Create Contacts Using the Contacts Tool

The Contacts tool allows you to create a contact force between two bodies, a body and deformable curve or a deformable surface, or between two deformable curves or two deformable surfaces.

  1. From the Model Browser, select the system to which the contact is to be added.
  2. Right-click on a system in the Model Browser and select Add > Force Entity > Contact from the context menu.
    OR
    Right-click on a contacts folder in the Model Browser and select Add Contact from the context menu.
    OR
    From the Model ribbon, click the Contacts icon .
    The Contacts guide bar is displayed.
  3. Choose a contact combination from the drop-down menu choices.
    Figure 1.


    Option Sub choices Description
    3D Body - Body Use this combination to capture contact forces between two rigid or flexible bodies in a 3D frame.
    Body - Deformable Curve Use this combination to capture contact forces between a rigid or a flexible body and a deformable curve in a 3D frame.
    Body - Deformable Surface Use this combination to capture contact forces between a rigid or a flex body and a deformable surface in a 3D frame.
    Deformable Curve - Deformable Curve Use this combination to capture contact forces between two deformable curves in a 3D frame.
    Deformable Surface - Deformable Surface Use this combination to capture contact forces between two deformable surfaces in a 3D frame.
    2D Rigid to Rigid Contact Use this type of contact to capture contact forces between rigid bodies moving relative to each other in a 2D plane.
    Point to Deformable Surface Contact Use this type of contact to capture contact forces between a deformable surface and a sphere of radius (r), where the sphere belongs to a second body.
  4. If 3D or 2D Rigid to Rigid contact types are selected:
    1. Select the first reference (Body or Deformable Curve Graphic or Deformable Surface Graphic).
      • Select a reference in the modeling window.

        OR

      • On the guide bar, click the Advanced Selector and make your selection in the Model Tree.
    2. Select the second reference (Body or Deformable Curve Graphic or Deformable Surface Graphic).
      • Select a reference in the modeling window.

        OR

      • On the guide bar, click the Advanced Selector and make your selection in the Model Tree.
    If Point to Deformable Surface contact type is selected:
    1. Select the body reference (Body 1).
      • Select a body in the modeling window.

        OR

      • On the guide bar, click the Advanced Selector and make your selection in the Model Tree.
    2. Select a point reference (Origin).
      • Select a point in the modeling window.

        OR

      • On the guide bar, click the Advanced Selector and make your selection in the Model Tree.
    3. Select a Deformable Surface. On the guide bar, click the Advanced Selector and make your selection in the Model Tree.
  5. Optional: Click to reset the entity selections and select new entities.
  6. Once the reference selections are made, create the Contact using one of the following methods:
    • Click on the guide bar and use the microdialog to manage the contact options.
    • Click the button that appears at the mouse location in the modeling window and use the microdialog to manage the contact options.
    • Click to create the entity and exit the guide bar selections for this Contact.
    Once a contact entity has been added to the model, the entity will be in edit mode and its microdialog will appear in the modeling window. The Entity Editor for the contact will also displayed in the Entity Editor area.