Dynamic response of multibody systems with 3D contact-impact events : influence of the contact force model

Abstract

Contact-impact events can frequently occur in the collision of two or more bodies that can be unconstrained or may belong to a multibody system. In many cases the behavior of the mechanical systems is based on them. As a result of an impact, the values of the system state variables change very fast, eventually looking like discontinuities in the system velocities. The knowledge of the peak forces developed in the impact process is very important for the dynamic analysis of multibody systems and has consequences in the design process. Therefore, the selection of the most adequate contact-impact method used to describe the process correctly is crucial for an accurate design and analysis of these types of systems. The constitutive contact force law utilized to assess contact-impact events plays a key role in predicting the dynamic response of multibody systems and simulation of the engineering applications. Thus, a study on the dynamic response of 3D multibody systems that experience contact-impact events is presented in this paper, where different contact force models are used in order to check how the contact force law affects the dynamic behavior of the whole system.