Creating Pressure Fitting Connection Properties

A pressure fitting connection property is the link between two part bodies that are assembled in a press-fit configuration. Two common approaches are used to model the initial press fit: gradual resolution of an initial interference or gradual forcing apart of initial contact to open a gap. In both cases large contact pressure results between the parts. Pressure fitting connection properties take into account the elastic and plastic deformability of the material.

Since part bodies can be meshed independently, pressure fitting connection properties are designed to handle incompatible meshes.

You can use a general analysis connection or a Contact or Coincidence assembly constraint to define the surfaces that are interacting. For more information, see Specifying Contact Surfaces. You cannot create a pressure fitting connection property between surfaces of two-dimensional surface parts. Table 6–4 summarizes the constraints and connections that can be used to define a pressure fitting connection in Abaqus for CATIA V5.

Table 6–4 Pressure fitting connection properties.

Assembly Design WorkbenchAbaqus for CATIA V5
Coincidence ConstraintContact ConstraintGeneral Analysis Connection

For each node on the “slave” surface Abaqus attempts to find the closest point on the “master” surface of the contact pair where the master surface's normal passes through the node on the slave surface. This normal is considered the contact direction.

This task shows you how to create a pressure fitting connection property between two parts.

  1. Click the Pressure Fitting Connection Property icon .

    The Pressure Fitting Connection Property dialog box appears, a Pressure Fitting Connection Property object appears in the specification tree under the Properties objects set, and a Pressure Fitting Connection Mesh object appears in the specification tree under the Nodes and Elements objects set.

  2. You can change the identifier of the pressure fitting connection property by editing the Name field.

  3. In the specification tree, select a general analysis connection or a Contact or Coincidence assembly positioning constraint to apply to the pressure fitting connection property.

    The Supports field is updated to reflect your selection. The first surface specified in the connection or constraint is used as the master surface in the contact pair; the second surface is used as the slave surface.

  4. Enter a value for the minimum normal clearance in the Overlap field.

    • Use a positive overlap value when the surfaces are initially in contact. The surfaces are pressed apart gradually over the time period of the step to reach this overlap value.

    • Use a zero overlap value when the surfaces are initially overclosed. Automatic shrink fit contact interference is used to resolve the overclosure gradually over the time period of the step.

    • A negative overlap value is not allowed.

    Underclosed nodes may cause solution problems; therefore, you should always model the parts as just fitting or overlapped.

    The coordinates of overclosed nodes are adjusted in the output database; however, these coordinates are not adjusted in CATIA V5. Therefore, when you view the results of the analysis, the displacements are applied to the original coordinates rather than the adjusted ones.

  5. Click OK in the Pressure Fitting Connection Property dialog box.

    A symbol representing the pressure fitting connection property appears on the corresponding faces.