Using Surface Traction to Evaluate Reaction Forces

As an alternative method, you can obtain values of the reaction forces on constrained boundaries by using boundary integration of the relevant components of the surface traction vector.


	For 2D components, multiply the surface traction by the cross section thickness before integrating to calculate the total reaction force.

Two different types of surface traction results can be computed in COMSOL Multiphysics:

The first type, contained in the variables interface.Tax, is computed from the stresses. It is always available. Since the surface traction vector is based on computed stress results, this method is less accurate for computing reactions than the other methods.

The second type, contained in the variables interface.Tracx, is computed using a method similar to the weak constraints, but without introducing the Lagrange multipliers as extra degrees of freedom. The accuracy is high, but there is an extra computational cost. These traction variables are computed only if the check box in the section is selected for the Solid Mechanics interface.


	In case of geometric nonlinearity, the two types of traction variables are interpreted differently. The interface.Tax variables are based on Cauchy stress, and contains a force per current area. If you integrate them you must use the spatial frame. The interface.Tracx variables are based on First Piola-Kirchhoff stresses and contains a force per undeformed area. An integration must then be done on the material frame.