Finite-sliding contact between a deformable body and a meshed rigid surface

These tests verify that two-dimensional meshed rigid surfaces are properly generated and that the surface orientation and normal smoothing are correct. The first problem involves forming an elastic beam around a closed meshed rigid surface. This closed surface can be thought of as a pipe cross-section. The second problem is similar to the first but with user-defined normals.

The surface, which is assumed to be rigid, is meshed with 2-node rigid elements. The beam, which is 6 inches long and 0.05 inches wide, is modeled with 20 CPS4R solid elements. Its original position with respect to the first rigid surface is shown in Figure 1. It is assumed to be elastic with a Young's modulus of 30.0 × 10⁶ lb/in² and a Poisson's ratio of 0.3. Surfaces defined on the deformable body and the rigid body are paired together to enforce contact.

Figure 1. Original position of the beam with respect to the rigid surface.

The analysis is made up of two parts. The first part establishes contact between the beam and the rigid surface by moving the two ends of the beam upward so that contact is firmly established while constraining the beam ends horizontally. The second part involves releasing the beam end constraints and applying a pressure load to the bottom surface of the beam to mold it firmly around the pipe section. A pressure of 1000 lb/in² is applied in the first problem, while a pressure of 2000 lb/in² is applied in the second problem.