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A novel time-discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is introduced for the time integration of the differential-algebraic equations governing the dynamic response of flexible multibody systems. In contrast to traditional Galerkin methods, the rigid-body motion field is interpolated using the dual spherical linear scheme. Furthermore, the jumps inherent to time-DG methods are expressed in terms of a parameterization of the relative motion from one time-step to the next. The proposed scheme is third-order accurate for initial value problems of both rigid and flexible multibody dynamics.

Based on the symplectic transfer-matrix method, this paper develops a novel approach for the analysis of beams presenting periodic heterogeneities along their span. The approach, rooted in the Hamiltonian formalism, generalizes developments presented earlier by the authors for spanwise uniform beams. Starting from the kinematics of a unit cell, the approach proceeds through a set of structure-preserving symplectic transformations and decomposes the solution into its central and extremity components. The geometric configuration and material properties of the unit cell may be arbitrarily complex as long as the cell's two end cross sections are identical. The proposed approach identifies an equivalent, homogenized beam with uniform curvatures and sectional stiffness characteristics along its span. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the analysis. Predictions are found to be in excellent agreement with those obtained by full finite-element analysis.

This paper proposes a novel solution strategy for Saint-Venant's problem based on Hamilton's formalism. Saint-Venant's problem focuses on helicoidal beams and its solution hinges upon the determination of the subspace of the system's Hamiltonian matrix associated with its null and pure imaginary eigenvalues. A projection approach is proposed that reduces the system Hamiltonian matrix to a matrix of size 12 × 12, whose eigenvalues are identical to the null and purely imaginary eigenvalues of the original system, with the same Jordan structure. A fundamental theoretical result is established: Saint-Venant's solutions exist because rigid-body motions create no strains. Indeed, the solvability conditions for the governing equations of the problem are satisfied because a matrix identity holds, which expresses the fact that rigid-body motions create no strains. Because it avoids the identification of the Jordan structure of the original system, the implementation of the proposed projection for large, realistic problems is straightforward. Closed-form solutions of the reduced problem are found and three-dimensional stress and strain fields can be recovered from the closed-form solution. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the analysis. Predictions are compared to exact solutions of three-dimensional elasticity and three-dimensional FEM analysis.

In multibody systems, it is common practice to approximate flexible components as beams or shells. More often than not, classical beam theories, such as the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, form the basis of the analytical development for beam dynamics. The advantage of this approach is that it leads to simple kinematic representations of the problem: the beam's section is assumed to remain plane and its displacement field is fully defined by three displacement and three rotation components. While such an approach is capable of accurately capturing the kinetic energy of the system, it cannot adequately represent the strain energy. For instance, it is well known from Saint-Venant's theory for torsion that the cross-section will warp under torque, leading to a three-dimensional deformation state that generates a complex stress state. To overcome this problem, sectional stiffnesses are computed based on sophisticated mechanics of material theories that evaluate the complete state of deformation. These sectional stiffnesses are then used within the framework of a Euler–Bernoulli beam theory based on far simpler kinematic assumptions. While this approach works well for simple cross-sections made of homogeneous material, inaccurate predictions may result for realistic configurations, such as thin-walled sections, or sections comprising anisotropic materials. This paper presents a different approach to the problem. Based on a finite element discretization of the cross-section, an exact solution of the theory of three-dimensional elasticity is developed. The only approximation is that inherent to the finite element discretization. The proposed approach is based on the Hamiltonian formalism and leads to an expansion of the solution in terms of extremity and central solutions, as expected from Saint-Venant's principle.

The treatment of rotations in rigid body and Cosserat solids dynamics is challenging. In most cases, at some point in the formulation, a parameterization of rotation is introduced and the intrinsic nature of the equations of motions is lost. Typically, this step considerably complicates the form of the equations and increases the order of the nonlinearities. Clearly, it is desirable to bypass parameterization of rotation, leaving the equations of motion in their original, intrinsic form. This has prompted the development of rotationless and intrinsic formulations. This paper focuses on the latter approach. The most famous example of intrinsic formulation is probably Euler’s second law for the motion of a rigid body rotating about an inertial point. This equation involves angular velocities solely, with algebraic nonlinearities of the second-order at most. Unfortunately, this intrinsic equation also suffers serious drawbacks: the angular velocity of the body is computed, but not its orientation, the body is “unaware” of its inertial orientation. This paper presents an alternative approach to the problem by proposing discrete statements of the rotation kinematic compatibility equation, which provide solutions for both rotation tensor and angular velocity without relying on a parameterization of rotation. The formulation is also generalized using the motion formalism, leading to very simple discretized equations of motion.