Changing Contact Type between Load Steps — Lesson 4

How can I change the contact type between load steps during an analysis? For instance, I want to have a bonded contact during the first load step and change it to frictionless in the second load step.

In Ansys software version 19.0 and later, you can right-click on the analysis branch in the Outline and insert a "Contact Step Control." You can then create both bonded and frictionless contact types in the model with the same scoping selections. Use the "Contact Step Control" to activate the bonded contact in the first step (alive) and kill it in the second load step (dead). Use another "Contact Step Control" to deactivate the frictionless contact in the first load step and activate it in the second load step. These status changes are done in the table of the "Contact Step Control,” to the right, not in the Details of the feature. In Ansys Mechanical 18.2 and earlier, it must be done entirely with command snippets. The EKILL and ELIVE commands can be used.

Insert a command snippet under a contact as follows:  

mcid=cid  

mtid=tid  

 Then under the analysis branch insert a command snippet:  

esel,s,type,,mcid  

esel,a,type,,mtid  

ekill,all  

allsel,all  

You can set the load step for which the command snippet applies in the Details field.