Component Contact PropertyManager

Use the Component Contact PropertyManager to select components and set the default contact condition for all areas that the selected components share amongst themselves.

You can apply multiple contact conditions to override the global contact setting by adding component contact and local contact sets. Modifying or adding a contact condition requires remeshing the model.

Contact Type

The available options depend on the study type:

No Penetration Selected components or bodies do not penetrate each other during simulation, regardless of their initial contact condition. By default, bodies do not penetrate themselves if the deformation during simulation is sufficient to cause self-intersection. Surface to surface contact formulation is applied for No Penetration contact.
The No Penetration component contact option is not available for nonlinear studies. Use contact set definitions to apply No Penetration contact between selected bodies.
Bonded (No clearance) Selected components or bodies behave as if they were welded during simulation.
Allow Penetration Selected components or bodies can penetrate each other during simulation. Do not use this option unless you are sure that loads will not cause interference of the components. The Allow Penetration option overrides existing component contacts. To apply Allow Penetration contact to components or a top-level assembly, you need to previously define a contact type.
Insulated  

Components

  Global Contact Selects the top level assembly to apply a global contact condition.
part.png Components for Contact Select the components for which you want to specify contact conditions with other components in the assembly. You can select the desired components from the flyout FeatureManager design tree or from the graphics area using the Filter Solid Bodies tool on the Selection Filter toolbar.

Options

(Visible for Bonded contact only).

Compatible Mesh The program creates compatible mesh on initially contacting areas. If the mesh is compatible, the program merges coincident nodes along the common interface.
When you select a compatible mesh and you define a local no-penetration contact between two touching entities, the coincident nodes are not merged, but they are "duplicated". There is a node-to-node correspondence for the mesh between the source and target entities along the common interface.
See also SOLIDWORKS Simulation Help:Compatible and Incompatible Mesh.
Incompatible Mesh The program meshes each component independently. If meshing fails with the compatible mesh option, this option can help the meshing process to succeed. In general, the compatible mesh option produces more accurate results in the bonded regions.
Non-touching faces The program creates bonded contact between face pairs that are not touching but are within a specified maximum distance. The faces can be non-parallel, but there must be a common projected area between them.
Bonding contact for non-touching faces is always incompatible.
Include shell edge - solid face/shell face and edge pairs (slower) Creates automatically edge-to-edge bonded contact sets for pairs of shell edges-to-shell edges, shell edges-to-shell faces, and shell edges-to-solid faces within a certain gap distance set in Maximum Clearance.

The valid pairs of edges belonging to shell or sheet metal bodies are:

  • Straight, parallel, and non-interfering shell edges (or almost parallel within one degree of tolerance).
  • Circular edges that have the same radius and are concentric and non-interfering.
  • Shell edge (straight or arc) to a solid or shell face (planar or cylindrical).
Unit Sets the units for clearance distances.
Maximum Clearance Sets the maximum clearance between non-touching faces or shell edges. Face or edge pairs further apart than this distance are not bonded.

Friction

(Visible for No Penetration contact for static and nonlinear studies).

Friction Coefficient Specify a friction coefficient between 0 and 1.

Setting Contact for Components

To set contact for components:

  1. In the Simulation study tree, right-click the Connections icon and select Component Contact .
  2. In the PropertyManager, select the desired contact type.
  3. In the Components for contact part.png, select the desired components from the flyout FeatureManager design tree.
  4. For Bonded contact, select Compatible mesh or Incompatible mesh. For No Penetration contact, specify Friction coefficient .
  5. Click .
    An error icon appears next to the Mesh icon when you modify or add any contact set. When you run the study, the software re-meshes the model automatically before running the study.