Defining Contact Initializations

You can use contact initializations to determine how general contact surfaces are adjusted automatically before the simulation starts. Contact initializations are intended to correct small gaps or overclosures between surfaces. Defining contact initialization simplifies your simulation by making minor adjustments to the initial position of the components. The adjustments move components so that they are touching and no residual strain is introduced before the simulation begins.

The default contact initialization options apply to the majority of simulation cases. Therefore, in most cases, you only need to create the contact initialization feature.

Warning: Specifying large initialization adjustments can lead to mesh distortion and increased computational cost for the simulation.

See Also
About Contact Initializations
Defining General Contact
  1. From the Connections section of the action bar, click Contact Initialization .
  2. Optional: Enter a descriptive Name.
  3. From the Initial Overclosures options, select one of the following overclosure methods to adjust the secondary surfaces:
    OptionDescription
    Resolve openings/overclosures Treats overclosed surfaces as though they are in contact at the start of the simulation. Surfaces are either adjusted or the required offsets to adjust them are recorded so that they do not introduce strains.
    Treat as interference fits Resolves surface overclosures gradually over the course of the first step in the simulation. This technique creates strain in the model as the surfaces move. Only portions of secondary surfaces that lie within the specified overclosure distance range are adjusted using the interference fit.
  4. If you chose the Resolve openings/overclosures overclosure method, select one of the following:
    OptionDescription
    Make strain-free adjustments Adjusts overclosed secondary surfaces to be exactly touching at the beginning of the simulation without creating strain in the model.
    Capture offsets Prevents overclosed nodes on the secondary surface from being moved (adjusted) back to the main surface. Records the offset distances for underclosed secondary surface nodes and acts as if they are in contact during the simulation.
  5. Click OK.