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Lecture # 6 : Contact Analysis

Problem Description: There are two slabs that come into contact on the application of a vertical load on the top slab that acts as a cantilever beam. The objective is to study the contact pattern and the associated stress values when the two beams come into contact. The dimensions and the material properties of the 2 slabs are given in the figure below. Please note that there are no specific units given and the exercise is for demonstration purpose only.

P = 100

E = 20 e 3, Poisson ratio = 0.3

E = 200 e 3, Poisson ratio = 0.3

Contact Element Fundamentals: Contact elements as the name suggests are elements that are used to model the contact between two other bodies. Contact elements are peculiar that they come into effect only when a compressive load is acting between the two elements that make a contact element. They do not have any effect when there are no loads acting on them or when tensile loads act on them. We can model the contact elements with a variety of options of which some are listed below: Node to Node contact elements, both 2d and 3d. At coincident nodes Surface to surface contact and Node to surface contact

To facilitate the ease of creating contact elements, ANSYS 5.6 has a contact wizard to create these contact elements. Some of the properties that are to be provided include the Normal stiffness of the contact element (This should be atleast twice the value of the stiffness of the elements which come in contact), the sliding stiffness and the initial gap. In the above problem, we declare the initial gap as a real constant and not in the geometry.

GAP = 0.001

Approach and Assumptions: This problem is modeled by creating contact elements that are at the bottom face of the top beam and at the top face of the bottom beam. The upper beam is assumed to be constrained at the top right node only. This acts as a cantilever beam and comes into contact with the lower beam. The gap between the top and the bottom beam is ignored while creating the model while it is taken into consideration while we give the real constants of the contact element. PREPROCESSOR MODULE: 1. Creating the model: To create the two rectangles, we use the following GUI path. Preprocessor (Modeling) Create Rectangle By Dimensions The dimensions of the first and second rectangles Rectangle 1: x1, x2 0 y1,y2 0 Rectangle 2: x1, x2 -2.5 y1,y2 2 2. Defining the Element type: First let us define the solid element type, their material properties and real constants. Then we will mesh it and then define the contact elements and create them. Preprocessor Element type Add/Edit/Delete Choose from the solid element library, the 2D plane element Plane 42. In the options menu click on the K3 option and include the option Plane Stress with thickness

are given below 10 2 7.5 4

3. Defining the real constants: As we have chosen for the option of plane stress with thickness, we have to define the real constant i.e. the thickness value also. Preprocessor Real constants Add Enter the value for the thickness as shown. 4. Material Properties: The two beams are made of different materials as shown in the problem description figure. So we create 2 materials, material #s 1 and 2 and give the appropriate values Material #1: Young Modulus s Poisson ratio s Material # 2: Young Modulus s Poisson ratio s 5. Definition of Attributes: This module defines the material property and the element type and real constants of the two areas we have created. We have to assign the top area to be of Material type 2 and the bottom area to be of material type. Preprocessor Attributes Picked Areas. Pick the bottom area and assign the material property to be 1 and then click Apply and then pick the top area and assign the material number as 2. Utility Menu -> Numbering -> Element/Attrib numbering -> Material Number -> ON 5. Meshing the Model: Preprocessor -> Meshtool -> (Global) Set -> Set element edge length to be 0.5 units -> Mesh the Bottom area Meshtool -> (Global) Set -> Set element edge length to be 0.35 units Mesh the Top area 20 e 3 0.3 200 e 3 0.3

The ensuing mesh would look something like this.

6. Defining the Contact Element Type: The contact element is defined as the second element type (the first being the Plane 42 element which we created previously). We create the 2D contact element CONTAC 48 between the two beams. Preprocessor Element type Add/Edit/Delete From the element library menu on the LHS, we choose the Contact Option and from the menu in the RHS, we choose the 2 noded 2D contact element Contac 48 as shown.

Before closing the element type window, we add the option of having an elastic coulomb friction between the 2 contacting surfaces.

7. Contact Element Real Constants: The contact element has real constants that define the normal stiffness and the initial gap. As you would have observed, the two beams we created did not have any clearance between them. We define the initial gap between the 2 beams when we define the real constants. Preprocessor Real constants Add

8. Creating the Contact Elements: We follow the following procedure to define the contact element. a) We first select all the nodes on the bottom edge of the top area and name them as source b) Then we select all the nodes on the top edge of the bottom area and name them as target c) Then we generate the contact element between the nodes defined as source and target. To define the source nodes: Utility Menu ->Select -> Areas -> By Num/Pick -> From Full -> Apply Now we pick the top area. Utility Menu -> Select -> Nodes -> Attached to Areas, all -> Reselect -> Apply If we now go to Utility Menu -> Plot -> Nodes, we should see the nodes attached to the top area only Utility Menu -> Nodes -> By Location -> Y coordinates (Min, Max 1.99, 2.01) > Reselect -> Apply If we now go to Utility Menu -> Plot -> Nodes, we should see the nodes attached to the top area and which belong to its bottom edge only. Utility Menu -> Select -> Comp/Assembly -> Create Component -> Cname = Source -> OK

To Define the Target nodes: As already explained, the target nodes are the nodes those attached to the top edge of the bottom beam. As we have applied the filter to the top area and its node in the previous selection, we have to deselect all the filters first. Utility Menu -> Select -> Nodes -> By Num/Pick -> From Full -> Select All -> Apply Utility Menu -> Select -> Areas -> By Num/Pick -> From Full -> Select All -> Apply -> Pick All -> OK Now if we plot the nodes and/or the areas, we should see that all areas are visible Utility Menu ->Select -> Areas -> By Num/Pick -> From Full -> Apply Now we pick the Bottom area. Utility Menu -> Select -> Nodes -> Attached to Areas, all -> Reselect -> Apply If we now go to Utility Menu -> Plot -> Nodes, we should see the nodes attached to the Bottom area only Utility Menu -> Nodes -> By Location -> Y coordinates (Min, Max 1.99, 2.01) -> Reselect -> Apply If we now go to Utility Menu -> Plot -> Nodes, we should see the nodes attached to the bottom area and which belong to its top edge only. Utility Menu -> Select -> Comp/Assembly -> Create Component -> Cname = Target -> OK

After creating the component of node points, we go ahead and deselect all the nodes that were filtered using the Select Option. Utility Menu -> Select -> Nodes -> By Num/Pick -> From Full -> Select All -> Apply Utility Menu -> Select -> Areas -> By Num/Pick -> From Full -> Select All -> Apply -> Pick All -> OK

To Create the Contact Element: Before creating the contact element, it is necessary for us to define to ANSYS, the attributes of the element we are going to create. Attributes are the Element type, Material property and the Real constant type. Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Create -> Element -> Attributes -> Now we pick the attributes that pertain to the contact element which are Element Type : 2, CONTAC 48 Real Constant type : 2 Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Create -> Element -> (Surf/Contact) Node to Surface -> Now we define the target surface component and the contact surface component and the number of elements to be created between the 2 nodes as shown below

Utility Menu -> Plot -> Elements SOLUTION MODULE: 8. Boundary Conditions and Loads: We give the boundary conditions, viz. the top left node of the top beam is constrained and the bottom edge of the bottom plate is fixed. We also apply a vertical load of 100 units at the top right key point of the Top plate Main Menu -> Solution -> (Loads) Apply -> Displacement -> On Keypoints -> Pick the appropriate KP and give all DOFs as 0. Main Menu -> Solution -> (Loads) Apply -> Displacement -> On Lines -> Pick the appropriate line and give all DOFs as 0. Main Menu -> Solution -> (Loads) Apply -> Force -> On Keypoints -> Pick the appropriate KP and give Fy = -100 units.

9. Solution Options: The solution of the contact elements is non-linear and iterative in nature. Also the given problem has a potential for large deflections. So we have to give some options to perform the iterations. We also have to give the time steps and the max number of substeps for iteration. It is given as follows. Main Menu -> Solution -> (Load Step Options) Time/Freq -> Time and substep -> Click on the options as shown. Time = 1; Substeps = 20; Automatic time substepping = ON; Max # of substeps = 100;

Main Menu -> Solution ->Analysis Options -> Click on the following options Large deformation effects = ON; Newton-Raphson Method = Full N-R

Main Menu -> Solution ->(Solve) Current LS This solves the problem. POSTPROCESSING: To find the status of the gap between the two beams or to find the gap or interference between them or to find the contact force, we use the following commands. Main Menu -> General Postprocessing -> Element table -> Add From the left column go to the last item viz. By sequence number and from the right hand menu select the following SMISC, 1 Gives the normal force value SMISC, 2 Gives the tangential force NMISC, 1 Gives the value of the Gap NMISC, 2 Gives the status of the Gap (1 closed ; 2 Sliding ; 3 Open)

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