![](../icons_C2/common/areference.gif) |
A Contact Virtual Part
is a rigid body connecting a specified
point to specified part geometries, behaving as a
mass-less rigid object
which will transmit actions (masses, restraints and loads) applied
at the handle point, while preventing from body inter-penetration
and thus without stiffening the deformable body or
bodies to which it is attached.
The Contact Virtual Part does take into account the elastic
deformability of the parts to which it is attached.
The program proceeds as follows:
![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) | a node is created in coincidence with the specified handle point. |
![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) | each node of the specified geometry supports meshes is offset in the
local normal direction by a small amount and a contact element is
generated between each pair of offset nodes, generating a set of
contact relations with a right-hand side equal to the user-defined
clearance. |
![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) | each offset node is connected by a
kinematical rig-beam element to the handle node. |
![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) | a set of rig-beam relations is generated between the handle node
degree of freedom and the connected
offset nodes degree of freedom. |
Thus, the Contact Virtual Part generates as many rig-beam kinematical elements
and as many contact elements as
there are nodes on specified support meshes.
The Contact Virtual Part is built with Rigid Spider and
Contact Rod elements.
![](images/aaImageVirtualPartContact3.gif)
To know more about those elements, see Rigid
Spider and Contact
Rod in the Finite Element Reference Guide.
For more information, see paragraph further below called "More
Details for Advanced Users".
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Contact Virtual Parts can be applied to the following types of Supports:
![](../icons_C2/common/iconblck.gif)
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This task shows how to
create a Contact Virtual Part between a point and a geometry support.
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You can use the sample28.CATAnalysis
document from the samples directory
for this task:
Finite Element Model containing a Static Analysis Case and computed corresponding Static
Solution. A Part Design point was created on the
associated CATPart document.
Before You Begin:
Go to View -> Render Style -> Customize View and make
sure the Shading, Outlines and Materials options are active in the Custom View Modes
dialog box.
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1. Click the Contact Virtual Part icon .
The Contact Virtual Part dialog box is displayed.
2. Select a face of the part as a geometry
support.
![](images/aaImageVirtualPartContact.gif)
3. Position the cursor on the Handler field in the Contact Virtual
Part dialog box and select a point for the handler point (the handler point symbol
appears as your cursor passes over it).
![](images/aaImageVirtualPartContact1.gif)
If you do not specifically select a point, the centroid (the point at
which the lines meet) will be used as the handler point.
Optionally enter a clearance value in the Clearance field.
![](images/aaPanelVirtualPartContact2.gif)
4. Click OK to create the Contact Virtual
Part.
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![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) | When several virtual parts share a same handler point, only one
finite element node is generated.
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The symbol appearing at the handler point
represents the Contact Virtual Part.
![](images/aaImageVirtualPartContact2.gif)
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A Contact Virtual Mesh object appears in the
specification tree under the active Nodes and Elements objects set.
![](images/6treevirtualcontact.gif)
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![](../icons_C2/common/ainfo.gif) |
![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) | You can select several geometry
supports. |
![](_themes/v5r5/ul1.gif) |
The Contact Virtual Part will connect all support offset nodes to the
handle point
into a rigid body and transmit all actions via contact conditions between
offset nodes and supports. |
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