Multibody Systems: An Introduction to the Kinematics and Dynamics of Systems of Rigid Bodies

The book Multibody Systems guides the reader from the fundamentals of engineering mechanics to the formulations of the kinematic and dynamic equations of systems of rigid bodies suitable for computer-based generation. Multibody systems are used for the numerical simulation of complex mechanical systems in mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, aerospace engineering, and biomechanics.

The presentation focuses on the implicit and explicit mathematical formulations of the constraints that geometrically define the directions of motion of the bodies and the directions of the constraint forces and moments. This results in a consistent and unified approach to the various known forms of the equations of motion of multibody systems. In addition to open multibody systems with a tree structure, closed multibody systems with kinematic loops are also treated in detail.

The contents
Introduction – Basics of vector calculus – Basics of kinematics – Basics of dynamics – Holonomic mass point systems – Holonomic plane multibody systems – Holonomic spatial multibody systems – Nonholonomic systems – Constraints in multibody systems – Open multibody systems – Closed multibody systems

The target groups
The book is intended for engineering students at universities as well as engineers who work with multibody simulation models in their professional practice.

The author
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Christoph Woernle is head of the Department of Engineering Mechanics/Dynamics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at the University of Rostock and teaches, among other topics, engineering mechanics and multibody dynamics.

The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Christoph Woernle is head of the Chair of Engineering Mechanics/Dynamics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at the University of Rostock and teaches, among other things, engineering mechanics and multibody dynamics.