constraint set in an uncoupled
manner.
KEYOPT(5) = 3 - Force-distributed constraint (p. 205). Constraint equations are built if an intersection
is found from the contact normal to the target surface. Both translational and rotational DOFs are
constrained on shell nodes; only translational DOFs are constrained on solid nodes (see Fig-
ure 10.3: Shell-Solid Assembly with Force-Distributed Constraint, Normal Projection Option (p. 203)).
Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly
KEYOPT(5) = 4 - Force-distributed constraint, all directions. This option acts the same as KEYOPT(5)
= 3 if an intersection is found from the contact normal to the target surface. Otherwise, constraint
equations are still built as long as contact nodes and target segments are inside the pinball region.
(See Figure 10.4: Force-Distributed Constraint - No Intersection (use KEYOPT(5) = 4 or 5) (p. 204) later
in this section.)
KEYOPT(5) = 5 - Force-distributed constraint, anywhere inside the pinball region. Constraint equations
are always built as long as contact node(s) and target segments are inside the pinball region, regard-
less of whether an intersection exists between the contact normal and the target surface. (See Fig-
ure 10.4: Force-Distributed Constraint - No Intersection (use KEYOPT(5) = 4 or 5) (p. 204) later in this
section.)
Figure 10.2: Shell-Solid Assembly (Original Mesh)
Figure 10.3: Shell-Solid Assembly with Force-Distributed Constraint, Normal Projection Option
For the normal projection only option (KEYOPT(5) = 3 on TARGE170), the program automatically creates
an internal set of force-distributed constraints (p. 205) (similar to the RBE3 command) between nodes
on the shell edges and nodes on the solid surface. The program uses the pinball region (PINB), initial
adjustment zone (ICONT), and influence distance (FTOLN) to determine which nodes on the shell edge
will be constrained with which nodes on the solid surface. Each shell node acts as the master node,
and associated solid nodes act as slave nodes.
For the bonded always option (KEYOPT(12) = 5), any shell node that lies inside the pinball region (PINB)
will be included in the constraint if an intersection with the target surface is detected in the contact
normal direction. This holds true at the beginning of deformation, as well as during the deformation
process. A relatively small PINB value may be used to prevent any false contact. The default for PINB is
0.25 (25% of the contact depth) for small deformation analysis (NLGEOM,OFF), and 0.5 (50% of the
contact depth) for large deformation analysis (NLGEOM,ON). (The default PINB value may differ from
what is described here if CNOF is input. See Defining the Pinball Region (PINB) (p. 71) for more inform-
ation.)
For the bonded initial option (KEYOPT(12) = 6), only the shell nodes that initially lie inside the adjustment
zone (ICONT) are included in the constraint sets. Shell nodes that lie outside ICONT are not constrained
with the solid nodes. The default for ICONT is 0.05 (5% of the contact depth).
The influence distance (FTOLN) is used for the normal projection only option (KEYOPT(5) =3 on TARGE170).
Each solid node is included in the constraint set if the perpendicular distance from the solid node to
any shell edge is smaller than the influence distance. FTOLN defaults to half the thickness of the shell.
A positive FTOLN value represents a scaling factor on the shell half-thickness, and a negative value
represents an absolute distance value.
A shell-solid assembly can be used in a substructure analysis. However, if a superelement is defined to

represent the shell elements, shell thickness is unknown in the use pass. In this case, you must overwrite
the default setting of FTOLN (originally a factor of the shell thickness) to account for the zero thickness
of the superelement. Input an absolute value for FTOLN (that is, input a negative value) to capture all
constrained nodes when the constraint equations are built.
The KEYOPT(5) = 4 option (force-distributed constraint, all directions) can be used for the case when
the shell node does not overlap or intersect the contact surface (see figure below). However, if any in-
tersection is detected from the contact normal to the target surface, this option may not be the best
choice because it only builds very localized constraints between the shell node and the target segment
which is intersected. The same is always true for KEYOPT(5) = 3.
The KEYOPT(5) = 5 option (force-distributed, anywhere inside pinball) is the recommended constraint
type because constraint equations are always built between a shell node and all target segments which
are inside the pinball region, regardless of the contact normal and contact intersection. Thus, the pinball
size is important since a larger pinball will result in a larger constraint set. This option is useful when
you wish to completely constrain one contact side to another. The stresses are more evenly distributed
at the shell-solid interface for this option than they would be for other constraint types.
Figure 10.4: Force-Distributed Constraint - No Intersection (use KEYOPT(5) = 4 or 5)
Shell elements
Pinball region
Target normal
Contact normal
Shell node
Solid elements
Keep the following points in mind when modeling shell-solid assemblies:
• For the force-distributed constraint types (KEYOPT(5) = 3, 4, or 5), KEYOPT(9) is ignored, and initial
penetration or gap always remains constant. To close the initial penetration or gap, issue the command
CNCHECK,ADJUST/MORPH in the beginning of the analysis.
• The force-distributed constraint (KEYOPT(5) = 3, 4, or 5) is not always capable of transmitting all com-
ponents of the moment at the shell nodes due to transverse shear locking of shell elements; a typical
example is the moment component that is parallel to the normal of the solid surface.
Surface-Based Constraints
• The projected constraint types (KEYOPT(5) = 1, or 2) may require additional shell elements at the interface
to improve solution accuracy. These shell elements can be defined by typical modeling methods, or
you can use the SHSD command to generate these elements automatically. SHSD is a meshing tool
used to build projected constraint types (see Figure 10.5: Shell-Solid Assembly with KEYOPT(5) = 1 (p. 205)
and Figure 10.6: Shell-Solid Assembly with KEYOPT(5) = 2 (p. 205)). This command can be used only
when the contact pair consists of CONTA175 and TARGE170 elements. Additional shell elements
(SHELL181, SHELL281) and/or contact elements (CONTA175) are created through this command. See
the SHSD command description for additional information.
Figure 10.5: Shell-Solid Assembly with KEYOPT(5) = 1
Figure 10.6: Shell-Solid Assembly with KEYOPT(5) = 2
10.3. Surface-Based Constraints

A surface-based constraint can be used to couple the motion of nodes on the contact surface to a single
pilot node on the target surface. The multipoint constraint (MPC) capability of the contact elements
(KEYOPT(2) = 2) allows you to define three types of surface-based constraints:
• Rigid surface constraint - In this type of constraint, the contact nodes are constrained to the rigid body
motion defined by the pilot node (see Figure 10.7: Rigid Surface Constraint (p. 206)), similar to a constraint
defined by the CERIG command.
• Force-distributed constraint - In this type of constraint, forces or displacements applied on the pilot node
are distributed to contact nodes (in an average sense) through shape functions (see Figure 10.8: Force-Dis-
tributed Constraint (p. 207)), similar to a constraint defined by the RBE3 command.
• Coupling constraint - In this type of constraint, the degrees of freedom of contact nodes are constrained to
have the same solution as the degrees of freedom of the pilot node (see Figure 10.9: Coupling Con-
straint (p. 207)), similar to a constraint defined by the CP command.
Figure 10.7: Rigid Surface Constraint
Figure 10.8: Force-Distributed Constraint
Figure 10.9: Coupling Constraint
In Figure 10.9: Coupling Constraint (p. 207), the pilot node's x-direction has been rotated by 45 de-
grees. Only UX is included in the coupling constraint, so UY on the contact nodes are left free. The res-
ulting deformation shows that UX (rotated 45 degrees from global x) is constant on the contact nodes,
but UY is nonuniform.
These surface-based constraints can be used in the following applications:
• To apply loads and boundary conditions to the pilot node (such as torque load or drill rotation). Example:
a bolt head submitted to a torque force using a force-distributed constraint.
• To model rigid bodies. Example: rigid body definition in multi-body dynamics.
• To model rigid end conditions. Example: using a rigid surface constraint to model a rigid end plate or rigid
plane section of 3-D solid elements.
• To model interactions with other joints. Example: two flexible parts linked by a hinge. This can be modeled
by two force-distributed constraint definitions whose pilot nodes are connected by a revolute joint element.
• To define transitions between solid and structure elements. Example: a beam element connected to a solid
element face.
The following surface-based constraint topics are available:

10.3.1. Defining Surface-Based Constraints
10.3.2. Defining Influence Range (PINB)
10.3.3. Degrees of Freedom of Surface-Based Constraints
10.3.4. Specifying a Local Coordinate System
10.3.5. Additional Guidelines for a Force-Distributed Constraint
10.3.6. Additional Guidelines for a Rigid Surface Constraint
10.3.7. Additional Guidelines for a Coupling Constraint
10.3.8. Modeling a Beam-Solid Assembly
10.3.1. Defining Surface-Based Constraints

The contact surface can be generated via the ESURF command. The contact nodes on the contact
surface are the slave nodes of the MPC equations. The pilot node is the only target segment on the
target surface side. It is the master node of the MPC equations. Forces and displacements can be applied
on the pilot node and the contact nodes. You can define a follower element (FOLLW201) on the pilot
node so that the element-specified external forces and moments on the follower element will follow
the motion of the pilot node.
For a force-distributed constraint, use the following contact element key options:
Force-distributed Constraint KEYOPT Settings

KEYOPT(4) = 1 Indicates a force-distributed constraint for
CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174,
CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177
For a rigid surface constraint, use the following contact element key options:
Rigid Surface Constraint KEYOPT Settings

KEYOPT(4) = 2 Indicates a rigid surface constraint for CONTA171,
CONTA172, CONTA173, and CONTA174
KEYOPT(4) = 0 Indicates a rigid surface constraint for CONTA175 ,

CONTA176, and CONTA177
For a coupling constraint, use the following contact element key options:
Coupling Constraint KEYOPT Settings

KEYOPT(4) = 3 Indicates a coupling constraint for CONTA171,
CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175,
CONTA176, and CONTA177
The following contact element key options are ignored for surface-based constraints: KEYOPT(8), KEY-
OPT(5), KEYOPT(7), KEYOPT(10).
With the exception of PINB, none of the standard contact real constants are used for surface-based
constraints using internal MPC.
You may also need to set the following target element (TARGE169 and TARGE170) key options when
defining a surface-based constraint:
Target Element KEYOPT Settings

KEYOPT(4) DOF set to be constrained
KEYOPT(6) Symmetry condition control (used only for
force-distributed constraints)
KEYOPT(7) Weighting factor control (used only for
force-distributed constraints)
10.3.2. Defining Influence Range (PINB)

By default, all the contact nodes are included in the surface-based constraints. You can select a subset
of nodes from these contact nodes by defining a radius of influence range, PINB. The nodes that lie
within the spherical range (radius = PINB) centered about the pilot node are selected for the definition
of the surface-based constraints.
10.3.3. Degrees of Freedom of Surface-Based Constraints

Use KEYOPT(1) of the contact elements to specify the degrees of freedom to be used in the constraint
set. You may include other field degrees of freedom in addition to the structural DOFs.
The pilot node has both translational and rotational degrees of freedom. The active degrees of freedom
at the pilot node depend on the defined type of target elements. Use TARGE169 for 2-D surface-based
constraints that contain UX, UY, and ROTZ degrees of freedom. Use TARGE170 for 3-D surface-based
constraints that contain UX, UY, UZ, and ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ degrees of freedom. Generally, you should
always set KEYOPT(2)=1 for the target element to indicate that boundary conditions for rigid target
nodes will be user-specified; otherwise, the program may apply internal constraints on the pilot node.
The degrees of freedom of the surface-based constraints can also be controlled by using KEYOPT(4) of
the target element (TARGE169 or TARGE170). For example, for the 3-D case (TARGE170), you might
specify that only UX, UY, and ROTZ be used in the constraint. You can do this by entering a six digit
value for KEYOPT(4). The first to sixth digits represent ROTZ, ROTY, ROTX, UZ, UY, UX, respectively. The
number 1 (one) indicates the DOF is active, and the number 0 (zero) indicates the DOF is not active.
Therefore, to specify that UX, UY, and ROTZ be used in the constraint, you would enter 100011 as the
KEYOPT(4) value.
The basic formulation for the rigid surface constraint is similar to the MPC184 rigid beam and rigid link
elements. However, this constraint type offers additional flexibility when you fully or partially constrain
the degrees of freedom. For examples, the following are possible configurations:
• All six degrees of freedom are selected, which is equivalent to the MPC184 rigid beam.
• One rotational degree of freedom is excluded, which is equivalent to the MPC184 revolute joint.
• Only three translational degrees of freedom are selected, which is equivalent to the MPC184 spherical joint
or MPC184 rigid link.
10.3.4. Specifying a Local Coordinate System

You can specify the surface-based constraint in a local coordinate system. For the rigid surface constraint,
rotate the contact nodes into a local coordinate system. For the force-distributed constraint and the
coupling constraint, rotate the pilot node into a local coordinate system.
When KEYOPT(12) = 5 is set on the contact elements, the coordinate system does not rotate and it
keeps its initial configuration. When the rotation is finite and KEYOPT(12) = 6 is set on the contact ele-
ments, the coordinate system in which the constrained degrees of freedom are specified will be co-rotated
according to the rotation of the pilot node. The degrees of freedom of the surface-based constraints
will be assigned with the co-rotated system. This is true even for the constrained degrees of freedom
specified in the global coordinate system.
Note
If all degrees of freedom are included in the constraint equations, there will be no difference
between the KEYOPT(12) = 5 and KEYOPT(12) = 6 settings.
Figure 10.10: Slider Link (p. 210) shows an example of a slider link modeled with contact. A local cylindrical
coordinate system is defined at a contact node such that the x-direction is coincident with the line
connecting the contact node and pilot node. KEYOPT(4) = 10 is set for the target element type to specify
that only the y degree of freedom is constrained and other degrees of freedom are free. The coordinate
system at the contact node will be co-rotated according to the rotation of the pilot node.
Figure 10.10: Slider Link
Contact node
Rigid body
Pilot node
Apply rotation
In another example, a cylindrical ring is clamped at one end and loaded by a torque at the other end
(Figure 10.11: Free Radial Expansion Under Torque Load (p. 211)). A rigid surface constraint is used with
all the contact nodes rotated into a cylindrical coordinate system. If the x-direction constraint is free
(KEYOPT(4) = 110), the ring is allowed to expand in the radial direction.
Figure 10.11: Free Radial Expansion Under Torque Load
10.3.5. Additional Guidelines for a Force-Distributed Constraint

• The pilot node is a dependent node (meaning the degrees of freedom for this node are removed). The
contact nodes are independent nodes (the degrees of freedom are retained). If the pilot node has constraints
applied to it, internally-generated MPC equations are rewritten so that the degrees of freedom of the pilot
node are no longer dependent DOF.
• KEYOPT(4) of TARGE169 and TARGE170 controls the number of degrees of freedom of the pilot node.
• The number of internally-generated MPCs is equal to the number of degrees of freedom defined by KEYOPT(4)
of TARGE169 and TARGE170.
• When the constrained surface is built on a symmetric geometry model instead of the full geometry model,
you must define the symmetry conditions using KEYOPT(6) of the target element (TARGE169 or TARGE170).
Otherwise, you might get unexpected results (as shown by (c) in the figure below). When defining symmetric
conditions, the pilot node must be located on the symmetry plane/edge.
• By default, the program computes weighting factors automatically by summing the contact area of each
contact node. When you set KEYOPT(7) = 1 on the target element (TARGE169 or TARGE170), the program
uses a constant weighting factor of 1.0 for each contact node (similar to the default behavior of the RBE3
command).
Figure 10.12: Defining Symmetry Conditions for Force-Distributed Constraints
10.3.6. Additional Guidelines for a Rigid Surface Constraint

• The pilot node is an independent (retained) node in the constraint equation. The contact nodes are the
dependent (removed) nodes. Use great caution when you apply any displacement constraints, coupling
(CP command), or constraint equations (CE command) on the contact nodes since redundant constraints
are likely to occur.
• KEYOPT(4) of TARGE169 and TARGE170 controls the DOF set (the number of DOF) of the contact (dependent)
nodes used in the internally-generated MPCs.
• The number of internally-generated MPCs is equal to the number of contact nodes times the number of
DOF.
• The contact surface does not require underlying elements.
10.3.7. Additional Guidelines for a Coupling Constraint

• The pilot node is an independent (retained) node in the constraint equation. The contact nodes are the
dependent (removed) nodes. It is strongly recommended that you do not apply any displacement constraints,
coupling (CP command), or constraint equations (CE command) on the contact nodes in the same DOF
direction as the coupling constraint since redundant constraints are likely to occur.
• KEYOPT(4) of TARGE169 and TARGE170 controls the DOF set (the number of DOF) of the pilot node (the in-
dependent DOF) used in the internally-generated MPCs.
• The DOF set defined by KEYOPT(4) follows the nodal coordinate system of the pilot node. Each contact node
can have its own nodal coordinate system, which does not affect the solution.
Modeling Rigid Bodies
• The number of internally-generated MPCs is equal to the number of contact nodes times the number of
DOF.
10.3.8. Modeling a Beam-Solid Assembly

The surface-based constraint technique can be used to apply transitions between solid and structure
elements; for example, a beam element connected to the solid or shell element face. One beam end
node must be the pilot node and the solid/shell nodes must be the contact nodes. The rigid surface
constraint is generally well-suited for the solid beam to solid surface case (see Figure 10.13: Beam-Solid
Assembly Defined by Rigid Surface Constraint (p. 213)), and the force-distributed constraint is well-suited
for the flexible beam (such as a thin wall beam) to solid/shell surface case (see Figure 10.14: Beam-Solid
Assembly Defined by Force-distributed Constraint (p. 213)).
Figure 10.13: Beam-Solid Assembly Defined by Rigid Surface Constraint
Figure 10.14: Beam-Solid Assembly Defined by Force-distributed Constraint
10.4. Modeling Rigid Bodies

Rigid bodies are widely used for numerical simulation of multibody dynamic applications. The definition
of a rigid body is similar to the definition of a rigid surface constraint (p. 205), except that all the elements
are defined by target elements. The motion of the rigid body is governed by the degrees of freedom
at a pilot node which allows accurate representation of the geometry, mass, and rotary inertia of the
rigid body. Each rigid body is only associated with one pilot node. The pilot node can be one of the
nodes on a target element or a node at any arbitrary location. It can be connected to point mass, fol-
lower (FOLLW201), and deformable elements. For transient analysis you should locate the pilot node
at the gravity center of the rigid body if the center of mass is known or can be approximated. You can
add a point mass element, MASS21, to the gravity center. See Modeling Rigid Bodies in a Multibody
Analysis in the Multibody Analysis Guide for more details.
10.4.1. Modeling Contact between Rigid Bodies

You can model contact between two rigid bodies by specifying a contact pair consisting of a contact
surface on one rigid body and a target surface on another rigid body. These contact and target elements
should overlap the existing contact elements defined for the rigid bodies. Use either the augmented
Lagrange algorithm or penalty algorithm (KEYOPT(2) on the contact elements) to avoid overconstraint
between rigid body constraints and contact constraints.
You cannot use the multipoint constraint (MPC) algorithm (KEYOPT(2) = 2) with bonded or no-separation
contact behavior (KEYOPT(12)) to connect two rigid bodies; doing so would cause the model to be
overconstrained. Instead, add a third rigid body which connects the first two rigid bodies at their pilot
nodes.
MPC bonded contact between a flexible body and a rigid body is allowed. For this case, the contact
surface of the MPC bonded contact pair must belong to the flexible body. Otherwise, the MPC bonded
constraints and rigid body constraints would be redundant.
It is possible to model two rigid bodies that are connected or overlapping through shared rigid body
nodes or pilot nodes. To prevent overconstraint, the program internally merges the two rigid bodies
into one rigid body and treats the second pilot node as a regular rigid body node.
10.5. Overconstraint Detection and Elimination

When a degree of freedom is subjected to multiple constraints, overconstraint occurs. Overconstraint
can be caused by the combination of the following constraints within the model:
• User-specified constraints, including displacement constraints, constraint equations (CE command), and
coupling (CP command)
• Lagrange multiplier-based contact definitions
• MPC-based contact definitions
• Constraints introduced through joint elements
Overconstraint may result in convergence difficulties or inaccurate solutions. In order to prevent this
problem, the program tries to detect and eliminate overconstraints automatically. You can verify the
eliminated constraints during postprocessing.
At the beginning of a contact analysis, warning messages may appear outlining the cause of the potential
overconstraints. Use the CNCHECK,DETAIL command to identify the overconstraints indicated by the
messages. Manually remove as many unnecessary constraints as possible.
Some overconstraints occur only during the solution due to new deformed configurations or due to
changes in contact status. The program eliminates a limited set of overconstraints detected during
solution; appropriate messages are issued when this occurs. For MPC-based contact pairs, the contact
statuses (contact result item STAT) are set to negative values if one or more contact constraints are re-
moved. STAT is set to -3 for bonded contact; STAT is set to -2 for no-separation contact. Be aware that,
due to complexities, certain overconstraints may not be easily detected.
Restrictions and Recommendations for Internal MPC
The way the program removes the overconstraint is not unique. The order of the redundant constraints
will influence how they are removed (the first encountered is kept, the next is removed). You should
always verify the modified model carefully. You can list and display the contact status using STAT as a
contact result item for the PLESOL and PRESOL commands; for example:
PLESOL,CONT,STAT
10.6. Restrictions and Recommendations for Internal MPC

The following restrictions and guidelines apply when using the internal MPC approach.
• To prevent overconstraint (p. 214), displacement boundary conditions and other constraint equations or
coupling equations (ideally) should not be applied on the contact nodes for solid-solid, shell-shell, and shell-
solid assemblies, or for rigid surface constraints and coupling constraints.
• The Sparse and PCG solvers are recommended to solve models with constraint equations.
• The MPC-based algorithm must be used with nodal detection (KEYOPT(4) = 1, 2, or 3) for CONTA171, CON-
TA172, CONTA173, and CONTA174. If nodal detection is not set, the program issues a warning message and
automatically sets KEYOPT(4) = 2.
• MPC no-separation contact (KEYOPT(12) = 4) may cause a discontinuity when contact nodes slide from one
target segment to another. However this is not the case for MPC bonded contact (KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6).
• The internal MPC option does not support rigid-flexible contact when rigid surfaces are modeled by any
primitive segments (such as circle, cylinder, cone, or sphere).
• The shell-solid assembly is usually used for the case where the solid mesh is fine with respect to the shell
thickness. The shell-solid interface should be located in a region of the structure where shell theory is valid
for an approximation. The accuracy of local stresses near the shell-solid interface (at least within the shell
thickness range) is not guaranteed. We recommend you include at least two solid elements along the layer
of the shell-solid interface.
• Using the force-distributed constraint type of MPC with a large number of contact nodes can result in large
and dense submatrices for the global stiffness matrix. This may significantly increase the peak memory re-
quired during element stiffness assembly. Consider reducing the number of contact nodes if real memory
or virtual memory is limited.
• The force-distributed constraint creates internal constraint equations such that the motion of the pilot node
is the average of the contact nodes. For the rotations, a least-squares approach is used to define the "average
rotation" at the pilot node from the translations of the contact nodes. If the contact nodes are colinear, then
one of the rotations on the pilot node that is parallel to the colinear direction can not be determined in
terms of the translations of the contact nodes. Therefore, the associated moment component on the pilot
node in that direction can not be transmitted. When this case occurs, a warning message is issued.
• The contact related postprocessing items (ETABLE items, PRESOL,CONT, etc.) are not supported for the
internal MPC option.
• MPC contact only generates internal constraint equations. It does not calculate element internal force and
stiffness matrices. Therefore, during postprocessing the option ITEM = CONT is not valid on the PRNLD,
NFORCE, and FSUM commands.
• You can use the CELIST command to list the internally-generated constraint equations associated with MPC
contact . You can also use CELIST to convert the internal constraint equations to external constraint equation
after a SOLVE command has been issued. (See CELIST for details.)
• MPC contact generates constraint equations that can include constant terms. These terms are included on
the right hand side of the system equation. Thus, they are scaled by the LVSCALE command when it is used
in a mode superposition analysis. These terms are considered as harmonically varying loads when included
in a harmonic analysis.
Chapter 11: Dynamic Contact and Impact Modeling
Performing contact analysis in a transient dynamic procedure is always challenging due to the presence
of contact chattering (frequent change in contact status). One of the reasons for contact chattering is
that the contact constraints enforce constraints on nodal displacements (penetration) but do not impose
any constraints on nodal velocities. Since nodal velocities and nodal accelerations are dependent on
nodal displacements (see Section 17.2 Transient Analysis in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference), any
constraints on nodal displacements make the nodal velocities and nodal accelerations inconsistent. This
introduces numerical errors in the transient dynamic solution in subsequent time increments and, if
left untreated, leads to numerical instability (non-convergence or incorrect solution).
Numerical damping is usually added to the time integration scheme to suppress such numerical errors.
However, addition of numerical damping does not work in several cases. For example, in problems with
multiple or repeated impacts there is constant growth of numerical error in the solution, and the ana-
lysis eventually fails to converge in spite of large numerical damping. In other situations the analysis
may converge with addition of numerical damping, but the system response may be underdamped or
overdamped depending on the growth of numerical error.
A more appropriate solution to the contact chattering problem is to treat nodal displacement and
nodal velocities consistently. One such solution is provided by Energy and Momentum Conserving
Contact (p. 217).
11.1. Energy and Momentum Conserving Contact

In transient dynamic analysis with contact, if the contact and target surfaces impact each other with
nonzero relative velocities, it is important to satisfy momentum and energy balance for the contact/target
interface. This helps to more accurately predict the duration of impact and the rebound velocities after
separation. This can be achieved by using impact constraints with any of the 2D or 3D contact elements:
CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, CONTA177, and CONTA178.
Impact constraints include constraints on penetration and relative velocity (see Energy and Momentum
Conserving Contact in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference). To activate the impact constraints the
following contact options must be defined for a contact element:
• Contact algorithm must be one of the following:
– Augmented Lagrangian (KEYOPT(2) = 0)
– Penalty function (KEYOPT(2) = 1)
– Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and penalty on tangent (KEYOPT(2) = 3)
– Pure Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and tangent (KEYOPT(2) = 4)
• Standard or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0 or 1)
• Impact constraints (KEYOPT(7) = 4)
Dynamic Contact and Impact Modeling
The impact constraints can be used with both frictionless and frictional contact.
11.1.1. Energy Conservation

The impact constraints are active only on the contact/target interface, so energy conservation is enforced
only for contact elements. The underlying finite elements defining the interior of impacting bodies do
not satisfy energy conservation. To ensure energy conservation, the following conditions must be satisfied
for contact elements:
• Relative velocity constraint should be satisfied exactly.
• No numerical damping should be used.
• No friction should be specified.
Energy conservation is relatively easy to satisfy for rigid impact (when both contact and target surfaces
are rigid) as compared to flexible impact (when the target surface is rigid and the contact surface is
flexible, or both surfaces are flexible). This is because the underlying finite elements for flexible bodies
excite higher frequencies, which can make the time integration scheme unstable unless some numerical
damping is used. For rigid bodies undergoing only translation motion and impact, numerical damping
is generally not needed; however, when rigid bodies are undergoing large rotations, a small amount
of numerical damping is necessary to keep the time integration scheme from becoming unstable.
11.1.2. Automatic Time-Stepping

An automatic time-stepping scheme adjusts the time-increment size. It starts adjusting the size of the
time increments before impact such that there is minimum penetration in the substep where contact
is first detected. This is important because the contact algorithm enforces the relative velocity constraints
only to prevent further penetration.
If the automatic time stepping scheme is not used (AUTOTS,OFF), there may be some uncontrolled
penetration of the surfaces depending on the size of the time increment for the substep where contact
is first detected before the relative velocity constraint prevents further penetration.
When using fixed time increment, fixed number of substeps, or automatic time stepping (AUTOTS,ON),
you should make sure that the penetrations remain sufficiently small.
11.1.3. Penetration and Relative Velocity

When using the impact constraints, the penetration value depends on two factors:
• Size of the time increment where contact is first detected
• Accuracy of relative velocity constraint
The “initial” penetration value depends on the size of the time increment, as explained above. There is
no contact force associated with this value. The remaining penetration value comes from the enforcement
of relative velocity constraint using the contact algorithm. The value of this penetration depends on
the choice of contact algorithm, contact normal stiffness (FKN), and/or allowable penetration (FTOLN).
The contact normal force is directly related to this penetration value.
Energy and Momentum Conserving Contact
11.1.4. Impact Between Rigid Bodies

When using impact constraints to model impact between rigid bodies, a coefficient of restitution (real
constant COR) can be used to model loss of energy during impact. The coefficient of restitution defines
the ratio of relative velocity of rigid bodies after impact to relative velocity of rigid bodies before impact
, so its value varies between 0 and 1. A value of 0 indicates that the rigid bodies stick to each other
after impact, while a value of 1 indicates that the rigid bodies rebound after impact with the magnitude
of relative velocity after impact being the same as before impact. COR defaults to 1.
To model a perfect plastic impact (COR = 0), you should enter a small number (for example, 1x10-6)
instead of 0, as entering COR = 0 will make use of the default (COR = 1).
Chapter 12: Spot Welds
The traditional way of modeling spot welds involves matching the meshes of different parts at the spot
weld connection points, which introduces meshing difficulties and often requires parts to be meshed
manually. In addition, this approach does not take into account the effects of the spot weld radius, and
it underestimates the strength of the spot weld connection when the radius of the spot weld is the
same or lesser order of magnitude than the mesh size.
The ANSYS spot weld feature, based on the internal multipoint constraint (MPC) (p. 197) approach, offers
a robust alternative to the traditional method. This feature allows you to easily model thin sheet com-
ponents that are connected with spot welds, rivets, or fasteners. The spot weld can be located anywhere
between the parts that are to be connected, independent of the mesh and the node locations. The
figure below shows an example of the spot weld configuration. Each spot weld set connects two or
more surfaces.
Figure 12.1: Example Spot Weld Configuration
Node 3 Surface 3
Spot weld radius
Node 2 Surface 2
Basic Spot Weld Set
Node 1 Surface 1
There are several advantages to using this mesh independent spot weld capability:
• Parts can be meshed independently.
• A basic spot weld set can be easily defined by specifying two surfaces to be connected and a single node
called the spot weld node near the surfaces. The spot weld node determines the location of the spot weld.
• This approach takes into account effects of the spot weld radius input by the user. The program creates
multipoint constraint equations (MPCs) internally through two contact pair definitions, one on each spot
weld surface. The internal constraint equations (force-distributed constraints) couple the motion of the
surface nodes to the motion of the spot weld node in an average sense.
Spot Welds
• The spot weld can be rigid (default) or deformable. To specify a deformable spot weld, you simply define a
deformable beam element type prior to creating the spot weld.
The following spot weld topics are available:

12.1. Defining a Spot Weld Set
12.2. Listing and Deleting Spot Welds
12.1. Defining a Spot Weld Set

The general procedure for defining a spot weld set consists of the following steps:
1. Define the basic spot weld set (SWGEN command)
2. Define any additional surfaces for the existing spot weld set (SWADD command)
In addition, the SWLIST and SWDEL commands are available for listing and deleting spot weld sets.
12.1.1. Creating a Basic Spot Weld Set with SWGEN

Use the SWGEN command to define a basic spot weld set (in the GUI, pick Main Menu> Preprocessor>
Modeling> Create> Element > SpotWeld> Create New Set). The required arguments are:
• Name of the spot weld set
• Spot weld radius
• Spot weld surfaces
• First spot weld node
You can optionally specify the following:
• Second spot weld node
• Spot weld projection direction
• Search radius
• Contact and target element types
All of these inputs are discussed in detail below.
Spot Weld Set Name (Ecomp):

Use the Ecomp argument to assign a name to a new basic spot weld set. The spot weld set is a component
composed of new beam, target, and contact elements. The name entered for the Ecomp argument will
be used to list, delete, output, or add new surfaces to the spot weld set.
Spot Weld Surfaces (NCM1, NCM2):

Each basic spot weld set contains two surfaces, surface 1 and surface 2, to be connected together. Use ar-
guments NCM1 and NCM2 to specify these surfaces. You can input the name of a predefined node compon-
ent or a meshed area number. If no nodal component names matching NCM1 and NCM2 are found, they
are assumed to be meshed area numbers.
Defining a Spot Weld Set
Spot Weld Nodes (SND1, SND2):

You must specify the first spot weld node, SND1. The location of each spot weld depends on SND1. If you
specify the second spot weld node (SND2), it is used to determine the spot weld projection direction. The
second node will be generated automatically if it is not specified. You should locate SND1 and SND2 (referred
to as node 1 and node 2 in figures that follow) as close to the corresponding surfaces as possible. They
can be nodes on the corresponding surfaces or independent nodes in space. If they are not on the corres-
ponding surfaces, node 1 will be moved to surface 1 and node 2 will be moved to surface 2.
The program determines the actual location for the spot weld nodes by first projecting node 1 onto
surface 1 along the spot weld projection direction. Next, the program projects node 2 to surface 2
along the spot weld projection direction. The spot weld nodes are moved to the surfaces in the
beginning of the analysis.
Spot Weld Projection Direction:

By default, the projection direction is a surface normal vector from node 1 to surface 1 (see figure below).
If you specify node 2 (SND2), the projection direction is in line with the two spot weld nodes. If node 2 is
not specified, you can still explicitly define the projection direction with the DIRX, DIRY, and DIRZ argu-
ments.
Figure 12.2: Default Projection Direction for Node 1
Original position of
Node 1
Node 1 Surface 1
after projection
Once the actual location of node 1 has been determined, the program projects node 2 to surface
2 along the spot weld projection direction that was used for node 1. The figure below shows the
projection locations of nodes 1 and 2 given a default projection normal to surface 1.
Figure 12.3: Default Projection Direction for Nodes 1 and 2
Node 2 Surface 2
Node 1
Surface 1
Node 1
The figure below shows spot weld node 1 projected as specified by the user (either through the
input of DIRX, DIRY, and DIRZ, or by the specification of a second spot weld node).
Spot Welds
Figure 12.4: User-specified Projection Direction, Node 1
Node 1
Node 1 Surface 1
after projection
The figure below is another example showing the projection location of spot weld nodes 1 and 2
given a user-specified projection direction.
Figure 12.5: User-specified Projection Direction, Nodes 1 and 2
Node 2 Surface 2
User-defined
projection
direction
Node 1 Surface 1
Node 1
Spot Weld Radius (SWRD):

Each spot weld is assumed to have a circular projection onto the spot weld surfaces. The projection is
defined by the required spot weld radius argument SWRD. For each spot weld surface, the program builds
six force-distributed constraint equations through a contact pair. The spot weld radius determines the in-
fluence range of the constraint equations. Each spot weld node couples with a group of nodes on the
corresponding surface within the radius. (See Figure 12.7: Nodes Included in Constraint Equations (p. 225)
later in this section.)
Search Radius (SHRD):

The program creates a contact pair for each spot weld surface. The contact pair contains one contact element
defined by the spot weld node, and target elements overlaid fully or partially on the corresponding spot
weld surface. Only the surface nodes that fall within a sphere of radius, called the search radius, with its
center at the original position of the corresponding spot weld node are used to form target elements (see
figure below). The search radius must be larger than the spot weld radius. If the search radius argument
(SHRD) is not defined, the program uses a default search radius that is four times the spot weld radius.
Figure 12.6: Search Radius for Spot Weld

Search radius
Spot weld radius Original position of
node 1
TARGE170 elements
within search radius
CONTAC175
Surface 1 (spot weld node 1)
Target and Contact Element Types (ITTY, ICTY):

By default, the program automatically creates the target and contact element types required for the spot
weld. However, you may use the ITTY and ICTY arguments to specify the target and contact element
types, respectively. You must also set certain key options if you specify the element types to be used. See
The Components of a Spot Weld (p. 225) for more information.
12.1.2. The Components of a Spot Weld

Each new spot weld set created by the SWGEN command consists of a beam element and two node-
to-surface MPC contact pairs (see Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly (p. 201) for more information). Each
node-to-surface pair will generate 6 constraint equations. You can choose either a rigid MPC184 element
(the default) or a deformable BEAM188 element to link the spot weld surfaces. Below are detailed ex-
planations of how these items are generated:
1. Contact Pairs: Two node-to-surface contact pairs are created for each new spot weld set. One pair is for
spot weld surface 1 and the other is for surface 2. Each contact pair has only one contact element, CONTA175,
which is defined by the associated spot weld node. The target elements (TARGE170) are formed by a group
of surface nodes lying within the region of the search radius. The program creates an independent real
constant ID for each contact pair, and proper contact and target element type IDs.
If you prefer, you can specify the contact or target element type IDs to be used. To specify a contact
element type, use the ICTY argument on SWGEN and set the following contact element options
for that element type: KEYOPT(2) = 2 (MPC approach), KEYOPT(12) = 5 (bonded always). To specify
a target element type, use the ITTY argument on SWGEN and set the target element option KEY-
OPT(5) = 4 (force-distributed constraint, all directions) for that element type.
2. Force-distributed constraint equations: For each contact pair, the program internally forms force-distrib-
uted constraint equations that distribute the internal forces of the spot weld node (that is, the contact
node) to the surface nodes (that is, the target nodes) lying within the region of the spot weld radius. This
includes all elements that fall entirely or partially within the radius (see the figure below). In other words,
it couples the motion of certain surface nodes to the motion of the spot weld node (in an average sense).
There are six constraint equations generated for each spot weld surface (that is, each contact pair).
Figure 12.7: Nodes Included in Constraint Equations

Spot weld radius CONTAC175
Nodes to be constrained
TARGE170 elements
Surface 1
3. Beam element: A beam element is created to connect spot weld surface 1 and surface 2. The two beam
end-nodes are the spot weld nodes, node 1 and node 2 (see Figure below). The spot weld set can be rigid
or deformable. By default, the program creates a rigid beam element (MPC184 with KEYOPT(1)=1) to rep-
resent a rigid spot weld. However, if the currently defined element type is BEAM188 with a solid circular
cross-section, the program assumes the spot weld set is deformable and a BEAM188 element is created.
In this case, you must input the material properties with the MP command and define the geometry of the
beam section using the SECTYPE and SECDATA commands (see the example listing below). Generally,
BEAM188 is capable of handling a short beam situation.
Spot Welds
Figure 12.8: Beam Element Created for Spot Weld
Node 2 Surface 2
Beam element
(MPC184 or
BEAM188)
Node 1
Surface 1
The following example input shows typical commands used to define a spot weld with a deformable
BEAM188 element having a circular cross section.
MP,EX,3,200000000000. ! spot weld material properties
MP,NUXY,3,0.3
SECTYPE,3,beam,csolid ! define a circular solid beam section
SECDATA,2.75e-002 ! beam circular radius
ET,3,188 ! element type for a deformable spot weld
TYPE,3
MAT,3
SECNUM,3
*SET,NODE1,9000 ! define parameter for node number
N,NODE1,0.1,0.5,10.2 ! define spot weld node
SWGEN,SWELD1,2.75e-2,2,3,NODE1 ! Spot weld name = SWELD1
! Radius = 2.75e-2
! Spot weld surfaces = areas 2 and 3
Note
All limitations that are documented for the MPC184 link/beam element in the Element Ref-
erence also apply when the element is used in a rigid spot weld definition. Please read the
MPC184-Link/Beam description carefully, especially the assumptions and restrictions.
12.1.3. Adding Surfaces to a Basic Set

Once a basic spot weld set has been created, additional surfaces can be added to the existing spot
weld set. Use the SWADD command to define the additional surfaces (in the GUI, pick Main Menu>
Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Element > SpotWeld> Add More Surfaces). Each added surface
(input as NCM1 through NCM9) can be specified by an existing nodal component name or by a meshed
area number.
In the example command below, four surfaces are added to an existing spot weld set named SWELD1.
The four surfaces include area number 3, area number 4, nodal component FAC5, and nodal component
FAC6. The search radius is 0.8.
SWADD,SWELD1,0.8,3,4,FAC5,FAC6 ! Adds 4 surfaces to spot weld SWELD1.
For each new surface, the program creates a new spot weld node, a new contact pair, and a new beam
element (see figure below). The location of the new node is determined by projection of one of the
closest existing spot weld nodes onto the newly added surface along the spot weld projection direction.
The new node-to-surface contact pair contains the new spot weld node as a single contact node in the
pair, and surface nodes within the range of the search radius (SHRD) specified on the SWADD command.
The search radius defaults to 4 times the spot weld radius (SWRD) defined for the basic spot weld set.
Each new contact pair will create 6 force-distributed constraint equations internally. A new beam is
created to link the new surface to the closest existing surface through the spot weld nodes.
Figure 12.9: Surfaces Added to Basic Spot Weld Set
More surfaces
Node 4 Surface 4
Beam 3
Node 3 Surface 3
Beam 2
Spot weld radius
Node 2 Surface 2
Basic spot weld
Beam 1
Node 1 Surface 1
Node 1
After all spot weld nodes are created, the nodes of the beam elements may be reordered to link every
two adjacent spot weld nodes (see Figure below). The ordering is important for the output, which is
calculated for each beam in a spot weld set.
Spot Welds
Figure 12.10: Node Reordering for Beam Elements
Reordered surfaces
Node 3
Surface 3
Beam 3
Node 4 Surface 4 (inserted

between 2 and 3)
Beam 2
Node 2 Surface 2
Basic spot weld
Beam 1
Node 1 Surface 1
Assuming the basic spot weld set is named SWELD, below is an example of commands that could have
produced the above figure.
SWADD,SWELD, ,3 ! Add Area 3 to spot weld set SWELD
SWADD,SWELD, ,4 ! Add Area 4 (between surfaces 2 and 3) to SWELD
Initially, when spot weld surface 3 was added, a beam was created between surfaces 2 and 3. When
surface 4 was added between surfaces 2 and 3, the beam that went between surfaces 2 and 3 was re-
defined to go between surfaces 2 and 4, and a new beam was created to link surfaces 4 and 3.
You can add more surfaces by repeating the SWADD command. However, the maximum number of
allowable surfaces for each spot weld set (including the two surfaces used for the basic set) is 11.
12.2. Listing and Deleting Spot Welds

Use the SWLIST command to list the spot weld sets for a specific spot weld or for all spot weld sets (in
the GUI, pick Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Element > SpotWeld> List). To ensure
that all defined spotwelds are listed, issue CMSEL,ALL (to select all components) before issuing the
SWLIST command. The listing will include nodes, beams, and contact pair information. If the SWLIST
command is issued in POST1 (in the GUI, pick Main Menu> General Postproc> List Results> SpotWeld
Solution), the beam forces and moments, are also output in the beam local coordinate system. The
output includes axial force, shear forces, torque, and bending moments. For a deformed spot weld set,
axial stress and bending stress are also reported.
Listing and Deleting Spot Welds
Use the SWDEL command to delete a specified spot weld set or all spot weld sets. In the GUI, pick
Main Menu> Preprocessor> Modeling> Create> Element > SpotWeld> Delete.
Chapter 13: Debonding
The debonding capability refers specifically to separation of bonded contact. It can be used to simulate
interface delamination where the interface is modeled using bonded contact with the augmented
Lagrangian method or the pure penalty method. A cohesive zone material must be used to define the
traction separation behavior of the interface. The following contact elements support debonding:
CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177.
An alternative method of modeling interface delamination is to use interface elements with a cohesive
zone material (see Crack Growth Simulation, Interface Delamination, and Fatigue Crack Growth). However,
debonding with contact elements has the following advantages over delamination with the interface
elements:
• Parts forming the interface can be meshed independently.
• Existing models with contact definitions can be easily modified for debonding.
• Standard contact and debonding can be simulated with the same contact definitions.
• Debonding can be used for various applications; for example, delamination, spot weld failure, and stitch
failure.
The following debonding topics are available:

13.1. Including Debonding in a Contact Analysis
13.2. Cohesive Zone Materials Used for Debonding
13.3. Post-Debonding Behavior of Cohesive Zone Material
13.1. Including Debonding in a Contact Analysis

Debonding can be defined in any model that includes surface-to-surface (CONTA171 through CONTA174),
node-to-surface (CONTA175), line-to-line (CONTA176), or line-to-surface (CONTA177) contact. For a de-
tailed discussion on how to set up a contact analysis, see Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 15).
To activate debonding for a contact pair, the following contact options must be defined for the contact
element:
• Augmented Lagrangian method or pure penalty method (KEYOPT(2) = 0 or 1)
• Bonded contact (KEYOPT(12) = 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)
In addition, you must specify a cohesive zone material (CZM) model. Several bilinear models and an
exponential model are available.
The following bilinear models are exclusively for contact elements:
• Bilinear material behavior with tractions and separation distances (TB,CZM command with TBOPT = CBDD)
• Bilinear material behavior with tractions and critical fracture energies (TB,CZM command with TBOPT =
CBDE)
Debonding
These bilinear models are recommended for contact debonding. However, the following bilinear and
exponential models initially developed for interface elements can also be used with contact elements:
• Bilinear material behavior with tractions and separation distances (TB,CZM command with TBOPT = BILI)
• Exponential material behavior (TB,CZM command with TBOPT = EXPO)
These material models are described in the following section.
Once you have defined the required input parameters, you can solve the analysis the same as you
would for any nonlinear analysis (see Solving the Problem (p. 104)).
After debonding is completed, the surface interaction is governed by standard contact constraints for
normal and tangential directions. Frictional contact is used if friction is specified for contact elements.
13.2. Cohesive Zone Materials Used for Debonding

A cohesive zone material model is needed to model debonding in a contact analysis. This material is
defined using the data table method (TB and TBDATA commands). Temperature dependent data is
also allowed (TBTEMP command).
The following cohesive zone materials are available:

13.2.1. Bilinear Material Behavior - Contact (TBOPT = CBDD and CBDE)
13.2.2. Bilinear Material Behavior - Interface (TBOPT = BILI)
13.2.3. Exponential Material Behavior
These models are also described in Cohesive Zone Material (CZM) Model in the Mechanical APDL Theory
Reference.
13.2.1. Bilinear Material Behavior - Contact (TBOPT = CBDD and CBDE)

This model follows a bilinear law for traction-separation and allows for two different ways of defining
the input material data. This is the recommended bilinear material model for use with contact elements.
13.2.1.1. Bilinear Material Behavior with Tractions and Separation Distances (TBOPT
= CBDD)
This is a linear elastic material behavior with linear softening characterized by maximum traction and
maximum separation. To define this material, use the TB,CZM command with TBOPT = CBDD. Specify
the material constants as data items C1 through C6 on the TBDATA command:
Constant Symbol Meaning

C1 σmax maximum normal contact stress [1]
C2 contact gap at the completion of debonding
C3 τmax maximum equivalent tangential contact

stress [1]
C4 tangential slip at the completion of
debonding
C5 η artificial damping coefficient
Cohesive Zone Materials Used for Debonding

C6 β flag for tangential slip under compressive
normal contact stress; must be 0 (off ) or 1
(on)
1. For contact elements using the force-based model (see the description of KEYOPT(3) for CONTA175, CON-
TA176, and CONTA177), input a contact force value for this quantity.
Sample command input for this material is shown below.

TB,CZM,1,2,,CBDD
TBDATA,1, max,
, max,
, ,
13.2.1.2. Bilinear Material Behavior with Tractions and Critical Fracture Energies (TBOPT
= CBDE)
This is a linear elastic material behavior with linear softening characterized by maximum traction and
critical energy release rate. To define this material, use the TB,CZM command with TBOPT = CBDE.
Specify the material constants as data items C1, through C6 on the TBDATA command:

C1 σmax maximum normal contact stress [1]
C2 Gcn critical fracture energy density (energy/area)
for normal separation [2]
C3 τmax maximum equivalent tangential contact
stress [1]
C4 Gct critical fracture energy density (energy/area)
for tangential slip [2]
C5 η artificial damping coefficient
C6 β flag for tangential slip under compressive
normal contact stress; must be 0 (off ) or 1
(on)
TA176, and CONTA177), input a contact force value for this quantity.
TA176, and CONTA177), this quantity is critical fracture energy.
Sample command input for this material is shown below.

TB,CZM,1,2,,CBDE
TBDATA,1, max,Gcn, max,Gct, ,
13.2.1.3. Debonding Modes

Debonding involves separation of surfaces forming an interface. The direction of separation determines
the debonding mode. The program detects the debonding mode based on material data that you input
for normal and tangential directions:
Debonding
• Mode I debonding involves separation normal to the interface. It is activated by inputting data items
C1, C2, and C5 on the TBDATA command.
• Mode II debonding involves slip tangent to the interface. It is activated by inputting data items C3,
C4, and C5 on the TBDATA command.
• Mixed mode debonding involves both normal separation and tangential slip. It is activated by inputting
data items C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6 on the TBDATA command.
13.2.1.4. Other Considerations for Debonding

Normal Contact Stiffness
Normal contact stiffness dictates the relationship between contact gap/penetration and contact pressure.
For debonding, the default program behavior is to use the same normal contact stiffness for both
opening contact (gap) and closing contact (penetration). The normal contact stiffness value is based
on real constant FKN of the contact element.
In order to accurately reflect the material adhesion strength at the interface, you may want to use a
large normal contact stiffness for closing contact to prevent any non-physical penetration but use a
much smaller normal contact stiffness for opening contact to relate gap and contact pressure during
debonding. To achieve this, specify real constant FKOP to dictate the gap vs. pressure relationship and
specify real constant FKN to dictate the penetration vs. pressure relationship. Note that if you do not
specify FKOP, the normal contact stiffness determined by FKN will be used for both opening and closing
contact at the debonding interface.
Artificial Damping
Debonding is generally accompanied by convergence difficulties in the Newton-Raphson solution. Arti-

ficial damping can be used to stabilize the numerical solution. It is activated by specifying the damping
coefficient η (input on TBDATA command as C5). The damping coefficient has units of time and should
be smaller than the minimum time step size so that the maximum traction and maximum separation
(or critical fracture energy) values are not exceeded in debonding calculations.
Tangential Slip under Normal Compression
An option is available to control tangential slip under compressive normal contact stress for mixed
mode debonding. By default, no tangential slip is allowed for this case, but it can be activated by setting
the flag β to 1 (input on TBDATA command as C6).
Pinball Radius and Mesh Density
When using a fine mesh for underlying elements of bonded surfaces, you may need to increase the
pinball radius (PINB) for contact elements so that it is greater than the maximum separation value in
the normal direction (contact gap when normal contact stress goes to zero). The default value for PINB
is based on the depth of the underlying element. If PINB is smaller than the maximum separation value,
debonding calculations will be bypassed when the contact gap exceeds PINB.
Debonding under the Presence of Friction
When friction is defined between contact surfaces undergoing debonding, tangential stress is calculated
as the maximum between the tangential stress as governed by the debonding model and the tangential
stress as governed by the friction law.
Cohesive Zone Materials Used for Debonding
13.2.1.5. Postprocessing
All applicable output quantities for contact elements are also available for debonding: normal contact
stress (PRES), tangential contact stress (TAUR, TAUS, SFRIC), contact gap (GAP), tangential slip (TASR,
TASS, SLIDE), etc. In addition, the following debonding specific output quantities are available as NMISC
data: debonding time history (DTSTART), debonding parameter (DPARAM), and critical fracture energy
(DENERI, DENERII).
For more information on how to review results in a contact analysis, see Reviewing the Results (p. 105)
in Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 15).
13.2.2. Bilinear Material Behavior - Interface (TBOPT = BILI)

This model follows a bilinear law for traction-separation and differs slightly from the bilinear material
behavior for contact. See Cohesive Zone Material (CZM) Model in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference
for details on the differences.
To define this material, use the TB,CZM command with TBOPT = BILI. Specify the material constants
as data items C1 through C6 on the TBDATA command.
Constant Meaning Property

C1 σmax Maximum normal traction [2]
C2 Normal displacement jump at the completion of
debonding
C3 τmax Maximum tangential traction
C4 Tangential displacement jump at the completion
of debonding
C5
Ratio of to , or ratio of to
C6 [1] β Non-dimensional weighting parameter
1. C6 must be the constant at all temperatures.
2. For contact elements using the force-based model (see the description of KEYOPT(3) for
CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177), input a contact force value for this quantity.
13.2.2.1. Debonding Modes

The program detects the debonding mode based on material data that you input for normal and tan-
gential directions:
• Mode I debonding involves separation normal to the interface. It is activated by inputting data items
C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5 on the TBDATA command, where C3 = -τmax.
• Mode II debonding involves slip tangent to the interface. It is activated by inputting data items C1 C2,
C3, C4, and C5 on the TBDATA command, where C1 = -σmax.
• Mixed mode debonding involves both normal separation and tangential slip. It is activated by inputting
data items C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6 on the TBDATA command, where C1 = σmax and C3 = τmax.
Debonding

Artificial Damping
Artificial damping can be used to stabilize the numerical solution when convergence difficulties are
encountered. Use the viscous regularization model (TB,CZM,,,VREG) to specify the viscous regularization.
For more information, see Viscous Regularization of Cohesive Zone Material for Interface Elements and
Contact Elements in the Material Reference.
The same considerations apply as described for the bilinear material behavior for contact (p. 234).
TASS, SLIDE), etc. In addition, the following debonding-specific output quantities are available as NMISC
data: debonding time history (DTSTART), damage parameter (DPARAM), total debonding energy (DENER).
13.2.3. Exponential Material Behavior

This model follows an exponential law for traction separation. To define this material, use the TB,CZM
command with TBOPT = EXPO. Specify the material constants as data items C1, through C3 on the
TBDATA command.
Constant Meaning Property

C1 σmax Maximum normal traction at the interface [1]
C2 δn Normal separation across the interface where the
maximum normal traction is attained
C3 δt Shear separation where the maximum shear
traction is attained
1. For contact elements using the force-based model (see the description of KEYOPT(3) for
CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177), input a contact force value for this quantity.

Artificial Damping
Artificial damping can be used to stabilize the numerical solution when convergence difficulties are
encountered. Use the viscous regularization model (TB,CZM,,,VREG) to specify the viscous regularization.
For more information, see Viscous Regularization of Cohesive Zone Material for Interface Elements and
Contact Elements in the Material Reference.
The same considerations apply as described for the bilinear material behavior for contact (p. 234).
Post-Debonding Behavior of Cohesive Zone Material
TASS, SLIDE), etc. In addition, the following debonding-specific output quantity is available as NMISC
data: total debonding energy (DENER).
13.3. Post-Debonding Behavior of Cohesive Zone Material

When the cohesive zone material defined at a contact interface is completely debonded, the contact
behavior at that interface is changed to standard contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0) by default. This default be-
havior can be changed for certain CZM materials.
For the cohesive zone materials with bilinear material behavior (TBOPT = CBDD, CBDE or BILI on the
TB command), you can specify that the cohesive zone interface be “healed” if the surfaces come into
contact again after debonding. To activate this option, use the TBFIELD,CYCLE command to define the
CZM material as a function of healing cycle number. You can use multiple TBFIELD commands to specify
the material properties for any number of healing cycles, but be sure to start with a cycle number of
zero.
For example, the following commands specify healing of the CZM interface if the contact surfaces come
into contact after they are completely debonded:
TB,CZM,1,,,CBDE ! Activate the CBDE bilinear material behavior
TBFIELD,CYCLE,0 ! Initial CZM definition (before healing)
TBDATA,1, max,Gcn, max,Gct, , ! CZM properties
TBFIELD,CYCLE,1 ! CZM definition for first healing cycle
TBDATA,1, ... ! CZM properties to be used after first healing
When the contact interface is completely debonded and the surfaces come into contact again, the de-
bonding parameter is set to 0 thus effectively healing the CZM. The healing cycle is incremented by
one and the appropriate material data is interpolated for this healing cycle.
This healing option is only available when one of the supported cohesive zone materials is used with
contact elements. It is not available when a cohesive zone material is used with interface elements.
Chapter 14: Contact Surface Wear
Wear is the progressive loss of material from the surface of a solid body when in contact with another
body. Although wear is a complex phenomenon that involves both mechanical and chemical processes,
it can be approximated by models that relate various quantities at the contact surface to material loss.
In Mechanical APDL, the material loss due to wear is approximated by repositioning the contact nodes
at the contact surface. The new coordinates of the nodes are determined by a wear model. The following
models are available for defining wear:
• Archard wear model
• User-defined wear model
Since the contact nodes are moved to new positions, the contact variables (for example, contact pressure)
change, thus simulating the effects of wear.
See Including Wear in a Contact Analysis (p. 239) for details on implementing these models.
14.1. Including Wear in a Contact Analysis

The following contact elements support modeling wear: CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, CONTA174,
and CONTA175.
To activate contact surface wear, define wear as a material model via the TB,WEAR command and assign
it to the contact elements. You must also define the wear properties via the TBDATA command. You
can use the TBFIELD command in conjunction with TBDATA to define the properties as a function of
temperature and/or time. The TBTEMP command can also be used to define temperature dependent
wear data.
The implementation of wear involves two stages. First, the amount of wear is calculated by a wear
model. Next, the geometry is updated to account for wear. This process is explained below.
14.1.1. Wear Models

The wear models calculate how much and in what direction a contact node is to be moved to simulate
wear based on the contact results at the contact nodes. A generalized form of the Archard wear model
is available. In addition, you can specify a user-defined wear model using the USERWEAR sub-
routine (p. 241).
14.1.1.1. Archard Wear Model

The Archard wear model relates the rate of wear, , to contact pressure, sliding velocity, and material
hardness. By default, the wear is in the direction opposite to the contact normal. However, you can
define any desired wear direction.
The Archard model is defined by the TB,WEAR command with TBOPT = ARCD. The material constants
required by the model are specified as data items C1 through C4 on the TBDATA command. The fifth
Contact Surface Wear
constant, C5, gives you further control of how the Archard model is implemented. Constants C6, C7,
and C8 can be used to define the direction cosines of the wear direction.
Constant Meaning
C1 Wear coefficient, K
C2 Material hardness, H
C3 Pressure exponent, m
C4 Velocity exponent, n
C5 Optional flag:
C5 = 0 (default) - use contact pressure in the wear

calculation.
C5 = 1 - use nodal stress in the wear calculation
C5 = 10 - average the wear increment over the
contact area of the contact pair; use contact
pressure in the wear calculation
C5 = 11 - average the wear increment over the
contact area of the contact pair; use nodal stress
in the wear calculation
C5 = -99 - calculate wear for postprocessing
purposes only
C6 Direction cosine nx (with respect to the global X axis) for
the wear direction
C7 Direction cosine ny (with respect to the global Y axis) for
the wear direction
C8 Direction cosine nz (with respect to the global Z axis) for
the wear direction
Following is a sample command input for the Archard wear model:

TB,WEAR,1,,,ARCD
TBDATA,1,K,H,m,n
TBDATA,6,nx,ny,nz
Material hardness and yield stress of the material are often closely related. If the material model of the
underlying solid element is a plastic model defined using the TB command with Lab = BISO, the element
average value of the current yield stress can be used to estimate the hardness as H = yield stress/3. To
activate this option, the hardness value (C2) on TBDATA should be entered as -99. This option is only
available for the material models mentioned above. In addition, the underlying solid element should
be one of the following types: PLANE182, PLANE183, SOLID185, SOLID186, SOLID187, or SOLID285.
At each substep of the solution, the yield stress at the previous substep is used for estimating the
hardness. Thus, there is a lag of one substep for updating the hardness from the yield stress, and the
yield stress data is not available at the first substep of the solution. For this reason, no wear can take
place at the first substep if this option is used.
Wear Based on Underlying Nodal Stresses
By default, the wear calculations are based on the contact pressure. If you enter a value of 1 for the
fifth constant (C5) on the TBDATA command, the wear calculations are based on the nodal stresses of
the solid elements beneath the contact elements instead of the contact pressure. The nodal stresses
Including Wear in a Contact Analysis
are used to calculate traction along the contact normal direction, and the traction value replaces the
contact pressure in the wear rate equation (Equation 13.306) in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference).
This option is recommended in the case of symmetric contact in which wear is simulated on both
contacting surfaces. For symmetric contact between very dissimilar meshes, the distribution of nodal
stress in the underlying elements is often smoother than the contact pressure. Thus, using the nodal
stresses to calculate wear can result in a more uniform wear pattern.
Averaging Wear Over the Contact Area
The wear increment of all the contact elements in a contact pair can be averaged over the contact area,
resulting in the same magnitude of wear increment in all contact elements. The direction of the wear
correction at each contact detection point is opposite to the contact normal at that location, unless a
direction is specified via constants C6 to C8 on the TBDATA command.
You activate this option by setting the fifth constant (C5) on the TBDATA command to 10 or 11. Set
C5 = 10 to average the wear increment that is calculated using contact pressure; set C5 = 11 to average
the wear increment that is calculated using the nodal stresses of the underlying element, as described
in Wear Based on Underlying Nodal Stresses. (p. 240)
Using the Archard Model for Postprocessing Purposes Only
You can use the Archard model for postprocessing purposes by entering a value of -99 for the fifth
constant (C5) on the TBDATA command. In this case, the Archard model is used to calculate wear, but
the contact nodes are not moved; thus wear is just a postprocessing variable and does not affect the
solution. This option can be of help in deciding if the geometric correction calculated by the wear law
is of the intended magnitude. This can potentially help if solution convergence becomes a problem
due to large amounts of wear. This option is not available for analyses involving rezoning.
For more information on the Archard model, see the discussion of contact surface wear in the Mechan-
ical APDL Theory Reference.
14.1.1.2. User-Defined Wear Model (USERWEAR)

You can specify a user-defined wear option which utilizes the USERWEAR subroutine. This option is
activated by the TB,WEAR command with TBOPT = USER. The material constants required by the
model are specified as data items on the TBDATA command. A sample command input is shown below:
TB,WEAR,1,,4,USER
TBDATA,1,C1,C2,C3,C4
The fifth constant, C5, can be used to control how the wear increment is implemented, similar to the
Archard wear model. See Archard Wear Model (p. 239) for possible C5 values.
You must also write a USERWEAR subroutine to define the wear model. USERWEAR is called at contact
detection points that are closed. For efficiency reasons, this subroutine is not called if the contact de-
tection point is open. Some of the input arguments are described below.
USERWEAR Input Description

Argument
strain(1) Slip increment in direction 1
strain(2) Slip increment in direction 2 (3-D only)
strain(3) Contact normal penetration/gap (positive value represents penetration,
negative value represents gap)
USERWEAR Input Description

Argument
stress(2) Tangential stress in direction 2 (3-D only)
stress(3) Contact normal pressure
temperature Temperature at the contact detection point
dtime Time increment
ndim Set to 2 for 2-D; set to 3 for 3-D
YieldStress Current yield stress value (element average) of the underlying material if
the material is defined by the TB command with Lab = BISO, BKIN, or DP;
and underlying solid element is of type: 182, 183, 185,186,187 or 285
nTbprop Number of TBDATA for TB,WEAR per field
Tbprop(nTbprop) The data defined by TBDATA at a given temperature and current time
coor(6) Coor(1-3) - current x,y,z coordinate of the contact detection point
Coor (4-6) - initial x,y,z coordinate of the contact detection point

localr(3,3) The direction cosines of the local surface coordinate system at contact
detection.
localr(1,1), localr(1,2), localr(1,3) in slip direction 1
localr(2,1), localr(2,2), localr(2,3) in slip direction 2 (3-D only)
localr(3,1), localr(3,2), localr(3,3) in normal direction

TotWearOld(ndim) Total wear at the contact point at the previous substep
You also need to define the following output arguments:
USERWEAR Description
Output Argument
WearInc Increment of wear
WearDir (ndim) Direction cosines in the global coordinate system in which the wear
(Optional) increment will be applied. If WearDir is not defined, ANSYS applies wear
in the direction opposite to the contact normal.
14.1.2. Geometry Update Due to Wear

The wear increment (the rate of wear times the time increment: x Δt) calculated by the wear model
is used to move the contact node along the direction opposite to the contact normal at that node.
During the nonlinear solution process, at the iteration in which the force and displacement convergence
criteria set by the user are met for a particular substep, the wear increment and direction at that iteration
are used to move the contact nodes. Since this repositioning of contact nodes results in a loss of equi-
librium, additional iterations are required to achieve convergence. If the solution fails to converge after
the wear is applied, the usual procedure of bisection is used. The wear increment is discarded and the
solution increment is repeated, applying the bisection.
Since wear is a material removal process, the underlying solid element does not experience any strain
or stress due to the movement of the contact nodes undergoing wear. A large wear increment can
Including Wear in a Contact Analysis
result in the opening of an initially closed contact pair. This may result in convergence problems, espe-
cially if rigid body motion occurs. Thus, it is highly recommended that you use very small time increments
when modeling wear.
14.1.3. Improving Mesh Quality During Wear

Because wear involves repositioning of the surface nodes to simulate material loss, the element quality
of the solid elements underlying the contact elements becomes progressively worse with increasing
wear. The analysis may ultimately terminate due to element distortions. If this happens, you can use
manual rezoning or mesh nonlinear adaptivity to improve the mesh and continue the analysis.
Manual rezoning and mesh nonlinear adaptivity are available for elements CONTA171, CONTA172,
CONTA173, and CONTA174.
For either method, the total accumulated wear thus far is applied to update the nodal positions, and
then the quality of the mesh is improved. Next, the analysis is restarted. For rezoning this is a manual
step (see Understanding the Rezoning Process); for nonlinear mesh adaptivity the restart is performed
internally by the program (see Understanding the Mesh Nonlinear Adaptivity Process).
Since the geometry is updated with wear during the mesh updating stage (for both manual rezoning
and mesh nonlinear adaptivity), the accumulated wear and volume lost due to wear are initialized to
zero upon restarting the analysis; they start accumulating again as the analysis is continued.
Use caution when defining time-dependent wear with any analysis involving a restart, including
manual rezoning and mesh nonlinear adaptivity. To ensure that the restart uses the correct wear data
at the restart point, you should define time-dependent wear instead of reissuing TB,WEAR between
load steps. See Assumptions and Restrictions (p. 243) for more information.
In the mesh nonlinear adaptivity procedure, you must define a wear-based criterion for triggering mesh
adaptivity. For more information, see the NLADAPTIVE command and the discussion of the wear-based
criterion in the Advanced Analysis Guide. Assuming “contwearel” is a component containing contact
elements undergoing wear, following is a typical example of commands used to define the wear criterion
for mesh nonlinear adaptivity:
nladaptive,contwearel,add,contact,wear,0.75 ! Morph the mesh after 75% is lost in wear.
nladaptive,contwearel,on,,,5,1,7 ! Criterion defined for component contwearel
! becomes active from time = 1 to 7 and is
! checked once every 5 substeps.
Note that the wear criterion for mesh nonlinear adaptivity cannot be combined with any other mesh
adaptivity criterion.
14.1.4. Assumptions and Restrictions

You should keep the following assumptions and restrictions in mind when modeling wear.
• Wear is only active for quasi-static and transient dynamic analyses (ANTYPE,0 or 4). If a linear perturbation
analysis follows a static or transient dynamic base analysis that included wear, the effect of wear calculated
at the end of the restart point is also included in the linear perturbation analysis.
• Wear (TB,WEAR) must be defined before the first SOLVE command is issued. Wear coefficients can be
modified between load steps by using the TBFIELD,TIME command to define time-dependent values.
• Although you can redefine wear data by redefining TB,WEAR between load steps, any analysis involving a
restart (including manual rezoning and mesh nonlinear adaptivity) will use the wear data defined in the first
load step, irrespective of which load step is used as the restart point. This is due to the multiframe restart
architecture, whereby the restart database is based on the beginning of the solution (see Multiframe Restart
in the Basic Analysis Guide for more information). Therefore, the recommended method for defining different
wear data for different load steps (or time points) is to use the TBFIELD,TIME command in conjunction with
TBDATA.
• It is recommended that you use wear only with the following contact algorithms: Augmented Lagrangian
or Penalty function (KEYOPT(2) = 0 or 1). Using wear with the pure Lagrangian contact algorithm can result
in convergence problems and is not recommended.
• Wear is only available when the contact detection point is a nodal point (KEYOPT(4) = 1, 2, or 3).
• Wear is only available for the following contact surface behaviors: standard and rough (KEYOPT(12) = 0 and
1).
• When modeling wear, it is recommended that the underlying elements (beneath the contact elements) are
structural solid elements or structural coupled-field solid elements.
• Wear is not available for layered solids.
• In general, you should use asymmetric contact to model wear on only one side of the contact interface.
However, you can use symmetric contact if wear is desired on both sides of the interface. In this case, define
contact elements on both sides of the interface and use the option for the nodal-stress-based wear calculation
(C5 = -999 on TBDATA when defining the Archard wear model) to achieve better results.
• During rezoning, since the geometry is updated with accumulated wear, the wear is initialized to zero
(similar to displacement) upon a subsequent restart. The same is true for mesh nonlinear adaptivity; the
geometry is updated with the accumulated wear, and wear is initialized to zero whenever mesh nonlinear
adaptivity is performed.
14.1.5. Postprocessing
The total wear vector components at a node of a contact element are available as NMISC data. To help
in the visualization of the surface that has undergone wear, the wear is also added to the nodal displace-
ments in the Jobname.RST file.
The total volume lost due to wear for a contact pair can be tracked via the NLHIST command. NLHIST
must be issued before the solution starts.
As wear accumulates, the contact results at the interface change with time. You can automatically ter-
minate the analysis when a desired contact result has been reached; for example, when contact pressure
falls below a critical value, or when wear volume exceeds a critical value. Use the STOP_VAUE and
STOP_COND arguments of the NLHIST command to specify the criterion by which the analysis should
terminate.
For more information on how to review results in a contact analysis, see Reviewing the Results (p. 105)
in Surface-to-Surface Contact (Pair-Based) (p. 15).
Appendix A. Example 2-D Contact Analysis with Fluid
Pressure-Penetration Loading
This example represents a planar seal compression with applied fluid pressure-penetration loading at
the contact interface. It demonstrates the application of the fluid pressure loads and the propagation
of the fluid penetration path from one starting point into the contact interface.
A.1. Problem Description

The model represents a half symmetry planar hyperelastic seal. Figure 1: Diagram of Planar Seal Mod-
el (p. 245) shows a diagram of the model, and Figure 2: Meshed Planar Seal Model (p. 245) shows the
meshed half symmetry model.
Figure 1: Diagram of Planar Seal Model

0.865 inches
applied
displacement
1/2 symmetry
Figure 2: Meshed Planar Seal Model
The seal is compressed by a displacement-controlled load in the first load step. Fluid pressure is applied
to all contact elements in the second load step (see Figure 3: Fluid Pressure Loading on Planar Seal (p. 246))
Example 2-D Contact Analysis with Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loading
so that the fluid opens and penetrates into the contact interface that was previously closed by compres-
sion.
The fluid pressure is applied using the SFE command with the load key set to 1 (LKEY = 1 on SFE).
Using SFE with the load key set to 2 (LKEY = 2 on SFE), all default starting points are suppressed (STA1
= -1) and two elements are chosen as starting locations initially exposed to the fluid (STA1 = 1). (See
Specifying Fluid Penetration Starting Points (p. 100) for more information on the STA values.) From this
location the fluid penetrates gradually by opening the bottom part of the contact surface, while the
top part of the contact surface completely closes.
Figure 3: Fluid Pressure Loading on Planar Seal
At the end of the first load step (compression load step) most of the contact is closed as shown in the
above figure. Plots of contact fluid pressure at an intermediate substep of load step 2 and at the end
of load step 2 are shown in Figure 4: Intermediate Fluid Pressure Distribution (p. 246) and Figure 5: Final
Fluid Pressure Distribution (p. 247).
Figure 4: Intermediate Fluid Pressure Distribution
Input File
Figure 5: Final Fluid Pressure Distribution
Three contact elements at the bottom of the seal are used for time history postprocessing, representing
each region that undergoes fluid penetration. Time history results for fluid contact pressure and gap
are printed and plotted to show the path of fluid penetration along the bottom contact elements. The
fluid pressure history is shown in Figure 6: Time History of Fluid Pressure for Three Contact Ele-
ments (p. 247).
Figure 6: Time History of Fluid Pressure for Three Contact Elements
A.2. Input File

/title,Seal compression with fluid pressure-penetration loading
/com =====================================================================
/com OBJECTIVE:
/com The objective of this test is to verify the path of fluid
/com penetration pressure with rigid-flex contact
/com and CONTA171 default keyoptions.
/com
/com DESCRIPTION:
/com The model represents a planar seal that is compressed. Fluid
/com pressure is applied to all contact elements so that the fluid
/com penetrates and opens the contact that used to be closed by
/com compression.
/com
/com The fluid pressure is applied after the compression, and one
/com starting point is chosen to be initially in fluid (STA=1 on SFE).
/com From this location the fluid penetrates gradually at the bottom
/com surface.
/com
/com TEST SPECIFICATIONS:
/com SOLID ELEMENTS: PLANE182 - PLANE STRESS
/com TARGET ELEMENT: TARGE169
/com CONTACT ELEMENT: CONTA171, K(14)=0, K(2)=0, K(4)=0
/com MATERIAL MODEL: HYPERELASTIC
/com
/com
/com RESULTS:
/com At the end of load step 1 there are 3 regions where contact is
/com closed at the bottom surface. One element from each of these
/com regions is chosen, and the time history results for fluid
/com contact pressure and gap are printed and plotted to show the
/com path of fluid penetration along the bottom contact elements.
/com Notice that at the time when the contact opens
/com (gap is not zero), the FPRS is nonzero.
/com =====================================================================
/prep7
et,1,182 ! PLANE182 with plane stress option
tb,HYPER,1,1,2,MOON
tbtemp,0
tbdata,,80,20,0,,,
/com **** Build the model ****
k,1
k,2,0.333,0
k,3,0.867,0.867
k,4,1.1,0.867
k,5,1.1,1
k,6,0.8,1
k,7,0.267,0.133
k,8,0,0.133
l,1,2
*repeat,7,1,1
l,8,1
lfillt,1,2,0.20
lfillt,2,3,0.15
lfillt,5,6,0.20
lfillt,6,7,0.15
lfillt,7,8,0.05
lfillt,8,1,0.05
al,all
k,98,-1.0,0
k,99,1.1,0
lstr,99,98
k,100,-1.0,1.0
k,101,1.1,1.0
lstr,100,101
lcomb,8,13
lcomb,8,14
esize,0.02 ! Set element attributes and meshing parameters
Input File
type,1
mat,1
smrtsize,5
amesh,all ! Mesh the model

allsel
lsel,s,,,4 ! BCs to model half symmetry

nsll,s,1
d,all,ux,0
allsel
/com **** Contact pair creation ****
et,2,169
et,3,171
keyopt,3,10,2
mp,mu,2,0.2 ! Friction
r,2
/com **** Top and bottom rigid targets ****
type,2
real,2
mat,2
lesize,15,,,1
lesize,16,,,1
lmesh,15,16
/com **** Contact on the planar seal ****
lsel,s,line,,1,12
lsel,u,line,,4
nsll,s,1
type,3
esurf
allsel,all
finish
/solu
allsel
esel,s,ename,,169
nsle
nsel,r,loc,y,1
d,all,uy,-0.865 ! Move top rigid target
nlgeom,on
time,1
nsubst,25,2000,5
outres,all,all
allsel
nropt,unsym ! Unsymmetric due to friction
solve
esel,s,ename,,171 ! Select only contact elements

sfe,all,1,PRES, ,150 ! Apply fluid pressure of 150 to all contact elements
sfe,all,2,pres,,-1 ! Suppress default starting points (STA1 = -1)
nsel,s,loc,x ! Select a location for starting points

esln
esel,r,ename,,171 ! Reselect only the contact elements
sfe,all,2,pres,,1 ! Specify the above location to be initially in fluid (STA1 = 1]
allsel
nsubst,100,1000,10
solve
finish
/com **** Post1 postprocessing ****
/post1
/show
set,2,last
finish
/com **** Post26 time history postprocessing ****
/post26
timerange,1,2
esol,2,523,138 ,cont,fprs,CONTFPRS1
esol,3,523,138 ,cont,gap,CONTGAP1
/com *****************************************************************************
/com History of contact gap and fluid pressure for an element in the
/com region that opens first
/com *****************************************************************************
prvar,2,3
esol,4,578,53 ,cont,fprs,CONTFPRS2
esol,5,578,53 ,cont,gap,CONTGAP2
/com ****************************************************************************
/com History of contact gap and fluid pressure for an element in the
/com region that opens later
/com *****************************************************************************
prvar,4,5
esol,6,517,6,cont,fprs,CONTFPRS3
esol,7,517,6,cont,gap,CONTGAP3
/com ****************************************************************************
/com History of contact gap and fluid pressure for contact element
/com that opens last
/com *****************************************************************************
prvar,6,7
/title,Time history of fluid pressure for three contact elements

/axlab,y,Fluid pressure
plvar,2,4,6
finish
heat generation due to friction, 131
Index initial contact conditions, 59
initial interference, 192
B internal MPC, 197
beam-to-beam contact, 113 line-to-line, 8
bolt thread modeling, 32 line-to-surface, 121
localized contact zone, 24
magnetic contact, 135
C moving contact nodes, 67
contact analysis, 1
node ordering in node-to-node analysis, 191
asymmetric vs. symmetric contact, 18
node-to-node, 6, 9, 189
beam-to-beam, 6, 113
node-to-surface, 6, 8, 109
birth and death option, 83
node-to-surface KEYOPTs, 110
bolt thread modeling, 32
node-to-surface real constants, 111
boundary conditions for node-to-node contact, 193
normals, 11, 25, 28, 191
boundary conditions for surface-to-surface contact,
open far-field contact status, 70
97
open near-field contact status, 70
chattering controls, 44
overall steps, 15
choosing surfaces, 17
overconstrained contact problem, 193
conduction, 128
penalty stiffness, 28
contact algorithm, 44, 193
penetration, 44
contact direction, 25
piezoelectric elements, 133
contact location detection, 55
pinball region, 70
Contact Manager, 11, 15
point-to-point, 9
contact pairs, 13, 16
point-to-surface, 8
contact status, 70, 127
pore-pressure contact, 136
contact stiffness, 44-45
radiation, 130
contact surface elements, 7
results, 105
Contact Wizard, 12
rigid-to-flexible, 15, 17, 96
convection, 130
self contact, 18, 71
debonding, 231
shells, 81
deformable contact surface, 26
sliding contact status, 70
diffusion contact, 140
slippage, 55
direct generation to create rigid target elements, 21
solution options for node-to-node contact, 193
electric contact, 133
solution options for surface-to-surface contact, 103
electrostatic elements, 133
solving, 104
emissivity, 130
spurious contact, 71
explicit dynamics, 1
Stefan-Boltzmann constant, 130
flexible-to-flexible, 15, 17
sticking contact status, 70
fluid pressure-penetration loads for surface-to-sur-
summary of contact capabilities, 6
face contact, 98
superelements, 76
free surface convection, 128
surface interaction for electric contact, 133
free surface radiation, 128
surface interaction models, 72
free thermal surface, 128
surface-to-surface, 6-7, 15, 26
friction model, 51
surface-to-surface KEYOPTS, 42
gap, 192
surface-to-surface material properties, 28
Gauss integration points, 55
surface-to-surface real constants, 28, 34
general contact definition, 143
symmetric/unsymmetric solver, 51
generating node-to-node contact elements, 190
target element shapes, 21
generating surface-to-surface contact elements, 28
target surface definition, 19
geometry correction, 29
target surface element types and real constants, 20
heat flux, 128, 132
target surface modeling and meshing tips, 24
heat generation due to electric current, 134
Index
target surface nodal number ordering, 25 contact, 135

target surface pilot node, 19, 96 multipoint constraint, 197
target surface primitives, 19
temperature required, 128 P
thermal contact, 127 penalty stiffness
thickness effect, 81 in contact analysis, 28
time step control, 82 pilot node
using meshing tools to create rigid target elements, in contact analysis, 19, 96
22 pore fluid flow
wear, 239 at contact interface, 136
contact stabilization, 77
contact surface wear, 239 S
spot welds, 221
D
debonding, 231 W
delamination wear, 239
in a contact analysis, 231
diffusion analysis
contact, 140
F
fluid pressure-penetration loads, 98
G
general contact, 143
assigning properties, 182
determining feature edges, 150
edge-to-surface contact, 148
element type IDs, 154
GCDEF command, 163
GCGEN command, 147
generating general contact elements, 147
including rigid targets, 146
key option settings, 160
managing, 170
overview, 143
procedure, 144
real constant usage, 182
section IDs, 154
surface splitting, 149
using nodal components, 155
general contact interactions, 163
general contact sufaces, 147
I
internal MPC, 197
L
line-to-surface contact, 121
M
magnetic analysis

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ANSYS Mechanical APDL Contact Technology

ANSYS, Inc. Release 18.2

© 2017 ANSYS, Inc. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohibited.

U.S. Government Rights

Published in the U.S.A.

3.9.4. Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration ....................................................... 45

3.9.18.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 82

7. Multiphysics Contact ........................................................................................................................... 127

8.5.2. Using Nodal Components to Identify Surfaces ....................................................................... 155

10.3.1. Defining Surface-Based Constraints .................................................................................... 208

A.1. Problem Description ..................................................................................................................... 245

8.3. General Contact Surfaces: SplitKEY = SPLIT ..................................................................................... 150

The following contact overview topics are available:

1.1. Contact Analysis Types

• Pair-based contact definition

• General contact definition

• Node-to-node contact elements

1.2. Comparison of Pair-Based Contact and General Contact

Contact Pair-Based Contact Definition General Contact Definition

Contact Pair-Based Contact Definition General Contact Definition

SECTYPE/SECDATA required SECTYPE/SECDATA may not be

Rigid or deformable surface Unique Section ID > 0 for each rigid

The material ID and real constant ID

Following are advantages of general contact over pair-based contact:

1.2.1. Choosing Between Pair-Based Contact and General Contact

1.2.2. Difference in Default Settings

Control Parameter Pair-Based Contact Default General Contact Default

1.2.3. Features Not Supported by General Contact

• Debonding and cohesive contact behavior (TB,CZM)

• Contact surface wear (TB,WEAR)

• Impact constraints (KEYOPY(7) = 4)

• Brake squeal analysis (CMROTATE)

• Fluid pressure penetration loading (SFE,,,PRES).

• Contact modeling for general axisymmetric solids and superelements

1.3. Contact Element Capabilities

Table 1.1: Contact Support

Note-to- Node-to- Surface-to-Surface Line-to- Line-to-

Note-to- Node-to- Surface-to-Surface Line-to- Line-to-

1. GCGEN does not apply to CONTA176.

1.3.1. Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements

• Allow modeling of fluid pressure penetration loads.

1.3.2. Node-to-Surface Contact Elements

1.3.3. 3-D Line-to-Line Contact

1.3.4. Line-to-Surface Contact

1.3.5. Node-to-Node Contact Elements

The following contact-related GUI topics are available:

2.1. The Contact Manager

The Contact Manager does not support general contact definitions.

Figure 2.1: Contact Manager Toolbar

– Display a detailed listing of status information for each contact pair.

2.2. The Contact Wizard

Figure 2.2: Example of a Contact Wizard Dialog

2.3. Managing Contact Pairs

2. Reverse normals of elements that are not oriented correctly

3.1. Using Surface-to-Surface Contact Elements

3.2. Steps in a Contact Analysis

1. Create the model geometry and mesh (p. 16)

2. Identify the contact pairs (p. 16)

3. Designate contact and target surfaces (p. 17)

4. Define the target surface (p. 19)

5. Define the contact surface (p. 26)

6. Set the element KEYOPTS and real constants (p. 34)

8. Apply necessary boundary conditions (p. 97)