Surface Interaction: Surface Behavior Tab

The Surface Behavior tab allows you to create *SURFACE BEHAVIOR cards with optional parameters and corresponding data lines. The supported optional parameters are: No separation and Pressure overclosure. Options vary according to the selection made in the Pressure overclosure drop down.

surface_interaction_tab

Five types of pressure-overclosure are supported:

Hard

In the 2D/3D template, selecting this option provides four new radio buttons: Augmented lagrange, Direct, Penalty, and None.

•	If Penalty is selected, select whether the penalty is linear or nonlinear and enter the corresponding information in the fields that appear.

•	In the Explicit template, there are no data lines needed for this option.

Exponential

There are three fields to define the data line for this option. They are: Clearance at zero contact pressure, Pressure at zero clearance and Direct (for 2D/3D templates only) or maximum stiffness (for explicit only).

Linear

There are two fields to define the data line for this option. They are Direct (for 2D/3D templates only) and Slope of the pressure-overclosure curve.

Tabular

There is a table available for defining the data line values for this option. You need to input the number of data lines required at the Number of data lines entry box. Clicking the corresponding Set button will update the table to have the specified number of rows. For inputting values in the table, click on a cell to make it active and write down the values from keyboard. The table works like a regular spread sheet.

You can also read comma delimited data from a text file by clicking Read from file. This button opens a file browser window. Select the file and click Open to export the comma delimited data. The row number is set to the number of data lines found in the file.

Note:

•	Right-click in the table to display a pull-down menu containing copy, cut and paste options. Comma delimited data can be copied/cut into or pasted from the clipboard using these options. Hot keys, for example, CTRL-C, CTRL-X and CTRL-V on PC, can also be used.

•	Left-click in a cell to activate the cell. Click in an active cell to move the insertion cursor to the character nearest the mouse.

•	The SHIFT and CTRL keys can be used with a left mouse click to select multiple items in a table.

•	Press CTRL and the left or right arrow key to move the cursor within the active cell. Use the left, right, up and down arrows to change the active cell.

•	Press BACKSPACE to delete the character before the insertion cursor in the active cell. If multiple cells are selected, Backspace deletes all selected cells.

•	Press DELETE to delete the character after the insertion cursor in the active cell. If multiple cells are selected, Delete deletes all selected cells.

•	Table columns can be resized by positioning the cursor along a column border, pressing the left or right mouse button, and dragging the border to a new position.

Scale Factor

Modify the default contact stiffness by a scale factors.

Available only in the Explicit user profile.

Refer to the Abaqus Online Documentation for a detailed description of these parameters.