In the structural analysis of an assembly involving multiple parts, you create contacts to define the relationship between the parts. Contacts transfer load between parts while preventing parts from penetrating each other. Contacts can simulate interaction between bodies that separate or come into contact during loading. Without contacts, parts do not interact with each other in the simulation.
There are several different contact types you can use to simulate the physical behavior of an assembly. This tutorial presents an assembly modeled with many of the types of contact available in Inventor Stress Analysis. The contacts have already been created, either automatically or manually, in the model.