How to Allow Steel Balls to Move in a Container (Particle Damper) – ANSYS Workbench Transient Analysis

[Sandra_N]

Hi everyone,
I’m modeling a multi-storey building in ANSYS Workbench, with a container mounted on the roof that holds steel balls acting as a particle damper. The analysis is set up in both Modal and Transient Structural environments.
The issue I’m facing is:

• The balls do not move during the transient analysis — they behave as if they’re fixed inside the container.
• I’ve tried bonded contact (restricts motion) and frictional contact (causes the solver to fail).
• I also used a mesh connection, but it gets suppressed during the run.

I want the balls to move freely within the container when a displacement is applied at the base of the structure. Has anyone successfully simulated this kind of particle motion or damper behavior in Workbench?