The following table identifies the supported formulations and whether symmetry is respected for the various contact geometries.
| Contact Geometry | Face (Scope = Contact) | Edge (Scope = Contact) | Vertex (Line Bodies
Only) (Scope = Contact) |
| Face (Scope = Target) |
Symmetry Respected: Yes Contact Element: CONTA171 |
Symmetry Respected: No Contact Element: CONTA175 |
Symmetry Respected: No Contact Element: CONTA175 |
| Edge (see notes below) (Scope = Target) |
Not Supported for solving. Contact Element: CONTA175 |
Symmetry Respected: No |
Symmetry Respected: No Contact Element: CONTA175 Limitation: You can scope an edge of a solid or surface body to the vertex of a line body. However, you cannot scope the edge of a line body to the vertex of another line body. |
| Vertex (Scope = Target) |
Not Supported for solving. |
Not Supported for solving. |
Not Supported for solving. |
Note: In 2D analyses, only edge-edge contact is supported (the equivalent of 3D face-face contact).
- Beam-to-Beam (Edge-Edge) Contact Requirements and Restrictions
Note the following requirements for beam-to-beam (edge-edge) contact:
Beam-to-Beam (Edge-Edge) contact is supported by structural analyses only (static, transient, modal, harmonic, etc.).
The application uses contact element CONTA177.
During contact detection, the contact and target surface are assumed to be the surface of a cylinder. The application automatically calculates the equivalent circular radius based on the associated geometry of the underlying elements.
Any defined beam offsets on the line bodies are not taken into account for the contact calculations.