Contact interactions

In an Abaqus/Standard simulation possible contact is defined by assigning the surface names to a contact interaction (contact pair approach) or by invoking an automatically-defined all-inclusive element-based surface as the contact domain (general contact approach). For both contact approaches, each contact interaction must refer to a contact property, in much the same way that each element must refer to an element property. Constitutive behavior, such as the contact pressure-clearance relationship and friction, can be included in the contact property.

When you define a contact interaction, you must decide whether the magnitude of the relative sliding will be small or finite. The default is the more general finite-sliding formulation. The small-sliding formulation (available only for contact pairs) is appropriate if the relative motion of the two surfaces is less than a small proportion of the characteristic length of an element face. Using the small-sliding formulation when applicable results in a more efficient analysis.