Dynamic Analysis of Rigid-Flexible Mechanisms

Recent developments in the field of computer methods in rigid-flexible multibody dynamics have been considerable, and have evolved due to the progress of numerical methods and computer technologies.In this paper, formulations for the dynamic analysis of mechanical systems composed of rigid and flexible bodies are reviewed. Reference and relative kinematics are discussed. The equations of motion are derived using Lagrange multipliers techniques and relative joint velocity methods in order to reduce the number of rigid body and elastic coordinates of the system. An integrated simulation methodology is proposed where all the necessary interface data is generated to carry out a static stress model analysis of the individual bodies using inhouse software or commercially available codes. Additional functions of stress history evaluation or stress detailing for fatigue design of complex geometries are presented.One example of an off-road vehicle is presented where the main body is assumed to be flexible.