Defining default contact pair parameters

Contact detection rules allow you to specify a set of conditional options that determine the default settings assigned to detected contact pairs. You can always change the contact pair settings after they are detected, but specifying rules before a search allows you to define appropriate contact pairs quickly according to your particular modeling intent. The rules are applied when Abaqus/CAE performs a search for contact pair candidates. For more information about contact pair default settings, see Default interaction and constraint parameters.

Related Topics
Understanding contact and constraint detection
Using contact and constraint detection

  1. From the main menu, select either InteractionFind contact pairs or ConstraintFind contact pairs.

    Tip: You can also find contact pairs using the tool in the Interaction module toolbox.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the contact detection dialog box.

  2. Display the Rules tabbed page.

  3. Click .

    Abaqus/CAE displays the Edit Rules dialog box.

  4. To create tie constraints for all contact pairs whose surfaces lie within a particular tolerance, toggle on Use tie constraints when the separation value does not exceed and enter the tolerance in the field provided. This rule is disabled by default.

  5. To set the position tolerance on tie constraints equal to the surface separation reported by the contact detection tool, toggle on Set tie position tolerance to separation value when nonzero. This rule is disabled by default. For more information about position tolerances for tie constraints, see Mesh tie constraints.

  6. To set the surface adjustment setting on contact interactions equal to the surface separation reported by the contact detection tool, toggle on Adjust separated interactions by the separation value. This rule is disabled by default. For more information about surface adjustment options, see Adjusting initial surface positions and specifying initial clearances in Abaqus/Standard contact pairs.

  7. To move any overclosed slave nodes in a contact interaction directly onto the master surface, toggle on Adjust interactions to remove overclosure. The adjustment is performed during the analysis. This rule is enabled by default. For more information about surface adjustment options, see Adjusting initial surface positions and specifying initial clearances in Abaqus/Standard contact pairs.

  8. Click OK.