{"id":170723,"date":"2023-06-05T07:05:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T07:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/"},"modified":"2023-07-31T12:33:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T12:33:38","slug":"what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other","status":"publish","type":"topic","link":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/","title":{"rendered":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space.  Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger than the Pinball Radius. It must be noted that if there is an initial gap between the contacts, relative displacement at any location would be (final gap &#8211; initial gap).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-170723","topic","type-topic","status-publish","hentry","topic-tag-18-2","topic-tag-general","topic-tag-mechanical","topic-tag-structural-mechanics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.10 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 4.9.10\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ansys Knowledge | Ansys Innovation Space\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-05T07:05:01+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-31T12:33:38+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic\\\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/topics\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Topics\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/topics\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Topics\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/topics\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic-tag\\\/structural-mechanics\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"structural-mechanics\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic-tag\\\/structural-mechanics\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"structural-mechanics\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic-tag\\\/structural-mechanics\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic\\\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/topics\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Topics\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic\\\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic-tag\\\/structural-mechanics\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"structural-mechanics\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ansys Knowledge\",\"description\":\"Ansys Innovation Space\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic\\\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic\\\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge\",\"description\":\"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/forums\\\/topic\\\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-05T07:05:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-31T12:33:38+00:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ansys Knowledge\",\"description\":\"Ansys Innovation Space\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/innovationspace.ansys.com\\\/knowledge\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO -->\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge","description":"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger","canonical_url":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/topics\/#listItem","name":"Topics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/topics\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Topics","item":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/topics\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic-tag\/structural-mechanics\/#listItem","name":"structural-mechanics"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic-tag\/structural-mechanics\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"structural-mechanics","item":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic-tag\/structural-mechanics\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/#listItem","name":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/topics\/#listItem","name":"Topics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/#listItem","position":4,"name":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic-tag\/structural-mechanics\/#listItem","name":"structural-mechanics"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/#organization","name":"Ansys Knowledge","description":"Ansys Innovation Space","url":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/","name":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge","description":"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/#breadcrumblist"},"datePublished":"2023-06-05T07:05:01+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-31T12:33:38+00:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/#website","url":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/","name":"Ansys Knowledge","description":"Ansys Innovation Space","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Ansys Knowledge | Ansys Innovation Space","og:type":"article","og:title":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge","og:description":"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger","og:url":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/","article:published_time":"2023-06-05T07:05:01+00:00","article:modified_time":"2023-07-31T12:33:38+00:00","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:title":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other? | Ansys Knowledge","twitter:description":"Contact Gap tool measures gap between contact and target faces provided the maximum gap is less than the Pinball Radius. If Pinball Radius is smaller than the gap, it is not stored in the results file to save the space. Relative Displacement extension can be used in case of large deformation leading to gaps larger"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"170723","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":null,"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":null,"og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":null,"robots_max_videopreview":null,"robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":null,"local_seo":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"created":"2025-10-18 01:18:55","updated":"2026-07-30 01:48:45","ai":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/topics\/\" title=\"Topics\">Topics<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic-tag\/structural-mechanics\/\" title=\"structural-mechanics\">structural-mechanics<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tWhat is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge"},{"label":"Topics","link":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/topics\/"},{"label":"structural-mechanics","link":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic-tag\/structural-mechanics\/"},{"label":"What is difference between Gap tool (in Contact tool under Post Processing) compared to the Relative Displacement (ACT extension)? When should one be using one or the other?","link":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/forums\/topic\/what-is-difference-between-gap-tool-in-contact-tool-under-post-processing-compared-to-the-relative-displacement-act-extension-when-should-one-be-using-one-or-the-other\/"}],"acf":[],"custom_fields":[{"0":{"_wp_page_template":["default"],"_bbp_last_active_time":["2\/6\/2023 20:20"],"_bbp_forum_id":["27789"],"_bbp_author_ip":["209.182.204.162"],"_btv_view_count":["2263"],"siebel_km_number":["2049088"],"product_version":["18.2"],"km_published_date":["2017-04-10T00:00:00.000Z"],"family":["Structural Mechanics"],"application_name":["Mechanical"]},"test":"articlesansys-com"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics\/170723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/topic"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics\/170723\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovationspace.ansys.com\/knowledge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}