*CONTACT CONTROLS ASSIGNMENT

Assign contact controls for the general contact algorithm.

This option is used to modify contact controls for specific contact interactions within the domain considered by the general contact algorithm in Abaqus/Explicit and Abaqus/Standard. It must be used in conjunction with the CONTACT option.

This page discusses:

See Also
*CONTACT
In Other Guides
Contact Controls for General Contact in Abaqus/Explicit

Products Abaqus/Standard Abaqus/Explicit

Type Model or history data

LevelModelStep

Required, mutually exclusive parameters

AUTOMATIC OVERCLOSURE RESOLUTION

This parameter applies only to Abaqus/Explicit analyses.

Include this parameter to store offsets instead of adjusting nodes during initial overclosure resolution between surface pairs in the general contact domain as specified in the data lines.

BEAM CROSS SECTION

Set BEAM CROSS SECTION=EXACT to activate contact calculations based on the actual cross-sectional shape of the beam element for the entire model. This value is the default for analyses in Abaqus/Explicit.

Set BEAM CROSS SECTION=CIRCUMSCRIBED CIRCLE to activate contact calculations based on a circumferential approximation of the cross-sectional shape of the beam element for the entire model. This value is the default for analyses in Abaqus/Standard.

CONTACT THICKNESS REDUCTION

This parameter applies only to Abaqus/Explicit analyses.

Set CONTACT THICKNESS REDUCTION=SELF to limit automatic contact thickness reductions to only regions of potential self-contact and the perimeters of shell surfaces for the entire model.

Set CONTACT THICKNESS REDUCTION=NOPERIMSELF to limit automatic contact thickness reductions to only regions of potential self-contact for the entire model.

NODAL EROSION

This parameter applies only to Abaqus/Explicit analyses.

Set NODAL EROSION=NO (default) to keep a node of an element-based surface in the general contact domain as a point mass after all contact faces and edges to which it is attached have eroded.

Set NODAL EROSION=YES to delete a node of an element-based surface from the general contact domain once all contact faces and edges to which it is attached have eroded.

ROTATIONAL TERMS

This parameter applies only to Abaqus/Explicit analyses.

Set ROTATIONAL TERMS=NONE (default) to ignore the effects of shell and beam thickness offsets for contact.

Set ROTATIONAL TERMS=STRUCTURAL to account for the effects of shell and beam thickness offsets for contact.

TYPE

This parameter applies only to Abaqus/Explicit analyses.

Set TYPE=FOLD INVERSION CHECK to activate the fold inversion check as specified in the data lines.

Set TYPE=SCALE PENALTY to assign a scale factor to the default penalty stiffnesses as specified in the data lines.

Optional parameters

SEEDING

This parameter applies only to Abaqus/Explicit analyses. It controls how the contact seeds are created on Lagrangian surfaces during a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian analysis.

Set SEEDING=GLOBAL (default if adaptive mesh refinement is not activated) to create seeds on Lagrangian surfaces based on the smallest Eulerian element size in the entire Eulerian mesh; the seeding is performed once at the beginning of the analysis.

Set SEEDING=LOCAL to create seeds on Lagrangian surfaces based on the smallest Eulerian element size in the vicinity of the Lagrangian faces; the seeding is performed once for each face, as soon as a nearby Eulerian element is detected.

Set SEEDING=DYNAMIC (default if adaptive mesh refinement is activated) to create seeds on Lagrangian surfaces based on the smallest Eulerian element size in the vicinity of the Lagrangian faces; the seed density is updated during the analysis.

Data lines for AUTOMATIC OVERCLOSURE RESOLUTION

First line

  1. The name of the first surface. If the first surface name is omitted, a default surface that encompasses the entire general contact domain (including all nodes and facets) is assumed.

  2. The name of the second surface. If the second surface name is omitted or is the same as the first surface name, the specified contact controls are assigned to contact interactions between the first surface and itself.

  3. The overclosure resolution method. The “words” ADJUST NODES (default) or STORE OFFSETS.

Repeat this data line as often as necessary. If the contact controls assignments overlap, the last assignment applies in the overlap region.

Data lines for TYPE=FOLD INVERSION CHECK

First line

  1. The name of the surface for which the fold inversion check should be activated. If the surface name is omitted, a default surface that encompasses the entire general contact domain (including all nodes and facets) is assumed.

Repeat this data line as often as necessary.

Data lines for TYPE=SCALE PENALTY

First line

  1. The name of the first surface. If the first surface name is omitted, a default surface that encompasses the entire general contact domain (including all nodes and facets) is assumed.

  2. The name of the second surface. If the second surface name is omitted or is the same as the first surface name, the specified contact controls are assigned to contact interactions between the first surface and itself.

  3. The factor by which Abaqus/Explicit will scale the default penalty stiffnesses for the specified contact pairings.

Repeat this data line as often as necessary. If the contact controls assignments overlap, the last assignment applies in the overlap region.