Lecture 5:

Accessing Advanced Contact Features via

MAPDL
16.0 Release

ANSYS Mechanical
Advanced Connections
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Chapter Overview
Mechanical already exposes a rich library of options to meet the many challenges
associated with simulating contact behavior.
However, there are still some contact applications requiring more advanced features not
directly exposed in the Mechanical GUI. For example, consider the following cases:

Orthotropic or dynamic friction coefficient that varies as a function of relative velocity over a
large displacement.

Friction where the underlying material shear strength is the weak link that dictates status change
from sticking to sliding.

Surface cohesion (limited frictional resistance with zero normal force).

Fluid Pressure Penetration (Surface pressure based on contact status)
Archard surface wear model
and more
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Chapter Overview

This lecture presents how to access these advanced contact features not directly
available in the Mechanical GUI.
This is not intended to be a comprehensive presentation on all the advanced feature
details, but rather a presentation on the general set-up procedure for using command
objects successfully within contact regions in Mechanical.

The following topics will be covered:

A. Background on Contact Pair
B. Contact Documentation
C. MAPDL Command Syntax
D. General Procedure
E. Example Cases
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A. Background on contact pair

Recall that Face-to-Face, and Edge-to-Face contact use the concept of a contact pair,
which is composed of target elements and contact elements

The contact elements overlie the underlying finite element model like a skin.

Face-to-Face populate the contact surface with Gauss points

Others use the node(s) on contact side directly (no gauss pts)
Separate element types define the target and contact surfaces.

The contact pair is identified through a shared real constant set.

Contact elements (REAL = N )

on the contact surface
Target elements (REAL = N )
on the target surface
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... Background on contact pair

All the parameters that control the contact pair behavior are identified as either Key
Option settings or as properties associated with the Real Constant Set.
A Key Option is analogous to a switch that controls a particular element behavior

Contact formulation, Type (bonded, frictionless, frictional), Interface Treatment, Normal

stiffness updating schemes,etc, are examples of Key Option settings

A Real Constant Set is a list of properties of a particular contact pair that influences
behavior and/or convergence

Normal contact stiffness value, contact surface offset value, pinball radius value,etc, are
examples of Real Constant properties

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B. Contact Documentation
The Element Reference Manual (available on-line) contains a comprehensive list of all Key
Options and Real Constants available for each contact element type.

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... Contact Documentation

Each Key Option and Real Constant listed in the Elements Manual also has a link to different
sections of the Contact Technology Guide containing a comprehensive description of its use.

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C. MAPDL Command Syntax

The commands most commonly used to implement advanced contact technology
features are:

KEYOPT for setting key options

RMODIF to modify a real constant value

MP, MPDATA for defining friction coefficients

TB and TBDATA for cohesive zone modeling parameters
Refer to Command Manual Documentation for details

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... MAPDL Command Syntax

The syntax for the KEYOPT command is as follows:

KEYOPT, ITYPE, KNUM, VALUE

Where ITYPE is the Element type number

KNUM is the number of the KEYOPT
VALUE is the value of this KEYOPT
For example, setting CONTA174 element KEYOPT(12)=3, will enable bonded contact
behavior, in which the target and contact surfaces only become bonded once contact
is established, and they remain bonded for the remainder of the analysis.

This behavior can be activated for a contact element (with type number 5 as an
example) using the following command:
KEYOPT,5,12,3

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3 for bonded behavior

Key Option Number (for controlling contact behaviors)
Element Type Number

... MAPDL Command Syntax

The syntax for the RMODIF command is as follows:

RMODIF, NSET, STLOC, V1,,,,

Where NSET is the Real Constant Set number

STLOC is Starting location in table for modifying data.
VALUE is the new value assigned to constant in location STLOC.
For example, if real constant set #5 represents a frictional contact pair, a maximum limit on
allowable shear stress at the contact interface can be defined with

From CONTA174 docu:

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RMODIF,5,9,TAUMAX
Value for allowable shear stress
Real Set Number

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Location for max shear stress

D. Procedure
To introduce advanced contact features not directly
available in Mechanical GUI, start by inserting a
command object beneath a contact region

The expectation is that these commands apply to that

specific contact region only.

For convenience, Mechanical automatically parameterizes the attributes (element type

number, real set number, material id number) for that particular contact region for use in
commands.

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... Procedure
Hence, there is usually no need to look up the actual type and real set numbers to
execute a command. Simply use the parameter names directly.
Below is an example command line added to a frictional contact region to define a
limit on the max allowable shear stress (TAUMAX) at the contact interface

Optional notes can be added to the right of ! for further clarification.

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... Procedure
If you are unfamiliar with the element type being used for a particular contact region
and you need to research the documentation for proper key option or real constant
table references, it is possible to extract this information from the Solver output
(Solution Information).
For example:

From Contact tool:

From Solver Output:

Element Type for

docu research
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... Procedure
If this is a new run and there is no Solver Output, add a command object to the Environment
branch to execute a partial solve with the following commands:

Refer to Command Manual Documentation for additional information on PSOLVE and /EOF
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... Procedure
There are also a number of contact results not directly available in a Mechanical Tool that
can be extracted via a Command Object strategically placed in the Solution Branch.

Refer to Contact Element Documentation as well as commands manual documentation on ETABLE,

ESOL, PRESOL, and PRNSOL,,, commands

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E. Example Case -TAUMAX

Consider the case of a large deflection extrusion process that involves gross deformation
of the work piece as it is extruded thru the tooling.

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... Example Case - TAUMAX

With conventional frictional contact, the model fails to converge because the contact status
locks up in a closed and sticking mode as the frictional resistance load (m*N) becomes
prohibitively large.

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... Example Case - TAUMAX

Adding a command object to the frictional contact region to define a limit on frictional shear
at the interface resolves the convergence issue and more accurately represents the real
world limit on the shear strength of the underlying material at this location.

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Example Case TAUMAX

Full displacement results with TAUMAX limit included.

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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

Consider the case of a piston-cylinder assembly in which you want to apply a fluid
pressure to one side of the O-ring after the parts are all assembled and access how far the
fluid will penetrate across the seal interface.

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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

It is possible to simulate the assembly of these parts with conventional contact and the
load and BC options available in Mechanical.
This was done in previous Chapter (WS2C).

To apply the fluid pressure to open contact requires APDL in command objects
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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

The first command object simply preserves the contact element type number associated
with the O-ring surface to a permanent parameter name cid_1 to be used later

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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

Two Named Selections are created to identify the total potential surface
(name=pressure) onto which pressure load will be applied along with a reference
starting point (name=start_pt)

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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

A command object is added to the Static Structural Environment:
To execute the necessary select logic on contact elements to receive the pressure load
To execute the SFE commands to apply a pressure load to the lower surface of the Oring after the parts are assembled (at load step 3)

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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

A command object can also be added to the Solution branch:
To visually confirm the correct application of the fluid pressure load in load step 3.

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Example Case Applying fluid pressure

LS 2: Before pressure

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LS 3: After Pressure

Example Case Applying fluid pressure

Verification of fluid pressure loads with MAPDL plots

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Example Case - Contact Surface Wear

where:

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 Example Case - Contact Surface Wear

Defined by TB and TBDATA commands:
Applicable to nonlinear contact only (frictional and frictionless)
Asymmetric behavior recommended
Penalty based formulation recommended for convergence
Nodal detection necessary

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 Example Case - Contact Surface Wear

Sliding block with frictional contact
No Wear

Archard Wear

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 Example Case - Contact Surface Wear

Brake Pad Model:

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Workshops Accessing Advanced Contact

Please refer to your Workshop Supplement for instructions on:
W5A: Fluid Pressure Penetration
W5B: TAUMAX
W5C: Archard Wear Model

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