template contacts fem - differences between various software

[dario__3]

Hello, everyone, I'll put the problem on you.
I modeled with sw simulation a set consisting of a frame a flange and one against flange. The analysis I developed is a linear structural static analysis with perfectly elastic materials. I have three components inside the axieme. in a first analysis I shaped the contacts between the components (two to two in contact with each other therefore in total 2 contacts) with a formulation without computation and coefficient of known friction. I also inserted screw connectors. the axieme is symmetrical compared to a plane therefore I have inserted a bond of symmetry. Congruent quality mesh. I have treated mesh a lot to have few distorted elements and few elements with aspect ratio greater than 5. the mesh has about a million knots with 64000 elements and about 3 million degrees of freedom. calculation time with a direct solutor about 12 hours. the steel mass of the frame in half is around 2.5 tons. I ran the study with the same setting by suppressing all screwed links, all contacts and entering the only global contact. 10 minutes solution time.
Now I wonder if such an important time expansion is mainly due to software that uses non-efficiency algorithms or is inherent in the particular fem model. in other words using another software would I have experienced the same time expansion?
if you need more information do not hesitate to ask.
Thank you.

 

[Matteo]

you are in the field of nonlinear analysis, so it counts a lot the way the system is bound (an image would help a lot).

in general the contacts of this type are well managed by the software you use and the size of the mesh does not look huge (but also depends on the hardware).

 

[meccanicamg]

but he writes that basic is a linear simulation and I don't think it has the additional module for nonlinear analysis.
Without a doubt, inserting frictions and connections add a high set of load relations between the components and for this reason the calculation time rises dramatically.
Try in the same conditions to raise the size of the mesh and do a fine mesh control only where you need it. You will see that you will halve the times surely.