Hello everyone,

I need some help from this awesome SW community !

I am trying to design a "flat spring" which is going to be able to sustain 1.5Kg and be deformed by about 1mm on the vertical axis.

The flat spring is not fixed on any surface and is in a "sandwich" between the "ground" and the weight.

I am using the two other solids to see how the body of the spring will react on those solids since it is not fixed.

I ran a non linear dynamic study with the 2D simplification. I have contact sets for the surfaces of the solid 1 and the spring (blue and purple lines) and contact sets for the surfaces of the solid 2 and the spring.

Solid 2 is fixed geometry, solid 1 has a roller/sliding displacement that allows it to move along the Z (vertical) axis only. The spring has a reference geometry that forbids it to move along the X axis (horizontal).
Finally a force of 5N is applied on the solid 1.

The problem is when I run the simulation, the solvers seem to have difficulties and becomes unstable going back in percentage of the simulation progress, it usually finish the simulation but I find the results are not coherent with very high stress for such small force applied. With this material and shape, the spring should not even start to deform itself.

Also, whatever force value I input, it seems that the solid 1 goes always to the same final state (displacement).

Am I missing something about the 2D simplification, the contact sets or something else?

If you need more information don't hesitate to ask! (I can send the model)

Thank you in advance,

Thomas