Creating the interactions

In this section you will create three mechanical surface-to-surface contact interactions. Each interaction will refer to the interaction property that you just created. You are given the option to define the interactions either automatically or manually. Please follow the instructions for one method or the other. If you choose to try both, be sure to delete or suppress any duplicate contact interactions that result.

This task shows you how to:

Create the interactions automatically

  1. From the main menu bar, select InteractionFind contact pairs.

  2. In the Find Contact Pairs dialog box, click Find Contact Pairs.

    Five potential contact pairs are identified.

  3. In the Contact Pairs region of the dialog box:

    1. Click the name of each contact pair to highlight it in the viewport. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the contact interactions that have been chosen.
    2. Contact pairs are defined between the rounded end of each hinge flange and the flat face opposite it. These contact pairs are not necessary. Thus, delete them (to delete a contact pair, select it and click mouse button 3; from the menu that appears, select Delete).
    3. Identify the contact pair between the hinge with the hole and the pin. Rename the interaction HingePin-hole.
    4. Identify the contact pair between the solid hinge and the pin. Rename the interaction HingePin-solid.
    5. Rename the remaining interaction Flanges. If necessary, switch the master and slave surface designations so that the surface associated with the hinge with the hole is the master surface and the one associated with the solid hinge piece is the slave surface (click mouse button 3 on the surface name; from the menu that appears, select Switch surfaces).

      Tip: You can view the master and slave instance names to aid in the surface designation. Click mouse button 3 anywhere on the table, and select Edit Visible Columns. From the dialog box that appears, toggle on Master instance name and Slave instance name.

    6. Accept all default settings except for the contact discretization. Select the column heading labeled Discretization, and click mouse button 3. From the menu that appears, select Edit Cells. In the dialog box that appears, select Node-to-surface, and click OK.
    7. Click OK to save the interactions and to close the dialog box.

Create the interactions manually

  1. In the Model Tree, click mouse button 3 on the Interactions container and select Manager from the menu that appears.

    The Interaction Manager appears.

  2. From the lower-left corner of the Interaction Manager, click Create.

    The Create Interaction dialog box appears.

  3. In the dialog box:

    1. Name the interaction HingePin-hole.
    2. Select Initial from the list of steps.
    3. In the Types for Selected Step list, accept the default selection of Surface-to-surface contact (Standard).
    4. Click Continue.

    The Region Selection dialog box appears containing a list of the surfaces that you defined earlier.

    Note:

    If the Region Selection dialog box does not appear automatically, click the Surfaces button on the far right side of the prompt area.

  4. In the Region Selection dialog box, select Pin as the master surface, and click Continue.

  5. From the buttons in the prompt area, select Surface as the slave type.

  6. In the Region Selection dialog box, select Inside-h as the slave surface, and click Continue.

    The Edit Interaction dialog box appears.

  7. In the dialog box:

    1. Accept the default Sliding formulation selection of Finite sliding.
    2. Change the discretization method to Node to surface.
    3. Accept the default Slave Adjustment selection of No adjustment.
    4. Accept NoFric as the interaction property. (If more properties were defined, you could click the arrow next to the Contact interaction property field to see the list of available properties and select the property of your choice.)
    5. Click OK to save the interaction and to close the dialog box.

      The interaction that you created appears in the Interaction Manager.

  8. Use the same techniques explained in the previous steps to create a similar interaction called HingePin-solid. Use Pin as the master surface, Inside-s as the slave surface, and NoFric as the interaction property.

  9. Create a similar interaction called Flanges. Use Flange-h as the master surface, Flange-s as the slave surface, and NoFric as the interaction property.

  10. From the Interaction Manager, click Dismiss to close the manager.