About Contact Properties

Contact properties define the interaction behavior between two surfaces.

This page discusses:

See Also
Defining Contact Properties in Structural Steps
Defining Contact Properties in Thermal Steps

You can apply a contact property to a contact interaction definition to specify the simulated response when the surfaces in that interaction come into contact.

The specific types of interaction you can define in a contact property depend on whether you are defining one in a structural step or a thermal step.

Contact Properties in Structural Steps

In structural steps, a contact property can define tangential behavior (friction and elastic slip) and normal behavior (hard, soft, or damped contact and separation).

Two friction modes are available when you define tangential behavior:

  • Rough: Prevents all relative sliding motion between two contacting surfaces while the corresponding normal-direction contact constraints are active.
  • Coulomb: Relates the maximum allowable frictional (shear) stress across an interface to the contact pressure between the contacting bodies.

If you create a contact property but do not choose any options, applying the "empty" property defines frictionless contact between the surfaces. This default behavior is different from the default penalty contact property that you can define as part of the definition of general contact, surface-based contact, or contact detection.

Contact Properties in Thermal Steps

In thermal steps, a contact property can define thermal conductance, electrical conductance, and thermal radiation.

Heat transfer between two surfaces due to conduction is defined by specifying a conductance value at various clearance values for the surfaces. The conduction is interpolated linearly between the given values. You must specify at least two data points, and the conductance value drops to zero immediately after the last data point.

Heat transfer between two surfaces due to radiation is defined by specifying a view factor value at various clearance values for the surfaces. The analysis interpolates the view factor linearly between the given values. At least two data points are required, and the view factor value drops to zero immediately after the last data point.