How to Define Contact for Structural Impact

When to use this guide

Use this guide when setting up contact in an explicit FEA model of a structural impact event.

Step-by-step method

1. Select surface-to-surface contact with erosion support for the impactor-target interface
2. Define the impactor as the master surface and the target as the slave surface
3. Set the friction coefficient — use test data or a conservative value
4. Set the contact stiffness — balanced between penetration accuracy and numerical stability
5. Set the penetration tolerance — a few percent of the element edge length
6. Enable self-contact on the target if folding, petalling or large deformation is expected
7. Enable erosion contact to include internal surfaces exposed by element deletion
8. Run a short test analysis and check for contact chatter, interpenetration and contact energy

Related Knowledge

• Contact Algorithm Selection in Explicit FEA
• Contact Mechanics in High-Rate Impact