Contact problem - deformation starts before contact

I am trying to simulate a quasi-static (NLSTAT) contact problem using Optistruct. I apply a constant displacement on a rigid cylinder which is set apart from a deformable body. The deformable body starts to deform from the beginning of the simulation without contact. As soon as there is contact, the simulation stops without an error message before the prescribed displacement is achieved. What possibly am I doing wrong?

Can I use a composite (PCOMPP) as the deformable body in this case? I don`t remember exactly the message but I received an error saying that I could not use it.

Also, as i understand from the manual, SLIDE is used for small sliding condition. What should I use if I have finite sliding?

Thanks