Make Better Simulations

- Contact and other connections

July 8, 2020
Saeid Enayatpour, PhD, PE
Senior Technical Trainer
Ansys, Inc.
 Get Better Answers Webinar Series

April 14, 2020 - Overview and Modeling Studies

April 28, 2020 - The initial model
May 12, 2020 - Analysis Type and Basic Assumptions
May 26, 2020 - Element Type Selection
June 9, 2020 - Meshing Decisions
June 23, 2020 - Material Model Selection
Link to the past recorded webinars:
July 8, 2020 - Contact Definition and Other Connections - Register
July 21, 2020 - Loads and Boundary Conditions - Register
August 6, 2020 - Post Processing - Register
https://jam8.sapjam.com/blogs/show/iE4BxshcouH8ySK57b7aQO

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 Agenda

• Do I need Connections in my model?

• Why is it important?
• Contact definition / Type / Algorithm / Detection Method / Behavior/
• Which side should I pick?
• Interference Fit
• Future webinar
• More learning resources

Prerequisite:
Basic knowledge of Finite Elements and ANSYS Mechanical

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Do I need Connections in my model?

A
A

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Why Connections?

• To avoid Rigid Body Motion (RBM)

• To transfer load from one body to the next

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Why Connections?

• To avoid Rigid Body Motion (RBM)

• To transfer load from one body to the next

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Why is it important?

• Connections are the most common source of nonlinearity leading to non-convergence

• How to avoid issues with contacts? to avoid issues with contacts?
• Contact definition

• Basic Concepts
A
▪ Contact Types

▪ Contact Formulations
B
▪ Detection method

▪ Advanced Settings

• Troubleshooting

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Contact Definition / Types
o We describe the interaction (i.e., the normal and
tangential behavior at the interface) between two A
bodies through contacts
B
o Q: what are the contact types?

Fn 1. Bonded
2. No-Seperation
Ft 3. Frictionless
4. Frictional
5. Rough

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Contact Definition / Types
o We describe the interaction (i.e., the normal and
tangential behavior at the interface) between two A
bodies through contacts
B
o Q: what are the contact types?

Fn 1. Bonded
2. No-Seperation
Ft 3. Frictionless
4. Frictional
5. Rough

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Contact Definition / Types
o We describe the interaction (i.e., the normal and
tangential behavior at the interface) between two A
bodies through contacts
B
o Q: what are the contact types?

Fn 1. Bonded
2. No-Seperation
Ft 3. Frictionless
4. Frictional
5. Rough

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 Contact Formulation

A) Formulations
1. Penalty Method Q: Why several formulations?
2. Normal Lagrange Method Detect nodes which penetrate
3. Augmented Lagrange and remove penetration – But
4. MPC how?

B) Detection Method
1. Integration points
2. Nodes
3. Projection Based

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 Formulation #1: Penalty Method
Penalize the nodes which
penetrate

Attach a stiff spring K Penalty

to the nodes

Stretch the spring by the
penetration distance 

FPenalty Penalty traction FPenalty

pushes back the nodes to
FPenalty = K Penalty  reduce penetration

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 Formulation #1: Penalty Method

• Penalty method -- > always has residual penetration after convergence

• Q: What KN does ANSYS solver use and can I change it?
• A: internally computes appropriate penalty stiffness based on initial stiffness,
stress - User can scale up/down penalty stiffness. High penalty stiffness factor
leads to
o reduced penetration
o increasing accuracy
o increasing number of iterations
• Tip: for nonlinear problems, update the penalty stiffness to allow the solver
smartly calculate the penalty stiffness
 Formulation #1: Penalty Method

Q: If I increase KN by two orders of magnitude, how much does it __________ the

penetration and ___________ the contact pressure?

Penetration d=0.26E-3 Penetration d=0.45E-5

Contact Pressure P=43642 Contact Pressure P=43927

0.26e − 3 43927
d = = 60 p = = 1.007
0.45e − 5 43642
Formulation #2: Normal Lagrange Method
Goal: Reduce contact
penetration  to zero

Detect penetrating nodes


Apply contact constraint to
the nodes

ANSYS Solver calculates the

p surface traction p at the
penetrating nodes to satisfy
 =0 Solves for P contact constraint.
 Formulation #2: Normal Lagrange Method
Q: When should I use Normal Lagrange Method?

Use Normal Lagrange method:

• For penetration critical applications (accuracy)
• Contact with predominant material nonlinearity
• Contact between shells or thin layers
• Large sliding problem: the convergence behavior is very good and stable
• Contact at corners, edges
• Suitable for solving threaded connectors, press fit joints, seals, etc.
• When convergence is still not achieved after several attempts by adjusting
contact stiffness
Formulation #3: Augmented Lagrange Method – (Default)

Why not take advantage of

easiness of Penalty method
and accuracy of Normal
 Lagrange method?

Use a penalty surface

traction augmented with
FPenalty + p the surface traction
computed to resolve
traction = K Penalty  + p contact constraint
Formulation #3: Augmented Lagrange Method
A few notes:
• Robust and default method in ANSYS WB
• Able to solve complex contact problems, producing a certain level of penetration which
is generally so small that the effect is negligible and can be controlled
• Residual penetration still present but lower than Penalty method – less sensitive to the
penalty stiffness
• Usually requires fewer number of equilibrium iterations compared to the Normal
Lagrange method, but more iterations than the Penalty method
• User still has the option to scale and update the penalty stiffness
Formulation #3: Augmented Lagrange Method
Q: should I change contact stiffness?
• Almost all problems perform satisfactorily if the penalty
stiffness is updated at each iteration (default in WB).
• Use default contact stiffness for most contact applications,
unless:
0.01-0.1 for bending deformations
10 for critical bolt joint which is pre-tensioned
• Aggressive options: remedy chattering or preventing rigid body motion
when initial contact conditions are not well posed.
• If you see large penetration warnings, use higher FKN (10x, 100x)
• Force convergence plot
Formulation #3: Augmented Lagrange Method

Q: should I change penetration tolerance?

• In general, do not change the penetration tolerance. The analysis will not
converge, if you use a very small value. Instead you can try one of following
approaches:
• increase contact stiffness (10x, 100x)
• Refine mesh on contact surface to reduce the penetration
• use normal Lagrange
Formulation #3: Augmented Lagrange Method
Q: When should I use Augmented Lagrange Method?
Use Augmented Lagrange if:
• Symmetric contact or self-contact is used.
• Multiple parts share the same contact zone
• Mesh is relatively coarse
• 3D large model (> 300.000 DOFs), use PCG solver.
Use Penalty method if:
• Non-smooth interfaces, multiple thin layers, model with potential over-
constraints
• A contact pair used to apply fluid penetration pressure overlaps with other
pairs
• You want to get fast solution and are not interested in contact results
Formulation #4: MPC Method

In Bonded/No-Separation
relative displacement
between nodes are prevented
in one or both directions

MPC formulation ties the nodes

at two surfaces, preventing
relative motions in one or both
Advantage: Requires one directions
equilibrium iteration (linear)
 Formulation #4: MPC Method
Q: When should I use MPC algorithm?
• MPC is a true linear contact for small-deflection applications
• When convergence is difficult switching to MPC is an attractive
alternative to changing the contact stiffness.
• Interface with small gap/penetration
• It avoids spurious frequencies for modal analysis
• MPC contact prevents artificial stiffness when gaps exist
between curved surfaces. Gap between bonded parts

• Ideal for shell-solid, shell-shell, and beam-shell contacts

• A caveat is that MPC is the most sensitive contact type to
overconstraint, so avoid it when there are other contacts or
boundary conditions with shared topology.
 Formulation #4: MPC Method – Constraint Type
• Different Constraint Types available to address unique challenges that can arise
when using CEs (constraint equations) to connect entities together.
- “Target Normal, Couple U to ROT” (default in WB-Mechanical) is sufficient for
most applications
- “Inside Pinball, Couple U to ROT” allows contact detection regardless of element
normal direction

Beam Normal Direction

Beam Normal Direction

Shell elements
Shell elements
Contact Detection Methods

• All contact formulations require the solver to identify the elements where surface
penetration has occurred
• Detection Methods
1. Surface integration points (Gauss points)
2. Nodes
3. Surface Projection

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Contact Detection Methods
Question?
Which detection method should I use here? Gauss detection or Nodal detection?
Normal to target or normal from contact?

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Contact Detection Methods - Double beams in contact
An example of Normal to Target Surface Detection

Gauss detection Normal to target

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 Symmetric and Asymmetric Contact Behavior
Target
Contact FPenalty

Target
FPenalty Contact

In Symmetric contacts, an addition

Penalty based methods apply penalty
step in each equilibrium iteration is
traction only to the contact surface
used to compute the penalty tractions
(Auto asymmetric contact - default)
on the formerly target surface

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Symmetric and Asymmetric Behavior - Guidelines
• Symmetric contacts
o Lower residual penetration
o Lower number of equilibrium iterations but require more computational time
to calculate surface tractions on both surfaces
o Less sensitive to mesh sizing at contact interface
• Choose asymmetric contacts when the difference in stiffness (elastic modulus)
between both surfaces are > 10.
• Normal Lagrange and MPC methods require Asymmetric contact (i.e., the
contact traction is calculated only on the contact surface)
• Tip: In most cases, use auto-asymmetric contact – program makes decision
 Which side should be Contact/Target?

The following guidelines can be beneficial for proper selection of contact surfaces for
Asymmetric behavior:

• If a convex surface comes into contact with a flat or concave surface, the flat or concave
surface should be the Target surface.
• If one surface has a coarse mesh and the other a fine mesh, the surface with the coarse
mesh should be the Target surface.
• If one surface is stiffer than the other, the stiffer surface should be the Target surface.
• If one surface is higher order and the other is lower order, the lower order surface should be
the Target surface.
• If one surface is larger than the other, the larger surface should be the Target surface.

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Interface Treatment: Adjust to touch

Mesh discretization can create

artificial gaps between surfaces
gap even though the CAD surfaces
touch each other

Adjust to touch option will

remove the gap and assumes the
surfaces touch each other

command object:
CNCH,ADJU

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Interface Treatment: Add offset
• Press-fit and Threaded
connector problems have their
initial surfaces penetrating
• Challenge – resolve the initial
interference
• Use Add offset options
– Ramped effects – for large
interferences (hint: do not apply
any other load)
– No Ramped effects – for small
interferences
• An Alternative: defined offset
in tabular format via time
Press Fit example – ANSYS Learning Hub Link

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What is next? – Future Webinars

✓ Contact Stabilization Damping

✓ Time Step Controls
✓ Solver Settings
✓ Contact tool
✓ Worksheet
✓ Result tracker
✓ Newton Raphson residuals
✓ Other connections (Joint, Beam, Bearing, Spring)

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 Where can I find more information?

• ANSYS Basic Structural Nonlinearity – Module 4 (Link)

• ANSYS Advanced Connections (Course materials)
• ALH: Learn from the Experts ( application examples, tutorials, how-to-videos, etc. Link )
• ANSYS Knowledge resources ( www.ansys.com > customer portal > log in > …)

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 Thank you
We would like to hear from you about these
webinars and training materials.

Contact us at:
training@ansys.com
saeid.enayatpour@ansys.com

37 ©2020 Ansys, Inc. /

 Get Better Answers Webinar Series

April 14, 2020 - Overview and Modeling Studies

April 28, 2020 - The initial model
May 12, 2020 - Analysis Type and Basic Assumptions
May 26, 2020 - Element Type Selection
June 9, 2020 - Meshing Decisions
June 23, 2020 - Material Model Selection
Link to the past recorded webinars:
July 8, 2020 - Contact Definition and Other Connections - Register
July 21, 2020 - Loads and Boundary Conditions - Register
August 6, 2020 - Post Processing - Register
https://jam8.sapjam.com/blogs/show/iE4BxshcouH8ySK57b7aQO

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