After performing a search for contact pairs (described in “Specifying search criteria for contact detection,” Section 15.16.1, and “Performing a search for contact pairs,” Section 15.16.2), you have the opportunity to review the search results before creating interactions and tie constraints. The search results are presented in the contact pair candidates table: each contact pair comprises a row in the table; each column represents a parameter of the contact pair definition. Default values are provided for every necessary interaction parameter.
Use the following procedures to review and modify the contact pair definitions:
As a visual aid, toggle on Highlight in viewport to highlight specified entities on your model in the viewport. Select the entities you want to highlight:
Selected pairs
Highlights the surfaces involved in the contact pair or pairs that are currently selected in the contact pair candidates table. The master surface is highlighted in red; the slave surface is highlighted in magenta. For axisymmetric or spherical surfaces, Abaqus/CAE also displays the axis of symmetry or spherical center for the surface; the axis or center point is used in surface smoothing calculations if they are applied (see “Modifying contact pair definitions” below).
Selected master surfaces
Highlights the assigned master surfaces in the contact pair or pairs that are currently selected in the contact pair candidates table. For axisymmetric or spherical surfaces, Abaqus/CAE also displays the axis of symmetry or spherical center for the surface; the axis or center point is used in surface smoothing calculations if they are applied (see “Modifying contact pair definitions” below).
Selected slave surfaces
Highlights the assigned slave surfaces in the contact pair or pairs that are currently selected in the contact pair candidates table. For axisymmetric or spherical surfaces, Abaqus/CAE also displays the axis of symmetry or spherical center for the surface; the axis or center point is used in surface smoothing calculations if they are applied (see “Modifying contact pair definitions” below).
Search domain
Highlights the part instances in the model specified by the current Search domain field (see “Specifying general search options for contact detection” in “Specifying search criteria for contact detection,” Section 15.16.1).
Selected pairs + search domain
Highlights both the currently selected contact pairs and the entire search domain.
A number of options are available to configure the display of the contact pair candidates table. You can customize the table to display only those elements that are essential to your modeling goals.
To customize the contact pair candidates table display:
Toggle on Show previously created interactions and ties to add any previously defined contact interactions and tie constraints to the contact pair candidates table. You can edit previously defined interactions and ties in the same manner as newly detected contact pairs.
To limit the table display to only those contact pair candidates whose name contains a particular string, type that string in the Name filter field and press [Enter]. Click 
to see examples of valid filtering syntax.
Abaqus/CAE still creates interactions and constraints for contact pair candidates that are hidden by a filter.
Add or remove columns from the table display as necessary:
Click mouse button 3 anywhere on the contact pair candidates table, and select Edit Visible Columns from the menu that appears.
The Edit Visible Columns dialog box appears.
In the Edit Visible Columns dialog box, toggle on the columns you want to display; toggle off the columns you want to hide:
Suppression
Indicates whether the contact pair will be active or suppressed upon creation (see “Creating suppressed interactions and constraints”). This column is hidden by default.
Name
Displays the name of the contact pair. This column is displayed by default.
Separation
Displays the distance between the two surfaces in the contact pair (see “The contact detection algorithm,” Section 15.6.2). This column is displayed by default.
Master surface name
Displays the name of the surface acting as the master in the contact pair. This column is hidden by default.
Slave surface name
Displays the name of the surface acting as the slave in the contact pair. This column is hidden by default.
Master instance name
Displays the name of the part instance on which the master surface is located. This column is hidden by default.
Slave instance name
Displays the name of the part instance on which the slave surface is located. This column is hidden by default.
Type
Indicates whether Abaqus/CAE is creating a contact interaction or a tie constraint for the contact pair. This column is displayed by default.
Sliding
Indicates the tracking approach used in the contact interaction formulation. This column is displayed by default.
Discretization
Indicates the surface discretization used in the contact interaction or tie constraint formulation. This column is displayed by default.
Property
Indicates the contact interaction property used in the contact formulation. This column is displayed by default.
Adjust
For contact interactions, displays the range within which slave nodes will be adjusted to lie precisely on the master surface. If nodes in a set are being adjusted, this column displays the name of the set.
For tie constraints, indicates whether or not all tied slave nodes will be adjusted to lie precisely on the master surface.
This column is displayed by default.
Create step
Displays the name of the step in which Abaqus/CAE is activating the contact interaction or tie constraint. This column is hidden by default.
Surface smoothing
Indicates whether or not surface smoothing is applied to axisymmetric or spherical surfaces in the contact pair (see “Smoothing contact surfaces in Abaqus/Standard,” Section 38.1.3 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Guide). This column is displayed by default.
Do one of the following:
Click OK to apply the settings and to close the Edit Visible Columns dialog box.
Click Apply to apply the settings and to leave the Edit Visible Columns dialog box open.
Click Cancel to ignore any changes and to close the Edit Visible Columns dialog box.
Sort the table contents according to parameter values by clicking the column heading for the parameter of interest. An up arrow in the column heading indicates the values are listed in ascending order; a down arrow indicates the parameter values are listed in descending order.
You should review the contact pair candidates in the contact pair candidates table to ensure the surfaces involved are accurate and sufficient for your modeling needs. Click on each contact pair name with the Highlight in viewport option toggled on to see the locations of each potential surface interaction or tie. If necessary you can add, remove, or modify the contact pair candidates.
To modify the list of contact pair candidates:
Add a row to the table for any unidentified contact pairs you would like to include in your model:
Click mouse button 3 anywhere in the contact pair candidates table, and select Add from the menu that appears. You can also click the 
button above the contact pair candidates table.
Select a master surface in the viewport, and click OK in the prompt area.
For details on surface selection, see Chapter 6, “Selecting objects within the viewport.”
Select a slave surface in the viewport, and click OK.
Abaqus/CAE adds a contact pair candidate row to the contact pair candidates table based on the surfaces you selected. Default values are provided for each column in the row.
Remove any contact pair candidates that are not necessary for your modeling purposes. Click mouse button 3 anywhere on the row representing the contact pair candidate you want to remove, and select Delete from the menu that appears. You can also click the row you want to remove and then click the 
button above the contact pair candidates table.
If multiple contact pairs will use identical parameters in their contact interaction or tie constraint definition, you can combine them into a single contact pair:
In the contact pair candidates table, highlight the rows representing the contact pairs you want to combine (see “Selecting multiple items from lists and tables,” Section 3.2.11, for instructions on selecting multiple rows in a table).
Click mouse button 3 on any highlighted cell, and select Merge from the menu that appears. You can also click the 
button above the contact pair candidates table.
Abaqus/CAE replaces the selected contact pairs with a single contact pair. The selected master surfaces are merged into a single surface, and the selected slave surfaces are merged into a single surface. The merged contact pair uses the parameters from the selected contact pair that appeared highest in the contact pair candidates table.
Note: When combining contact pairs, the resultant merged surfaces must meet the orientation and connectivity requirements discussed in “Defining contact pairs in Abaqus/Standard,” Section 36.3.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Guide, and “Defining contact pairs in Abaqus/Explicit,” Section 36.5.1 of the Abaqus Analysis User's Guide.
The contact pair candidates table presents all of the identified contact pair candidates in a format that allows you to easily review and modify the parameters of each contact pair definition. Abaqus/CAE supplies default values for each parameter of the contact pair definition (see “Default interaction and constraint parameters,” Section 15.6.3). You can customize some of the default parameter settings to suit your modeling needs by using the Rules tabbed page (see “Defining default contact pair parameters” in “Specifying search criteria for contact detection,” Section 15.16.1). However, you may still need to modify some parameters manually before creating interactions and constraints. The Rules options cannot account for such modeling issues as the appropriateness of small-sliding contact or assignment of varying frictional contact properties. You also may need to swap the assignment of master and slave roles in contact pairs to ensure continuity and robustness.
To modify a parameter, change the value that is displayed in the corresponding cell of the contact pair candidates table. You modify cell values in one of four ways:
To change a name parameter, click on the cell and type a new name. The old name is overwritten as you type.
For cells that accept specific values, first click the cell to activate it. Then click the arrow next to the cell and select the desired value from the list that appears.
For cells that require more detailed information to define the parameter, double-click the cell and enter the appropriate information in the dialog box that appears.
For all cells other than name parameters, click mouse button 3 on the cell and select Edit Cells from the menu that appears. You can also click the cell and then click the 
button above the contact pair candidates table. Enter the appropriate information in the dialog box that appears.
Separation
Master Instance
Slave Instance
Each row of the contact pair candidates table represents a single contact pair candidate. The following instructions apply to a single row. Repeat them as often as necessary for each row in the table. For instructions on editing parameters for multiple contact pair candidates simultaneously, see “Miscellaneous review procedures.”
To modify contact pair definitions:
In the Name column, change the name of the contact pair, if desired.
In the Master Surface or Slave Surface column, change the name of the generated master surface or slave surface, if desired.
Note: The Master Surface and Slave Surface columns are not displayed in the contact pair candidates table by default. See “Configuring the layout of the contact pair candidates table” for instructions on adding these columns to the table.
Click mouse button 3 on any cell in the row, and select Switch Surfaces from the menu that appears to reverse the role of the master and slave surfaces for the selected contact pair. You can also click the row and then click the 
button above the contact pair candidates table. (To determine the role assignments in a contact pair, see “Confirming search results in the viewport.”)
To indicate whether a contact interaction or a tie constraint is created for the contact pair candidate, select Interaction or Tie in the Type column.
You cannot change the Type for previously created tie constraints or interactions that include node-based regions.
To specify the tracking approach that will be used in an Abaqus/Standard contact formulation, select a value in the Sliding column:
Select Finite to use the finite-sliding tracking approach.
Select Small to use the small-sliding tracking approach.
To specify the surface discretization that will be used in a contact or tie formulation, select a value in the Discretization column:
Select Node-Surf to use node-to-surface discretization.
Select Surf-Surf to use surface-to-surface discretization.
For contact interactions, select the interaction property in the Property column.
If the appropriate contact property is not available, you can create a new one:
Click mouse button 3 anywhere in the contact pair candidates table, and select Create Property from the menu that appears.
Abaqus/CAE opens the interaction property editor.
Create a contact interaction property as described in “Defining a contact interaction property,” Section 15.14.1.
When you have finished using the interaction property editor, the property you created will be available under the Property column in the contact pair candidates table.
Abaqus/CAE ignores the Property column when creating tie constraints.
Use the adjustment options to reposition a slave surface (or portions of a slave surface) precisely onto the master surface at the beginning of an analysis:
Double-click the cell in the Adjust column.
The Slave Node/Surface Adjustment Options dialog box appears.
The options available in the Slave Node/Surface Adjustment Options dialog box depend on the value in the Type column for the associated contact pair candidate:
If you are creating a contact interaction, select one of the following options:
No adjustment
Abaqus/CAE will not reposition any nodes or surfaces.
Adjust only to remove overclosure
Abaqus/CAE will reposition any initially overclosed slave nodes or constraint points precisely onto the master surface.
Specify tolerance for adjustment zone
Abaqus/CAE will reposition any slave nodes or constraint points located within the specified distance from the master surface precisely onto the master surface.
Adjust slave nodes in set
Abaqus/CAE will adjust the slave nodes or constraint points included in the specified geometry set precisely onto the master surface.
If you are creating a tie constraint, you can modify both the adjustment options and the tie position tolerance in the Slave Node/Surface Adjustment Options dialog box:
By default, Abaqus adjusts all tied slave nodes so they lie precisely on the master surface. To prevent adjustment of the slave nodes (but still tie the slave node degrees of freedom to the master surface), toggle off Adjust slave surface initial position.
Abaqus ties only those slave nodes that lie within a specific distance from the master surface. To let Abaqus calculate a reasonable distance automatically, select Use computed default. To specify a distance directly, select Specify distance, and enter the distance in the field provided.
Click OK.
To change the analysis step in which the contact pair is activated, select a step name in the Create Step column.
Note: The Create Step column is not displayed in the contact pair candidates table by default. See “Configuring the layout of the contact pair candidates table” for instructions on adding this column to the table.
For contact interactions using surface-to-surface discretization, select whether or not contact smoothing will be applied in the Surface Smoothing column:
Select Automatic to let Abaqus/CAE identify any surfaces (or portions of surfaces) in the contact pair that are axisymmetric or spherical. If the Highlight in viewport option is enabled, Abaqus/CAE displays the axis of symmetry or spherical center for any identified surfaces in the viewport. Abaqus smooths these surfaces during contact calculations to minimize inaccuracies caused by mesh discretization. The Automatic option is available only for geometry models.
Select None to prevent contact smoothing from being applied to any surfaces in the contact pair.
In certain situations you may not be certain about the necessity of certain contact pair candidates. You can delete such candidates from the contact pair candidates table and avoid creating interactions for them, but you may later have to go back and recreate them if they prove necessary. To address these situations, the contact detection tool offers the option to create interactions and constraints that are suppressed initially. Suppressed interactions and constraints are fully defined, but Abaqus ignores them when writing an input file or performing an analysis. A simple procedure activates these interactions and constraints and, thus, reintroduces them to the model definition (see “Suppressing and resuming objects,” Section 3.4.3, for details).
There are two ways to create an initially suppressed contact pair:
Click mouse button 3 anywhere in the row for the appropriate contact pair, and select Suppress from the menu that appears. The background of the row for the contact pair changes to gray, indicating that the created interaction or constraint will be suppressed initially. To return the contact pair to active status, click mouse button 3 on the appropriate row and select Resume from the menu that appears.
Click the cell in the Suppression column for the appropriate contact pair. Click the cell again to return the contact pair to active status.
Note: The Suppression column is not displayed by default. See “Configuring the layout of the contact pair candidates table” for instructions on adding this column to the table.
Abaqus/CAE offers the following additional tools for manipulating data in the contact pair candidates table:
Recalculating the separation between surfaces
For part instances that are meshed from geometry, you can specify whether the contact detection tool treats these instances as geometry or an element mesh during the search (see “Specifying advanced search options for contact detection” in “Specifying search criteria for contact detection,” Section 15.16.1). After performing the search, you can recalculate the separation between meshed surfaces in a contact pair candidate based on either the geometry or mesh representation. You can also use this technique to calculate the separation between surfaces in previously defined interactions or ties that appear in the contact pair candidates table (see “Configuring the layout of the contact pair candidates table”).
Click mouse button 3 on the row representing a contact pair, and select Recalculate Separation from the menu that appears. You can also click the row and then click the 
button above the contact pair candidates table.
In the Recalculate Separation dialog box that appears, select Mesh to calculate surface separation based on the meshed representation of the model. Select Geometry to calculate surface separation based on the geometry representation of the model.
Click OK.
Abaqus/CAE recalculates the separation between surfaces in the highlighted contact pair candidate and updates the cell in the Separation column.
Editing multiple cells
You can set multiple cells to the same value using a single procedure:
Highlight multiple cells within the same column (see “Selecting multiple items from lists and tables,” Section 3.2.11).
Click mouse button 3 anywhere within the highlighted cells, and select Edit Cells from the menu that appears. You can also click the button above the contact pair candidates table.
In the dialog box that appears, select the desired value.
Click OK.
Abaqus/CAE sets all of the highlighted cells to the selected value.
Highlighting the entire table
To quickly highlight every cell in the table, click mouse button 3 anywhere in the table and select Select All from the menu that appears.