Can quadratic C3D20 elements be used during contact simulation

[Gan Khongwui]

Dear all,

I want to carry out contact simulation of a composite specimen with a
cylindrical indenter. I just want to know if quadratic C3D20 elements can be
used in contact interaction (ie surface-to-surface or node-to-surface
interaction). I wish to increase the accuracy of my simulation results,
hopefully by using quadratic elements.

Regards,
Khong

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Erdem Kabadayi]

"Second-order elements can sometimes cause problems with “hard” contact when direct enforcement is used because of the way these elements calculate consistent nodal loads for a constant pressure.'' /abaqus documentation/
 
It is recommended to use first order hexahedral elements for contact surfaces, therefore I suggest you use C3D8I elements instead of C3D20.
 
It is also possible to use modified second order tetrahedral elements (C3D10M) for contact problems. "These elements are designed to be used in complex contact simulations" /abaqus documentation/
 
Best regards
 
Erdem

--- 22/06/11 Çar tarihinde Gan Khongwui <***@yahoo.com>

Kimden: Gan Khongwui <***@yahoo.com>
Konu: [Abaqus] Can quadratic C3D20 elements be used during contact simulation
Kime: ***@yahoogroups.com
Tarihi: 22 Haziran 2011 Çarşamba, 22:43

Dear all,

I want to carry out contact simulation of a composite specimen with a
cylindrical indenter. I just want to know if quadratic C3D20 elements can be
used in contact interaction (ie surface-to-surface or node-to-surface
interaction). I wish to increase the accuracy of my simulation results,
hopefully by using quadratic elements.

Regards,
Khong

[fcn_public]

Hi Khong,

Post by Gan Khongwui
I want to carry out contact simulation of a composite specimen with a
cylindrical indenter. I just want to know if quadratic C3D20 elements
can be used in contact interaction (ie surface-to-surface or node-to-
surface interaction). I wish to increase the accuracy of my
simulation results, hopefully by using quadratic elements.

quadratic elements might increase the accuracy of your simulations for the material part (i.e. inside the bodies you are simulating), but not (or not necessarily) for contact interaction. In your case, you are probably better off by increasing the mesh density in the regions you want more accuracy. In my experience, a good "normal density" mesh is better than a mediocre dense mesh, even with 10x more elements, so consider improving your mesh too, not only its density.

Hope this helps,
Fernando