Step 1: Start-up and preliminary set-up

Create a folder

Create a folder called contact at a convenient location. We'll use this

folder to store files created during the ANSYS session.

Start ANSYS

Start > Programs > ANSYS 7.1 > Configure ANSYS Classic

Enter the location of folder contact as your Working directory.

Specify diskscontact as your Initial jobname. Click on Run.

Resize the ANSYS windows as shown in this screen arrangement so that

you can read instructions in the browser window and implement them in
ANSYS.

Set Preferences

Main Menu > Preferences

In the Preferences for GUI Filtering dialog box, click on the box next
to Structural so that a tick mark appears in the box. Click OK.

Recall that this is an optional step that customizes the graphical user
interface so that only menu options valid for structural problems are
made available during the ANSYS session.

Enter Parameters

For convenience, we'll create scalar parameters corresponding to the

principal radii of curvature of the upper and lower disks R1, R1', R2 and
R2', load p, material properties E, =nu and the initial interference
between the disks, inter.

In static analysis, rigid body motion occurs when a body is not sufficiently
restrained. As a result, impractical and excessively large displacements
may occur. Furthermore, in problems where rigid body motions are
constrained only by the presence of contact, it is critical to ensure that
the bodies (and contact pairs) are in contact in the initial geometry. In
other words, you want to build your model so that the bodies (and
contact pairs) are "just touching." The definition of initial contact is
perhaps the most important aspect of building a contact analysis model.
For this reason, we will define a scalar parameter (inter) to specify the
amount of initial interference between the disks and build the geometry
so that the disks are just touching.

Utility Menu > Parameters > Scalar Parameters

Enter the parameter value for R1:

R1=60
Click Accept.

Similarly, enter the other parameter values and click Accept after each.

R1p=130
R2=80
R2p=200
inter=1e-5
p=4500
E=2e5
nu=0.29
Step 2: Specify element type and constants
Specify Element Type

We will use SOLID92 elements to mesh the upper and lower disks. This is
a 3D 10-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid element.

Main Menu > Preprocessor> Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...

This brings up the Library of Element Types menu. Select Structural

Solid in the left field and Tet 10node 92 in the right field. Click OK.

In contact problems, one needs to identify the surfaces that are expected
to come into contact, and group them into either "contact" surfaces or
"target" surfaces. There are various guidelines for defining contact and
target surfaces. One of them is size. If one surface is larger than the
other surface, the larger surface should be the target surface.

For our problem, there are two surfaces that are expected to come into
contact. These are the curved areas that are initially in contact at the
point of contact. We will define the curved surface of the lower disk to be
the target surface (larger of the two). As a result, the curved surface of
the upper disk will be the contact surface.

Once the contact and target surfaces are identified, the next step is to
select the contact and target elements. The contact elements will overlay
the solid elements (SOLID92) and will describe the boundary of the upper
disk (contact surface) that is expected to come into contact with the
lower disk (target surface). Think of the contact elements as the skin of
the surface that is expected to come into contact. Let's take a look at the
different elements available.

Close the Element Types menu.

Utility Menu > Help > Help Topics

Select the Index tab and type in contact analysis as the keyword.
Double-click on Contact analysis which should be the first topic listed.
This brings up the Chapter 10 Contact help page. Click on ANSYS
Contact Capabilities which is the third topic from the top. Note that
ANSYS supports three types of contact models: node-to-node, node-to-
surface, and surface-to surface. Each type of model uses a different set of
contact elements. Table 10.1 summarizes the different elements
available.

For our problem, the initial interaction between the disks is at a point.
However, we expect the surfaces of the disks to come into contact once
the force is applied. If you read the ANSYS Contact Capabilities help
page, you will find that CONTA175 is one of the node-to-surface contact
elements that can be used to represent contact between a node and a
surface or between two surfaces. This element also supports 3-D
structural contact analysis, as shown in theContact Capabilities table
(10.1), and we'll use it to mesh the contact surface.

For the target surface, we can use

either TARGE169 or TARGE170 elements. Since TARGE169 elements
support 2-D analysis and TARGE170 support 3-D analysis, we will
use TARGE170 elements to mesh the target surface.

Main Menu > Preprocessor> Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...

This brings up the Library of Element Types menu, select Contact in the
left field and 3-D target 170 in the right field. Click Apply.

Select Contact in the left field and pt-to-surf 175 in the right field.
Click OK.

Close the Element Types menu.

Specify Element Constants

Main Menu > Preprocessor> Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete > Add

This brings up the Element Type for Real Constants menu with a list of
the element types defined in the previous step.

Select SOLID92 and click OK. You should get a note "The SOLID92
element type does not require real constants". Take a look at the help
pages for SOLID92, under SOLID92 Input Summary, and you will find
that there are no real constants to be specified for this
element. Close the warning message.

Now, let's look at the real constants for TARGE170. Click on Add.
Select TARGE170 and click OK.
Real constants R1 and R2 define the geometry of the target elements. For
contact problems, it is recommended to first try using the default
settings, and then change them if difficulties are encountered or the
analysis has special situations. ANSYS will default R1 and R2 to zero once
the target elements are generated. We'll use the default values for our
analysis. Click Cancel.

Now, let's look at the real constants for CONTA175. Click on Add,
select CONTA175 and click OK.

As you can see, ANSYS uses several real constants to control contact
behavior. As in the previous case, we'll use the default values set by
ANSYS for our analysis. Refer to the help page for CONTA175, for a
detailed description of the real constants for this element.

Note that for some of the real constants, such as FKN and FTOLN, you
can specify either a positive or a negative value. ANSYS interprets a
positive value as a scaling factor and a negative value as the absolute
value.

Click Cancel and then Close the Real Constants menu.

Save your work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Step 3: Specify material properties

Main Menu > Preprocessor >Material Props > Material Models ....

This brings up the Define Material Model Behavior menu. Double-

click on Structural, Linear, Elastic, and Isotropic.

We'll use the previously defined parameter names to specify the material
properties. Enter E for Young's modulus EX,nu for Poisson's Ratio PRXY.
Click OK.
To double-check the material property values, double-click on Linear
Isotropic under Material Model Number 1 in the Define Material Model
Behavior menu. This will show you the current values
for EX and PRXY. Cancel the Linear Isotropic Properties window.

When you enter parameter names, ANSYS substitutes the corresponding

parameter values as soon as you click OKor Apply.

This completes the specification of Material Model Number 1. Close

the Define Material Model Behavior menu.

Save your work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Step 4: Specify geometry

Because of the inherent symmetry of the model, we'll perform the analysis
on a quarter of the volumes only. Recall that =0 (i.e. angle between the
planes in which radii R1 and R2 lie is zero). As a result, the upper and lower
volume have the same orientation, when viewed from the top.

We'll generate the volumes by first creating two base areas and then
rotating them about an axis/line. The base area for the upper disk is shown
in purple and the axis of rotation in red in the figure below.

We will define the origin of the coordinate system to be at the point of

contact.

Create Keypoints

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS

In order to build the geometry so that the disks are just touching, we will
use scalar parameter inter. We'll specify all the keypoints from which the
upper base area will be generated, to be displaced in the negative y direction
by a distance inter.

Enter the keypoint locations:

Keypoint 1: X=0, Y=0, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 2: X=R2, Y=-R2, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 3: X=R2, Y=-R2p, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 4: X=0, Y=-R2p, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 5: X=0, Y=-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 6: X=R1, Y=R1-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 7: X=R1, Y=R1p-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 8: X=0, Y=R1p-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 9: X=0, Y=-R2, Z=0, Click Apply.

Keypoint 10: X=0, Y=R1-inter, Z=0, Click OK.

Create Lines

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines >In Active
Coord

This brings up the Lines in Active Coord pick menu.

Start by creating the line between keypoints 2 and 3. Click on keypoint 2

and then keypoint 3. Similarly, create lines between keypoints 3 & 4, 4 & 1,
6 & 7, 7 & 8 and 8 & 5.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Arcs > By End
KPs & Rad

This brings up the Arc by End KPs & Rad pick menu.

Start by creating the arc between keypoints 6 and 5. Click on keypoint 6 and
then keypoint 5. These are the keypoints at start and end of arc. Click OK.
Then, click on keypoint 10. This is the keypoint on the center-of-curvature
side and plane of arc. Click OK.

This brings up the Arc by End KPs and Radius menu. Enter R1 for RAD
Radius of the arc. The other parameters (keypoints at start, end and
center of curvature) are automatically selected and we don't need to change
them. ClickApply.

Similarly, create the arc between keypoints 2 and 1, using keypoint 9 as the
center-of-curvature and R2 as the RAD Radius of the arc.
At this point we have all the lines and arcs needed to create the areas.

Create Areas

Main Menu > Preprocessor >Modeling > Create > Areas > Arbitrary > By
Lines

This brings up the Create Area by Lines pick menu. Select lines 4, 5, 6 and 7
to create the upper area. Click Apply. Similarly, select lines 1, 2, 3 and 8 to
create the lower area. Click OK.

Note that you can also generate the areas by creating two squares and two
circular sectors, and then adding them using boolean operations. This
method generates the same end result.

Create Volumes

To create the volumes, we will rotate each of the areas about a line/axis.

Main Menu > Preprocessor >Modeling > Operate > Extrude > Areas > About
Axis

This brings up the Sweep Areas about Axis pick menu. In the Input window,
ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter areas to be swept about axis". Select the
upper area (1) and click OK. ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter two keypoint
defining the axis". Select keypoint 8 first and then keypoint 7, click OK.

This brings up the Sweep Areas about Axis menu. This menu allows you to
specify the angle by which the area will be rotated about the axis. Clearly,
we want to rotate the area 90 degrees to generate the volume, but there are
two options: +90 or -90. The sign is determined by the keypoint selection
made in the previous step. Since we selected keypoint 8 first and then
keypoint 7, the axis goes from 8 to 7. As a result, we want to rotate the area
+90 degrees (use the right hand rule to visualize this) so that the area is
rotated in the negative z direction. Enter 90 for ARC Arc length in
degrees. Since we don't want segments or divisions in the volume,
enter 0 for NSEG No. of volume segments. Click Apply.
Repeat the same procedure to generate the lower volume. Start by selecting
the lower area (2). Click OK. Then select keypoint 3 first and then keypoint
4, click OK. In the following menu, enter 90 for ARC Arc length in
degrees and 0for NSEG No. of volume segments. Click OK.

If you did this correctly, you will see that both areas are rotated 90 degrees
in the negative z direction. Note that the key step here is to specify a
rotation angle consistent with your selection of initial and final keypoints,
following the right hand rule.

Save Your Work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Step 5: Mesh geometry

We'll start by meshing the upper and lower disks
using SOLID92 elements . Then, we'll mesh the target and contact
surfaces using TARGE170 elements and CONT175 elements respectively.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > MeshTool

This brings up the MeshTool.

Set Meshing Parameters

We'll now specify the element type, real constant set and material
property set to be used in the meshing of the upper and lower volumes.
Make sure Global is selected under Element Attributes and click
on Set.

This brings up the Meshing Attributes menu. You will see

that PLANE92 and material number 1 are already selected. Also, recall
that no real constants need to be specified for PLANE92 element type.
Click OK.

Set Mesh Size

We'll use the SmartSize option which enables automatic element sizing.
Click on the SmartSize checkbox so that a tickmark appears in it. Change
the setting for the overall element size level to 1 by moving the slider
underSmartSize to the left.

Mesh Volumes

In the MeshTool, make sure Volumes is selected in the drop-down list

next to Mesh. We'll use tetrahedral elements, so make sure the default
option of Tet is selected under Shape. We'll also use the default
of Free meshing.
Click on the Mesh button. This brings up the Mesh Volumes pick menu.

In the Input window, ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter volumes to be

meshed". Since both volumes are to be meshed, click on Pick All. The
geometry is meshed and the elements are plotted in
the Graphics window.

Mesh Target Surface

Before meshing the target surface, we need to select the nodes attached
to the surface of the lower disk that are expected to come into contact
with the upper disk. Since only a small area of the lower disk is expected
to come into contact with the upper disk, we will select only the nodes
near the point of contact and define the target surface with these nodes.
To do this we will use "select logic".

First, we'll select the target area and then the nodes attached to this area
and located above the y=-2 plane. As we will see in the results, only a
subset of the nodes located above the y=-2 plane actually come into
contact with the upper disk.
In contact problems, the target surface is modeled through a set
of target segments/elements. Several target elements comprise one
target surface. These target elements will define the surface of the lower
disk that is expected to come into contact with the upper disk.

Utility Menu > Select > Entities

Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top. Make sure By
Num/Pick is selected below that. Click Apply.

Hold down the left mouse button until area 8 is selected. Area 8 belongs
to the lower disk and is the curved area that will come into contact with
the upper disk once the force is applied. You might need to rotate the
view to be able to select this area. Click OK in the pick menu.

Verify that area 8 has been selected: Utility Menu > Plot > Areas.

Next we'll select the nodes attached to this area. In the Select
Entities menu, select Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top
and Attached to below that. Select Areas, All below that. Click Apply.

Check that only nodes attached to area 8 are currently selected: Utility
Menu > Plot > Nodes

Next we'll select the nodes located above the y=-2 plane.
In the Select Entities menu, make sure Nodes is selected in the pull-
down menu at the top and select By Locationbelow that. Select Y
coordinates below that and enter -2,0.5 as the Min,Max. Then
select Reselect below that since we want to select a subset of the
already selected nodes. Click OK.

Check that only nodes above the y=-2 plane are currently
selected: Utility Menu > Plot > Nodes

We'll now mesh the selected nodes using TARGE170 elements.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Elem
Attributes
This brings up the Element Attributes menu. Select 2
TARGE170 for Element type number. Note that the material number is
defaulted to 1 as this the only one available. Also, recall that we did not
define any real constants for this element. Click OK. We have now
specified the element type to be used for the meshing of the target
surface.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Surf
/Contact > Surf to Surf

This brings up the Mesh Free Surface menu. We'll use the default
settings. Click OK.

This brings up the Mesh free Surfaces pick menu. In the Input window,
ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter node for contact elements ". Since we
have already selected the nodes, click Pick All.

The target surface is meshed and the elements are plotted in

the Graphics window.
In solving contact problems, where you expect large displacements or
where you don't know where contact might occur between bodies, you
want to start by selecting as many nodes as possible to capture all
regions where contact may occur. At the same time, you want to keep
the number of selected nodes as small as possible to reduce the time to
generate a solution. Contact problems are highly nonlinear and require
significant computer resources to solve. In most cases, it is best to use
an iterative approach in order to reach an appropriate number of nodes
and build an efficient model.

Mesh Contact Surface

We'll now mesh the contact surface. Again, we'll start by selecting the
nodes attached to the surface of the upper disk that are expected to
come into contact with the lower disk. In this case, we'll select the
contact area first and then the nodes attached to this area and located
below the y=1.5 plane.

First, we need to undo the selections of areas and nodes we made in the
previous step. Select everything: Utility Menu > Select > Everything.

Utility Menu > Select > Entities

Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top and By

Num/Pick below that. Select From Full below that. ClickApply.

Hold down the left mouse button until area 4 is selected. Area 4 belongs
to the lower body and is the curved area that will be in contact with the
lower/target body once the force is applied. You might need to rotate the
view to be able to select this area. Click OK in the pick menu.
Verify that area 4 has been selected: Utility Menu > Plot > Areas.

Next we'll select the nodes attached to this area. In the Select
Entities menu, select Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top
and Attached to below that. Select Areas, All and From Full below
that. Click Apply.

Check that only nodes attached to area 4 are currently selected: Utility
Menu > Plot > Nodes

Next we'll select the nodes located below the y=1.5 plane.

In the Select Entities menu, make sure Nodes is selected in the pull-
down menu at the top and select By Locationbelow that. Select Y
coordinates below that and enter -0.5,1.5 as the Min,Max. Then
select Reselect below that since we want to select a subset of the
already selected nodes. Click OK.

Check that only nodes below the y=1.5 plane are currently
selected: Utility Menu > Plot > Nodes

We'll now mesh the selected nodes using CONTA175 elements.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Elem
Attributes

This brings up the Element Attributes menu. Select 3

CONTA175 for Element type number. Note that the material number
and the real constant set number are both set to 1. ANSYS has set the
various real constants to their default values and created real constant
set 1. Click OK. Close the warning message that appears. We have now
specified the element type to be used for the meshing of the contact
surface.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Surf
/Contact > Node to Surf

This brings up the Mesh Free Surface menu. Click OK.

This brings up the Mesh free Surfaces pick menu. In the Input window,
ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter node for contact elements ". Since we
have already selected the nodes, click Pick All.

The target surface is meshed and the elements are plotted in

the Graphics window.
Before we move to the next step, we need to undo the selections of areas
and nodes we have made. Select everything: Utility Menu > Select >
Everything.

Step 6: Specify boundary conditions

As in previous tutorials, we'll apply the loads to the geometry rather than
the mesh.

One important change to note is that instead of applying force P to the

lower disk, we'll constrain the lower surface of the lower disk in the
vertical (y) direction in order to sufficiently constrain the model and avoid
rigid body motion.

Apply Symmetry Boundary Conditions

We'll apply symmetry boundary conditions along the planes of symmetry.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural
> Displacement > Symmetry B.C. > On Areas

Select the four areas that define the planes of symmetry by clicking on
them.
Click OK. The symbol s appears along these areas indicating that
symmetry B.C.s have been applied.

Apply Displacement Constraints

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural
> Displacement > On Areas
This brings up the Apply U,Rot on Areas pick menu. Select the bottom
area of the lower disk (x-z plane). Click OK.

This brings up the Apply U,Rot on Areas menu. Select UY for the DOFs
to be constrained and enter 0 for theDisplacement value. Click OK.

Apply Force

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural
> Force/Moment > On Keypoints

This brings up the Apply F/M on KPs pick menu. Select keypoint 8 on the
upper body and click OK. This brings up theApply F/M on
Keypoints menu. Select FY for the Direction of force/mom. Enter -
p/4 for Force/Moment value and click OK. A single red arrow denotes
the force and the direction in which it is acting. Note that we have divided
the total force P=4500N by four to account for the fact that only a
quarter of the volumes are being modeled.
Apply Coupled BCs

We will apply a coupled boundary condition to the upper area of the

upper disk to ensure that all nodes attached to this area move equally as
a result of the applied load.

Utility Menu > Select > Entities

Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top and By

Num/Pick below that. Select From Full below that. ClickApply.

Hold down the left mouse button until area 6 is selected. Area 6 is the
upper area (x-z plane) of the upper disk. ClickOK.

Next we'll select the nodes attached to this area. In the Select
Entities menu, select Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top
and Attached to below that. Select Areas, All below that. Click OK.

Verify that only nodes attached to area 6 are currently selected: Utility
Menu > Plot > Nodes

We'll now apply a coupled boundary condition to the selected nodes.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Coupling/Ceqn > Couple DOFs

This brings up the Define Coupled DOFs pick menu. In the Input window,
ANSYS tells you to "Pick or enter nodes to be coupled". Since we have
already selected the nodes, click Pick All.

This brings up the Define Coupled DOFs menu. Enter 1 for Set reference
number which is an arbitrary number. SelectUY for Degree-of-
freedom label as we want to couple the movement of the nodes in the y
direction. This step ensures that all nodes on the upper surface will move
equally as a result of the applied load. Click OK.

Before we move to the next step, we need to undo the selection of nodes
and areas we have made. Select everything: Utility Menu > Select >
Everything.

Step 7: Solve!
As mentioned in step 1, the definition of initial contact is perhaps the
most important aspect of building a contact analysis model. Before we
start the solution, we'll verify the initial contact status. Issue the following
command in the ANSYS Command Input window: cncheck
This feature lists the initial status of contact pairs and provides a
summary of the contact problem we have set up. Note that an initial
penetration of 1E-5 has been detected. This is consistent with the value
of parameter inter=1e-5,which we set up at the beginning of the tutorial.
Also, note that 1 contact pair is selected.

Define Solution Control Options

We'll specify the analysis option as a static analysis in which large

deformation effects are to be included. To do this, we'll use the Solution
Controls menu.

Main Menu > Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Controls

This brings up the Solution Controls menu. Select Large Displacement

Static for Analysis Options. Under Time Control, enter 100 for Time
at end of loadstep and select off from the Automatic time
stepping drop-down menu. Click OK.
Solve

We are now ready to solve:

Main Menu > Solution

Issue check in the ANSYS Command Input window. If the problem has
been set up correctly, there will be no errors or warnings reported. If you
look in the Output window, you should see the message: The analysis
data was checked and no warnings or errors were found.

Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS

Review the information in the /STATUS Command window. Close this

window. Click OK in Solve Current Load Stepmenu.

ANSYS performs the solution and a yellow window should pop up saying
"Solution is done!". Close the yellow window. You should get the following
screen, which shows that the solution has converged.
Verify that ANSYS has created a file called diskscontact.rst in your
working directory. This file contains the results of the (previous) solve.

Step 8: Postprocess the Results

Enter the postprocessing module to analyze the solution.

Main Menu > General Postproc

Plot Nodal Solution of Von Mises Stress

Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot results > Contour Plot > Nodal
Solu

This brings up the Contour Nodal Solution Data menu. Select Stress from
the left list, von Mises SEQV from the right list and click OK. Zoom in at
the point of contact.
The contour plot also shows the locations of the maximum and minimum
values with the labels MX and MN, respectively. As you can see, the
upper and lower disks have deformed and come into contact.

List Maximum Compressive Stress

To determine the max principal stress we'll list the principal stresses.

Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution

This brings up the List Nodal Solution menu. Select Stress from the left
list, Principals SPRIN from the right and clickOK.

The first three columns list the first, second and third principal stresses at
each node. Scroll all the way down in this window.
As you can see, the maximum principal stress is -1574.9. Recall that the
the applied force was specified in Newtons (p=4500N) and the geometry
in mm. As a result, the max principal stress has units of N/mm 2. Also
note that the value is negative, which tells us that the max stress is a
compressive stress. This is what one would expect based on the loading
conditions.

In addition, the max compressive stress is located at node 4 (Third

principal stress S3) which belongs to the lower disk and is the node
initially in contact with the upper disk. This is also consistent with what
one would expect based on the geometry and loading conditions.

List Maximum Displacements

To determine the approach (i.e. total distance through which the two
bodies move towards each other as a result of load P) we'll list the
displacements of all nodes in the y direction.

Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution

This brings up the List Nodal Solution menu. Select DOF solution from
the left list, Translation UY from the right and click OK.
The approach can be determined by finding the total displacement of a
node attached to the upper surface of the upper disk. Since all the nodes
attached to the upper area will be equally displaced as a result of the
coupled boundary condition, we can look at the displacement of any node
attached to the upper surface.

Nodes 7 and 10 are attached to the upper area of the upper disk. From
the list above we can see that the displacement of these nodes is the
same and has a value of -0.2525e-01. Recall that the geometry was
specified in mm. As a result, the displacement has units of mm.
Therefore, the approach or total distance through which the two bodies
move towards each other is 0.0252 mm.

Step 9: Validate the results

Theoretical Results

We will compare the solution obtained with ANSYS with the expected theoretical values.

Max Prin Stress

. Approach

Theory -1667N/mm2
0.0258mm

-1574.9N/mm2
ANSYS 0.0252mm
As we can see, the value for the approach obtained with ANSYS compares
well with the theoretical value (less than 3% variation). The max principal
stress also compares well with the theoretical value (less than 6%
variation).

Refine Mesh

We will repeat the calculations on a mesh with a refined element size

level near the point of contact to check the validity of the solution.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh Tool

Select Clear under Mesh and Pick All in the pick menu. The mesh is
deleted.

In addition to deleting the mesh, we need to delete the target and

contact elements and associated nodes.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Delete > Elements

This brings up the Delete Elements pick menu. Select Pick All.

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Delete > Nodes

This brings up the Delete Nodes pick menu. Select Pick All.

We will now re-mesh the geometry.

In the MeshTool menu, make sure Global is selected under Element

Attributes and click on Set. Select 1 SOLID92for Element type
number. Then, make sure the overall element size level is set
to 1 under SmartSize. Also, make sure Volumes is selected in the drop-
down list next to Mesh and the default options of Tet and Free meshing
are selected under Shape. Click on the Mesh button and click on Pick
All.

In the MeshTool, select KeyPoints in the drop-down list next to Refine

at:. Click on the Refine button. This brings up the Refine mesh at
Keypoints pick menu. Enter 1 under List of items and hit Enter
(keyboard). Then, enter 5 and clickOK. Recall that keypoints 1 and 5 are
located at the point of contact. Keypoint 1 belongs to the lower disk and
keypoint 5 to the upper disk. We selected both keypoints as we want to
refine the mesh on the upper and lower disks.
This brings up the Refine Mesh at keypoint menu. This menu allows us to
select the level of refinement we want to achieve. We'll use the minimal
option of 1(Minimal), which is the default. Click OK.

The mesh is now refined around the selected nodes.

We now need to re-mesh the target and contact surfaces. To do this,

repeat the steps described in step 5. We also need to re-apply the
coupled boundary condition to the upper area of the upper disk. To do
this, repeat the steps described in step 6.

Obtain a new solution: Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS

You should get screen similar to the one presented in step 7, showing
that the solution has converged.

List the principal stresses: Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results
> Nodal Solution

Select Stress from the left list, Principals SPRIN from the right and
click OK.

Scroll all the way down in this window. You will find that the new
maximum principal stress is -1694.5N/mm2.

List the principal maximum displacements: Main Menu > General

Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution

Select DOF solution from the left list, Translation UY from the right
and click OK.

You will find that the new displacement for nodes attached to the upper
area of the upper disk is again the same and has a value of -0.25800E-01
=0.0258 mm.
We can now compare the new results with the results previously obtained.

Max Prin Stress

. Approach

Theory -1667N/mm2
0.0258mm

ANSYS Coarse 0.0252mm -1574.9N/mm2

-1694.5N/mm2
ANSYS Fine 0.0258mm

The new value obtained for the approach is the same as the theoretical
value. Also, the new value for the max principal stress varies by less than
2% with respect to the theoretical value. This indicates that even though
both meshes provide adequate resolution, the finer mesh generates more
accurate results.

Exit ANSYS

Utility Menu > File > Exit

Select Save Everything and click OK.

Reference