Fallback Nodes for Contact
When a Contact node is added to a Solid Mechanics interface, it always contains one subnode, Free. This is the default fallback condition on the part of the boundary where contact is not established. For the Shell, Layered Shell and Membrane interfaces, no default fallback condition is added. By right-clicking the Contact node, you can add a new fallback condition. The most common case is when there is a pressure load acting on the part of the boundary that is currently not in contact. In this case you would add a Boundary Load or Face Load fallback feature. The Contact node in the Layered Shell interface has no fallback features.
For a Solid Mechanics interface:
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If you add an ordinary Boundary Load node after a Contact node and use the same boundary selection, the load will be applied also to the part of the boundary that is in contact. In most cases, this is not a physically correct behavior.
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If a Boundary Load node appears before a Contact node in the model tree, the load on the common selection will be ignored, irrespective of whether the boundary actually is in contact or not.
For a Shell or Membrane interface:
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A Face Load node that have the same boundary selection as the Contact node is always applied to the entire boundary.