Analysis of Constraint Forces in Multibody Systems Based on the Nullspace Matrix Method of Differential Equation Type

Abstract

This paper treats a problem to determine constraint forces in rigid mutibody systems. One of the most often applied algorithms for determination of constraint forces is based on the use of recursive Newton-Euler formalism. Another algorithm often applied for determination of constraint forces is based on the use of Lagrange multipliers. This paper presents a new method to determine constraint forces in rigid multibody systems. First relative displacements which violate the constraints, called anti-constraint relative displacements, are introduced, and governing equations which involve the constraint forces explicitly are derived. In the derived equations, the constraint forces appear independently from the Lagrange multipliers. Then, a method is proposed to determine the constraint forces by eliminating the Lagrange multipliers based on the methods proposed in previous papers by the author. The method is extended to have ability to treat systems with redundant constraints. Finally, validity of the proposed method is confirmed via numerical examples.