Limit movement of a node 1

[GeorgeEllwood]

Hello,
I'm wondering if it is possible to limit the movement of a node in ANSYS APDL? Without resorting to contact analysis or subroutines.
I'm working on a problem where the component I'm will be displaced, in real life once it reaches a certain point it will come into contact with another component which will limit it's motion.
Is there a way to include this as a boundary condition? This is analagous to a pin moving in a slot.
I.e. say the node is in position (0,0,0) and it moves only in the x direction. Is there a way I can tell ANSYS to allow the node to move freely in x until it reaches say (1,0,0) and then to tell ANSYS not to allow it to go any further?
I can restrict the movement in the y and z directions using the D command. I'm not sure if there any MPC commands that could be used for a constraint equation. One of the problems could be ANSYS would have to know in real time the position of the node without post processing, which could suggest using a subroutine. However I've not managed to get ANSYS working with a subroutine as yet and was wondering if there is a different way to do it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
George

 

[meshparts]

Hi George,

I would take a look at the MPC184 joint elements in the Ansys Manual. The elements can also have some movement limits defined.

MESHPARTS
Tuning Your Simulation

http://www.meshparts.de

 

[GeorgeEllwood]

Thanks Meshparts, I'd seen that the MPC184 elements could set stops or locks on movement. I'll have a think about how they could be implemented in my routine.