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Two cantilevers close a gap

A ContactFEA hex-mesh solution of a double-cantilever contact test. Both arms are fixed at a rigid wall; tip loads on the upper (slave) arm drive the clearance shut. Scale the deformation from the undeformed mesh to the true λ = 1 result.

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Contour field

Wall + clamps Tip loads (slave) Mesh edges Undeformed ghost Color slave / master

Nodes—

Hex elems—

U₂ min—

U₂ max—

p_max—

Physical setup

Rigid wall and clamp plates fix both cantilevers at X = −50.
Upper arm (slave) and lower arm (master) share the wall.
Tip loads F_Y = −40 kN on seven slave nodes at the free end.
Initial clearance 1.25 mm; contact closes near the tip.

What to notice

Both arms bend — this is not a rigid foundation.
Tip U₂ ≈ −15.6 mm at full load (λ = 1).
Switch to FEA contour for the jet displacement field.
Compare with the smooth Hertz elliptic pressure.