Contact output variables in Abaqus 1

[Staszkinson]

Hello,
My question is about contact output variables in Abaqus and differences between them.
I need to find what part of my model is in contact, to do that I use CSTATUS(visualisation) and CPRESS(visualisation & node values) variables. I can simply vizualize this output.
The problem is with CNAREA variable, in visualisation module(scale 1:1) at the some stage of my analysis there IS NO contact between pairs, CSTATUS=0 and CPRESS=0 in my whole model, but CNAREA is not zero.

I thought that if there is no any contact CNAREA should be equal to zero too, but it isn't.
Where is the problem?

Thank You!

 

[IceBreakerSours]

How do you know CNAREA is not equal to zero?

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=376

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=1083

 

[Staszkinson]

I have checked that on visualisation module. My model is in [m] units.

 

[IceBreakerSours]

Well, do you notice how small the values are? We are talking about tens of micrometers here. Can't you take that to be effectively zero?

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=376

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=1083

 

[Staszkinson]

Thanks for the answer.
Yes, I have noticed that, but I was nor sure if my approach(assume this values as zero) was correct. I was a little bit suprised

So if I'm not wrong, in the end I assume that the true contact between this two pairs is at the brink of my cantilever.

Thank You, your post are very helpful.

 

[IceBreakerSours]

By the way, the legend in the image that you had uploaded, I imagine, must have been for averaged values. Unaveraged nodal values may be somewhat different.

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=376

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=1083