An orthogonal complement matrix formulation for constrained multibody systems

Abstract

A method is proposed for the automatic generation of an orthogonal complement matrix to the constraint matrix for the dynamic analysis of constrained multibody systems. The clue for this method lies in the determination of local constraint matrices and their orthogonal complements relative to the local reference frames of particular constrained points. These matrices are then transformed into the system's configuration space in order to form the final constraint matrix and its orthogonal complement. The avoidance of singularities in the formulation is discussed. The method is specially suited for the dynamic analysis of multibody systems with many constraints and/or closed-loops.