Computational Flexible Multibody Dynamics

This monograph, written from a numerical analysis perspective, aims to provide a comprehensive treatment of both the mathematical framework and the numerical methods for flexible multibody dynamics. Not only is this field permanently and rapidly growing, with various applications in aerospace engineering, biomechanics, robotics, and vehicle analysis, its foundations can also be built on reasonably established mathematical models. Regarding actual computations, great strides have been made over the last two decades, as sophisticated software packages are now capable of simulating highly complex structures with rigid and deformable components. The approach used in this book should benefit graduate students and scientists working in computational mechanics and related disciplines as well as those interested in time-dependent partial differential equations and heterogeneous problems with multiple time scales. Additionally, a number of open issues at the frontiers of research are addressed by taking a differential-algebraic approach and extending it to the notion of transient saddle point problems.

The author developed this text over many years, teaching graduate courses in advanced dynamics and flexible multibody dynamics at the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The book presents a unified treatment of rigid body dynamics, analytical dynamics, constrained dynamics, and flexible multibody dynamics. A comprehensive review of numerical tools used to enforce both holonomic and nonholonomic constraints is presented. Advanced topics such as Maggi’s, index-1, null space, and Udwadia and Kalaba’s formulations are presented because of their fundamental importance in multibody dynamics. Methodologies for the parameterization of rotation and motion are discussed and contrasted. Geometrically exact beams and shells formulations, which have become the standard in flexible multibody dynamics, are presented and numerical aspects of their finite element implementation detailed. Methodologies for the direct solution of the index-3 differential-algebraic equations characteristic of constrained multibody systems are presented. It is shown that with the help of proper scaling procedures, such equations are not more difficult to integrate than ordinary differential equations. This book is illustrated with numerous examples and should prove valuable to both students and researchers in the fields of rigid and flexible multibody dynamics.

Arun K. Banerjee is one of the foremost experts in the world on the subject of flexible multibody dynamics. This book describes how to build mathermatical models of multibody systems with elastic components. Examples of such systems include the human body itself, construction cranes, cares with trailers, helicopers, spacecraft deploying antennas, tethered satellites, and underwater maneuvering vehicles. This book provides methods of analysis of complex mechanical systems that can be simulated in less computer time than other methods. It equips the reader with knowledge of algorithms that provide accurate results in reduced simulation time.

Multibody Dynamics is an area of Computational Mechanics which blends together various disciplines such as structural dynamics, multi-physics - chanics, computational mathematics, control theory and computer science, in order to deliver methods and tools for the virtual prototyping of complex mechanical systems. Multibody dynamics plays today a central role in the modeling, analysis, simulation and optimization of mechanical systems in a variety of ?elds and for a wide range of industrial applications. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics was ini- ated in Lisbon in 2003, and then continued in Madrid in 2005 with the goal of providing researchers in Multibody Dynamics with appropriate venues for exchanging ideas and results. The third edition of the Conference was held at the Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy, from June 25 to June 28, 2007. The Conference saw the participation of over 250 researchers from 32 di?- ent countries, presenting 209 technical papers, and proved to be an excellent forum for discussion and technical exchange on the most recent advances in this rapidly growing ?eld.

Professorial Dissertation from the year 2021 in the subject Physics - Mechanics, , language: English, abstract: The consideration of Finite Element (FE) structures in multibody simulation (MBS) has become an established method, especially when the number of force application points remains moderate. In recent years, a trend can be observed in which distributed loads are considered as well, such as those arising from the contact of two elastic bodies. For finely-meshed FE structures, this results in a large number of possible force application points. In such a case, conventional methods fail, leading to exorbitantly high computation times. In the last decade, approaches for the reduced computation of deformations inside distributed load application areas were introduced. Special approach vectors are used, called "local modes" here. These local modes lead to a reduction in the involved equations by several orders of magnitude. However, for very large potential load application areas, a large number of local modes is still required—for example, several thousand. Since each local mode leads to a differential equation, a fast numerical time integration is not possible with common methods. In this work, two methodological improvements are proposed for a fast and accurate time integration of such systems.

This enhanced fourth edition of Dynamics of Multibody Systems includes an additional chapter that provides explanations of some of the fundamental issues addressed in the book, as well as new detailed derivations of some important problems. Many common mechanisms such as automobiles, space structures, robots and micromachines have mechanical and structural systems that consist of interconnected rigid and deformable components. The dynamics of these large-scale multibody systems are highly nonlinear, presenting complex problems that in most cases can only be solved with computer-based techniques. The book begins with a review of the basic ideas of kinematics and the dynamics of rigid and deformable bodies before moving on to more advanced topics and computer implementation. The book's wealth of examples and practical applications will be useful to graduate students, researchers and practising engineers working on a wide variety of flexible multibody systems.

Flexible Multibody Dynamics comprehensively describes the numerical modelling of flexible multibody dynamics systems in space and aircraft structures, vehicles, and mechanical systems. A rigorous approach is followed to handle finite rotations in 3D, with a thorough discussion of the different alternatives for parametrization. Modelling of flexible bodies is treated following the Finite Element technique, a novel aspect in multibody systems simulation. Moreover, this book provides extensive coverage of the formulation of a general purpose software for flexible multibody dynamics analysis, based on an exhaustive treatment of large rotations and finite element modelling, and incorporating useful reference material. Features include different solution techniques such as: * time integration of differential-algebraic equations * non-linear substructuring * continuation methods * nonlinear bifurcation analysis. In essence, this is an ideal text for senior undergraduates, postgraduates and professionals in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, as well as mechanical design engineers and researchers, and engineers working in areas such as kinematics and dynamics of deployable structures, vehicle dynamics and mechanical design.