Define contact and interactions - contact pairs, tie constraints, connectors. Use when user mentions contact, friction, tie, parts touching, or bonded surfaces.
Define contact pairs, tie constraints, coupling, and connectors between parts in an assembly.
Route here when user mentions:
Route elsewhere:
/abaqus-contact-analysis/abaqus-bc/abaqus-load| User Describes | Interaction Type | Key Feature |
|---|
| Welded, glued, bonded | Tie constraint | Permanent, no relative motion |
| Parts can slide and separate | Surface-to-surface contact | Friction, gap allowed |
| Load from point to surface | Coupling | Reference point control |
| Spring, damper, hinge | Connector | Stiffness/damping behavior |
| Adhesive, delamination | Cohesive | Damage initiation criteria |
| Formulation | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Surface-to-surface | General contact (recommended default) |
| Node-to-surface | Legacy compatibility, special cases |
| General contact | Automatic detection (explicit dynamics) |
| Self-contact | Folding, buckling, large deformation |
| Surface Pair | Friction Coefficient |
|---|---|
| Frictionless | 0.0 |
| Lubricated metal | 0.1 - 0.3 |
| Dry metal-to-metal | 0.3 - 0.5 |
| Rubber on surface | 0.5 - 0.8 |
| No slip (rough) | Use ROUGH formulation |
If unclear, ask:
Bonded or sliding?
Friction coefficient?
Which surface is master/slave?
Can surfaces separate?
allowSeparation=ONallowSeparation=OFF| Criterion | Master Surface | Slave Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Stiffness | Stiffer body | Softer body |
| Mesh density | Coarser mesh | Finer mesh |
| Size | Larger surface | Smaller surface |
| Geometry | Flat/convex | Curved/concave |
When in doubt: The coarser mesh should be master.
List all surfaces that interact. For each pair determine:
Surfaces must be defined on assembly instances before creating interactions.
For contact interactions, define:
Assign contact property to surface pair in appropriate step.
Check for:
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Contact not detected | Surfaces too far apart | Use adjust=ON or reduce initial gap |
| Severe discontinuity warnings | Contact chattering | Add stabilization, use smaller increments |
| Negative eigenvalue | Wrong master/slave | Swap master and slave surfaces |
| Overclosure too large | Initial interference | Use shrink fit option or adjust geometry |
| Tie not working | Surfaces not close enough | Increase position tolerance |
Before running analysis:
For API syntax and code examples, see: