With regards to simulating debonding or delamination via cohesive zone modeling (CZM) there is some overlap between the use of INTER20x elements and CONTA17x elements.
INTER20x elements require shared topology between the two debonding bodies, while contact allows for different mesh densities between the two bodies.
The CZM damage initiation and evolution criteria for both INTER20x and CONTA17x are described in Section 4.11 of the MAPDL Theory Manual.
The CZM Debonding Parameter (DPARAM) and Fracture Energies (DENERI and DENERII) can be post processed via ETABLE command (ETABLE,lab,nmisc, ).
Please refer to the CONTA17x element Documentation for the appropriate NMISC values.
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