Contact Join

Join element allows connecting a node and a face of an element.

Related Topics
Contact Property
Attributes
Type join element
Physical property Contact Property
Mesh connectivity SPIDER
Number of nodes 1 slave, n-1 masters
Degrees of freedom (per node) depends on the dimension
Type of behavior kinematics

Mesh visualization:

The relations are obtains in the following way:

  • Compute the projection of the slave node (N1) on the surface defined by n-1 master nodes.
  • Interpolate the displacement of the projected point (P) using the shape function of the face defined by the master nodes.
  • Impose a minimal clearance between the slave node (N1) and the projected node (P) in the direction given by the property.



The projected point (P) is a conceptual point, that means it is never created. The displacement of this point is always expressed in terms of displacement of the master nodes through interpolation.