Script Tip Friday- Adding contact tools to the solution branch for all contacts

Welcome back to another week and another great Script Tip. This one was presented to us by Mark Lytell, a Staff Engineer 2, Mechanical from Chamberlain Group, LLC. Thanks Mark!

"Below is a demonstration on how you can add contact tools to the solution brand for all contacts:

Functions

-Create a contact tool for a single contact containing Pressure, Frictional Stress, Sliding Distance, Penetration and Gap for a list of times

import time

StartTime = time.time()

model = ExtAPI.DataModel.Project.Model
	analysis = model.Analyses[0]
	analysis_settings = analysis.AnalysisSettings
	n = analysis_settings.NumberOfSteps             # number of time steps
	DISP_TIMES = [analysis_settings.GetStepEndTime(i) for i in range(1, n+1, 1)]        

Get all nonliner connections and contacts

conns = model.Connections
	contacts = conns.GetChildren(DataModelObjectCategory.ContactRegion, True)
	linear_contacts = [ContactType.Bonded, ContactType.NoSeparation]
	#contacts = [c for c in contacts if c.ContactType not in linear_contacts]
	#supp_conts = [c for c in contacts if c.Suppressed]        

Contact names and IDs:

contNames = [i.Name for i in contacts
	contIDs = [i.ObjectId for i in contacts]]        

Create contact tool for each contact:

def createContactTool(contactID, lstContID, contName, dispTimes):        

-Create a contact tool for a single contact containing Pressure, Frictional Stress, Sliding Distance, Penetration and Gap for a list of times

Parameters:

contactID : int (the ID of the contact for which to create the tool)

lstContID : list of ints (list of contact IDs for all contacts in the model)

contName : string (the name of the contact for which the tool is created)

dispTimes : list of Quantities (list of analysis times for which to display contact tools)

Returns:

Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.PostContactTool (The newly created post processing contact tool)

Add contact tool:

contact_tool = analysis.Solution.AddContactTool()        

Scope only to single contact ID (These lines are unsupported beta features contact_tool.InternalObject.AddScopedContact(contIDs[130])):

[contact_tool.InternalObject.RemoveScopedContact(i) for i in lstContID if i != contactID]        

Rename the contact tool:

contact_tool.Name = "Contact Tool - " + contName
print("Contact tool name: " + contact_tool.Name)        

Create contact Status, Pressure, Frictional Stress, Penetration and Gap for each time in dispTimes for idx, time in enumerate(dispTimes):

        # Status
	        if idx == 0:
	            status = contact_tool.GetChildren(DataModelObjectCategory.ContactStatus, True)[0]
	        else:
	            status = contact_tool.AddStatus()
	        status.DisplayTime = time
	        status.Name = "Status - " + str(time)
	        
	        # Pressure
	        pressure = contact_tool.AddPressure()
	        pressure.DisplayTime = time
	        pressure.Name = "Pressure - " + str(time)
	        
	        # Frictional Stress
	        fric_stress = contact_tool.AddFrictionalStress()
	        fric_stress.DisplayTime = time
	        fric_stress.Name = "Frictional Stress - " + str(time)
	        
	        # Penetration
	        pene = contact_tool.AddPenetration()
	        pene.DisplayTime = time
	        pene.Name = "Penetration - " + str(time)
	        
	        # Gap
	        gap = contact_tool.AddGap()
	        gap.DisplayTime = time
	        gap.Name = "Gap - " + str(time)
	        
	        # Sliding Distance
	        slide_dist = contact_tool.AddSlidingDistance()
	        slide_dist.DisplayTime = time
	        slide_dist.Name = "Sliding Distance - " + str(time)
	        
	    return contact_tool
	

	with Transaction():         # Suppress GUI update until complete to speed the process
	    # Create contact tools and collect in a list
	    contact_tools = [createContactTool(id, contIDs, name, DISP_TIMES) for id, name in zip(contIDs, contNames)]
	    # contact_tools = [createContactTool(id, contIDs, name, DISP_TIMES) for id, name,c  in zip(contIDs, contNames, contacts) if not c.Suppressed]        

Put all contact tools into a group folder:

group = Tree.Group(contact_tools)
	group.Name = "Contact Tools"
	

	Tree.Activate([analysis.Solution])
	

	#print(str(time.time() - StartTime))        

We hope you enjoyed this week's Script Tip. Do YOU have a great script tip you'd like to share? Comment on the post and someone from Ansys will reach out and get more information so you can be featured next!