I'm working on a project that consists on the modelling of a rigid overhead contact line ( rigid catenary).
I need to simulate the contact between the pantograph of the train and the contact line.
In order to decrease computational times ( more than 1 day) I want to consider the overhead contact line as a beam. According to the properties of the pieces, this is a good simplification.
I'm working on a non lineal dynamic analysis.
The problem appears when I define the no penetration contact between the pantograph (solid body) and the catenary (beam), which is not allowed.
I can select faces of the beam, but then I can´t confirm the operation.
I attach some images in order to clarify my doubt.
Big thanks.
Hi David,
You are totally correct in what you have found. No Penetration contact is not allowed for beam elements in SolidWorks Simulation (it is a software limitation). No Penetration is allowed for shell elements though which could also serve to cut down on your solve time. You may want to turn the beam into a shell body and try that.