Contact Analysis of a Snap Hook Using a Penalty Formulation
Model ID: 12577
Several numerical algorithms exist to tackle structural contact problems. The one used in COMSOL Multiphysics is based on the so-called Augmented-Lagrangian method.
An alternative approach presented in this example model is called the penalty method. It is based on the penalty factor formulation related to the penetration of the solid parts in contact. In certain cases, this approach can result in faster computations and provide smoother convergence compared to the Augmented-Lagrangian method. However, the penalty method is not suitable if the accurate value of the contact pressure is of interest.
The example shows how you can manually edit the existing contact formulation in order to implement this less stringent method.
