After completing a search for potential contact pairs, Abaqus/CAE populates the contact pair candidates table with all of the parameters necessary to create interactions. Names are provided for the contact pair and any created surfaces. Table 15–1 outlines the naming algorithm.
Table 15–1 Algorithms used to create names in the contact detection tool.
| Contact pairs | Prefix-Contact_pair_number-Master_instance-Slave_instance |
| Master surfaces | Prefix-Contact_pair_number-Master_instance |
| Slave surfaces | Prefix-Contact_pair_number-Slave_instance |
| Merged master surface | Prefix-All-m |
| Merged slave surface | Prefix-All-s |
| Merged “all” surface | Prefix-All |
The default parameters supplied to contact pairs by the contact detection tool are slightly different than the defaults used in the traditional interaction or constraint editor. Most notably, the contact detection tool initially assigns surface-to-surface discretization to each contact pair instead of node-to-surface discretization. See “Mesh tie constraints,” Section 30.3.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Manual, and “Contact formulations in Abaqus/Standard,” Section 33.1.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Manual, for a discussion of surface discretization and the associated constraint enforcement methods.
The default surface adjustment options depend on the separation between the surfaces in a contact pair. You can use the Rules tabbed page before performing a search to control the default adjustment options that are assigned to detected contact pairs. You can also use this page to specify a separation tolerance within which all contact pairs default to tie constraints. For more information about the Rules page, see “Defining default contact pair parameters” in “Specifying search criteria for contact detection,” Section 15.16.1.
Table 15–2 lists the default contact pair parameters supplied by Abaqus/CAE. You can edit each parameter individually before creating interactions and constraints. For detailed instructions on editing parameters and defaults, see “Reviewing and modifying detected contact pairs,” Section 15.16.3.
Table 15–2 Default contact pair parameters for the contact detection tool.
| Parameter | Default Value |
|---|---|
| Active/suppressed | Active |
| Type1 | Interaction |
| Sliding | Finite sliding |
| Discretization | Surface-to-surface |
| Interaction Property | The first contact Interaction Property listed in the Interaction Property manager2; if no Interaction Properties have been created, this parameter is blank |
| Adjust1 | Off for contact interactions between nonintersecting surfaces; 0 for contact interactions between intersecting surfaces; On for tie constraints |
| Creation step | Initial |
| Surface smoothing | Automatic |
| 1Defaults for the Type and Adjust parameters are controlled by the Rules options. | |
| 2The Interaction Property manager lists all created Interaction Properties alphabetically by name. | |
Note: Some of the parameters discussed above are not visible in the contact pair candidates table by default. Click mouse button 3 anywhere in the table, and select Edit Visible Columns to control which parameters appear in the table.
For more information about interaction and constraint parameters, see “Mesh tie constraints,” Section 30.3.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Manual; “Defining contact pairs in Abaqus/Standard,” Section 31.3.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Manual; and “Defining contact pairs in Abaqus/Explicit,” Section 31.5.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Manual.