Capture-Net Contact & Controlled-Lowering FEA

Abaqus/Explicit study of a capture-net assembly during controlled lowering, load transfer, and seating. I built the model and completed 10 cases: five lowering speeds, each with and without the net. The model combines deformable steel shells, an equivalent axial net, tension-only connectors, and contact. Deliverables include deformation and stress views, interface-force and reaction curves, individual rope histories, energy accounting, and editable result data. Mesh and time-step sensitivity were documented. The analysis distinguished local steel-interface peak reductions from total assembly response: the combined peak increased in four speed cases, while the 0.08 m/s reduction was close to numerical sensitivity. This work demonstrates contact modeling, automated result extraction, and transparent engineering interpretation; it is not a certified strength or overall buffer-performance approval. Images: net deformation; elastic steel-shell stress (SNEG section, 75% averaging); motion and load transfer; with/without-net comparison. Tools: Abaqus/Explicit 2024, Python, FEA, Contact Analysis, Structural Analysis, Simulation Automation.