An efficient formulation for the modeling of general multi-flexible-body constrained systems (Q1210009)

A general formulation is presented for the analysis of the transient response of multibody systems with flexible members. The method uses admissible shape functions derived from finite element modeling of the component members and allows the modeling of flexibility for general bodies. The formulation treats the general case of coupled, large, rigid body displacements, linear elastic deformation, and includes a first order representation of geometric stiffening effects. Not addressed are the difficulties associated with the inclusion of additional geometric stiffening terms which could improve simulation accuracy, or those in selecting the best set of admissible functions. The formulation presented applies to systems involving three-dimensional motions, which may be comprised of any joint type which can be modeled as a series of revolute and prismatic joints. The equations of motion produced in this manner are uncoupled in the rigid body degrees of freedom, with coupling only existing between the flexible degrees of freedom associated with the individual flexible bodies. Further, the equations are generated in a form which exploits the coarse grain concurrency of the mathematical model. The computer simulation code produced from this formulation is suited for application to some forms of parallel computers.