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In this paper, the authors propose the application of the Gibbs–Appell equations to obtain the equations of motion in the case of a mechanical system that has elements with a micro-polar structure, containing voids. Voids can appear as a result of the processing or manufacturing of the parts, or can be intentionally introduced. This research involves a model of the considered solid material containing voids. To determine the dynamic behavior of such a system, the Gibbs–Appell (GA) method is used to obtain the evolution equations, as an alternative to Lagrange's classical description. The proposed method can be applied to any mechanical system consisting of materials with a micro-polar structure and voids. The study of such systems is interesting because the literature shows that even a reduce number of small voids can produce significant variations in physical behavior. The proposed method requires a smaller number of mathematical operations. To apply this method, the acceleration energy is calculated, which is then used to derive the equations. The method comes with advantages in the application to multibody systems having the mentioned properties and, in particular, in the study of robots and manipulators. Using the GA method, it is necessary to do a fewer differentiation operations than applying the Lagrange's equations. This leads to a reduced amount of computation for obtaining the evolution equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the particular case of an elastic multibody system (MBS) that can be modeled using one-dimensional finite elements, the main methods offered by analytical mechanics in its classical form for analysis are presented in a unitary description. The aim of the work is to present in a unitary form the main methods offered by classical mechanics for the analysis of solid systems. There is also a review of the literature that uses and highlights these methods, which need to be reconsidered considering the progress of the industry and the complexity of the studied systems. Thus, the kinematics of a finite element is described for the calculation of the main quantities used in the modeling of multibody systems and in analytical mechanics. The main methods used in the research of MBS systems are presented and analyzed. Thus, Lagrange's equations, Gibbs–Appell equations, Maggi's formalism, Kane's equations and Hamilton's equations are studied in turn. This presentation is determined by the advantages that alternatives to Lagrange's equations can offer, which currently represent the method most used by researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of multibody systems with elastic elements involves at the moment the reevaluation of the classical methods of analysis offered by analytical mechanics. Modeling this system with the finite element method requires obtaining the motion equation for an element in the circumstances imposed by a multibody system. The paper aims to present the main analysis methods used by researchers, to make a comparative analysis, and to show the advantages or disadvantages offered by different methods. For the presentation of the main methods (namely Lagrange's equations, Gibbs–Appell's equations, Maggi's formalism, Kane's equations, and Hamilton's equations) a unified notation is used. The paper provides a critical evaluation of the studied applications that involved some of these methods, highlighting the reason why it was decided to use them. Also, the paper identifies potential research areas to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A planar mechanism represents a mechanism that is frequently used in engineering, and very often, the elasticity of some elements of the mechanism cannot be neglected. Consideration of all rigid elements does not allow the analysis of vibrations or situations of loss of stability of some elements. Gibbs–Appell's generalized equations are used in this paper to obtain the governing equations for a two-dimensional finite element, which is in plane motion. Using Lagrange's equations is the most widely used way for researchers to address such a problem. This is mainly due to the familiarity of researchers with this robust calculation method. There are two major advantages of applying this formalism: a smaller number of differentiation operations is needed to be performed and, by eliminating Lagrange multipliers, the number of unknowns decreases significantly. The method is applied for the plane multibody systems with elastic elements. We hope that this method, due to its simplicity, will be interesting for mechanical designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A matrix-based representation of the inertial characteristics with possible used in multibody dynamics is presented in the paper. The paper aims to develop a unitary formalism that will help to model multibody systems, for the purpose of kinematic and dynamic analysis. Properties of the inertia matrix due to the symmetry of this matrix are presented. The points with spherical and cylindrical symmetry are identified, which allow the easier writing of the equations of motion. The form of the inertia matrix from any body of a multibody system in the global reference system is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lagrange's equations represent the common approach in finite element analysis of an elastic multibody system. The most important step in this case is to write the governing equations. The work develops an alternative method to obtain these equations, using so-called Gibbs–Appell formalism. The advantage of this method is the decrease in the number of calculations to be made. The acceleration energy will be calculated first for a one-dimensional finite element, and then Gibbs–Appell equations are applied in the classical form. The number of differentiations required, compared to the method of Lagrange's equations, decreases significantly, with effects on the computational time required to solve such a problem. We can assume that, due to its simplicity, this method will determine the interest of researchers in the case of large industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important stage in an analysis of a multibody system (MBS) with elastic elements by the finite element method is the assembly of the equations of motion for the whole system. This assembly, which seems like an empirical process as it is applied and described, is in fact the result of applying variational formulations to the whole considered system, putting together all the finite elements used in modeling and introducing constraints between the elements, which are, in general, nonholonomic. In the paper, we apply the method of Maggi's equations to realize the assembly of the equations of motion for a planar mechanical systems using finite two-dimensional elements. This presents some advantages in the case of mechanical systems with nonholonomic liaisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the main analytical methods, in the context of current developments in the study of complex multibody systems, to obtain evolution equations for a multibody system with deformable elements. The method used for analysis is the finite element method. To write the equations of motion, the most used methods are presented, namely the Lagrange equations method, the Gibbs–Appell equations, Maggi's formalism and Hamilton's equations. While the method of Lagrange's equations is well documented, other methods have only begun to show their potential in recent times, when complex technical applications have revealed some of their advantages. This paper aims to present, in parallel, all these methods, which are more often used together with some of their engineering applications. The main advantages and disadvantages are comparatively presented. For a mechanical system that has certain peculiarities, it is possible that the alternative methods offered by analytical mechanics such as Lagrange's equations have some advantages. These advantages can lead to computer time savings for concrete engineering applications. All these methods are alternative ways to obtain the equations of motion and response time of the studied systems. The difference between them consists only in the way of describing the systems and the application of the fundamental theorems of mechanics. However, this difference can be used to save time in modeling and analyzing systems, which is important in designing current engineering complex systems. The specifics of the analyzed mechanical system can guide us to use one of the methods presented in order to benefit from the advantages offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In classical mechanics, determining the governing equations of motion using finite element analysis (FEA) of an elastic multibody system (MBS) leads to a system of second order differential equations. To integrate this, it must be transformed into a system of first-order equations. However, this can also be achieved directly and naturally if Hamilton's equations are used. The paper presents this useful alternative formalism used in conjunction with the finite element method for MBSs. The motion equations in the very general case of a three-dimensional motion of an elastic solid are obtained. To illustrate the method, two examples are presented. A comparison between the integration times in the two cases presents another possible advantage of applying this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lagrange's equation remains the most used method by researchers to determine the finite element motion equations in the case of elasto-dynamic analysis of a multibody system (MBS). However, applying this method requires the calculation of the kinetic energy of an element and then a series of differentiations that involve a great computational effort. The last decade has shown an increased interest of researchers in the study of multibody systems (MBS) using alternative analytical methods, aiming to simplify the description of the model and the solution of the systems of obtained equations. The method of Kane's equations is one possibility to do this and, in the paper, we applied this method in the study of a MBS applying finite element analysis (FEA). The number of operations involved is lower than in the case of Lagrange's equations and Kane's equations are little used previously in conjunction with the finite element method (FEM). Results are obtained regardless of the type of finite element used. The shape functions will determine the final form of the matrix coefficients in the equations. The results are applied in the case of a planar mechanism with two degrees of freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main method used to determine the equations of motion of a multibody system (MBS) with elastic elements is the method of Lagrange's multipliers. The assembly of equations for the whole system represents an important step in the elastodynamic analysis of such a system. This paper presents a new method of approaching this stage, by applying Maggi's equations. In this way, the links that exist between the finite elements and the connections that exist between different bodies of the MBS system are conveniently taken into account, each body having a distinct velocity and acceleration field. Although Maggi's equations have been used, sporadically, in some applications so far, we are not aware that they have been used in the study of elastic systems using the finite element method. Finally, an algorithm is presented that uses the Maggi formalism to obtain the equations of motion for an MBS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When analyzing the dynamic behavior of multi-body elastic systems, a commonly used method is the finite element method conjunctively with Lagrange's equations. The central problem when approaching such a system is determining the equations of motion for a single finite element. The paper presents an alternative method of calculation theses using the Gibbs–Appell (GA) formulation, which requires a smaller number of calculations and, as a result, is easier to apply in practice. For this purpose, the energy of the accelerations for one single finite element is calculated, which will be used then in the GA equations. This method can have advantages in applying to the study of multi-body systems with elastic elements and in the case of robots and manipulators that have in their composition some elastic elements. The number of differentiation required when using the Gibbs–Appell method is smaller than if the Lagrange method is used which leads to a smaller number of operations to obtain the equations of motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]