Contact model for pipeline and seabed

[elbow1]

Ansys has three contact capabilities: node to node, node to surface and surface to surface. if i want to model line-to-surface, which one i should use? In the contact wizard, there is option of line to surface. So it belones to surface to surface?
I model a pipeline contacts with seabed. In contact wizard, i pick the line for pipeline and surface for seabed to build the line-surface contact pair. but the result is funny, seems no contact occour at all. I suspect whether it is correct to model this phenomenon, or i make some other wrong for contact parameters.

Any suggestion welcome. thanks.

 

[Drej]

You will probably see large stress raisers, similar to Hertzian contact, but you need to use the node to surface type contact here I suspect. That is unless your contact occurs at the same nodal points and there is no sliding: then you can use node to node (good ol' fashioned gaps). If you use node to surface contact, make sure your mesh is adequate i.e. similar mesh density for both surfaces, adequate mesh density, etc. See also

http://www.ANSYS.net

for an excellent primer on contact types in ANSYS.

Cheers,

-- drej --

 

[femfriend]

why dont u try PIPE59 element for the above puprpose with node to node contact for the sea bed. i have already used it for my Tripod under water dtructure model .

U can even apply diffrent wave theories usign this element

all the best#
cheers

femfriend