Defining a contact interaction property

The contact property editor contains the following menus from which you can choose options to include in the property definition: Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical.

A contact interaction property can be referred to by a general contact, surface-to-surface contact, or self-contact interaction. For more information, see About mechanical contact properties, Thermal contact properties, and Electrical contact properties.

The Contact Property Options list at the top of the editor displays the options currently included in the property definition; the list is updated as you add and delete options. You can add, delete, or change property options as follows:

Adding property options

Select the options needed to define your property from the Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical menus. When you select an option, its name appears in the Contact Property Options list, and data fields associated with the option appear in the data area in the bottom half of the editor. Use the data fields to enter information for the currently selected option.

Deleting property options

In the Contact Property Options list, select the option that you want to delete, and click Delete on the right side of the editor. This procedure removes the option from both the options list and the property definition.

Changing option data

In the Contact Property Options list, select the option whose data you want to change. When the data fields associated with the option appear in the bottom half of the window, change the information that you have entered for the option as desired.


In this section:

Defining mechanical contact property options
Defining thermal contact property options
Defining electrical contact property options