Combining vibrational linear-by-part dynamics and kinetic-based decoupling of the dynamics for multiple smooth impacts with redundancy

This article proposes a simple linear-by-part approach for perfectly elastic 3D multiple-point impacts in multibody systems with perfect constraints and no friction, applicable both to nonredundant and redundant cases (where the normal velocities of the contact points are not independent). The approach is based on a vibrational dynamical model, and uses the so called “independent contact space.” Two different time and space scales are used. At the macroscale, the impact interval is negligible, and the overall system configuration is assumed to be constant. Consequently, the inertia and Jacobian matrices appearing in the formulation are also constant. The dynamics at the contact points is simulated through stiff springs undergoing very small deformations and generating system vibrations at the microscale. The total impact interval is split into phases, each corresponding to a constant set of compressed springs responsible for an elastic potential energy. For each phase, a reduced inertia matrix associated with a set of contact points, and a reduced stiffness matrix obtained from the potential energy (associated with all contact points undergoing compression) are introduced. From these matrices, a modal analysis is performed yielding an all-analytical solution within each phase. The main difference between the redundant and nonredundant cases concerns the inertia and stiffness matrices for modal analysis. While in the former case, both are related to the total set of contact points (total contact space), in the latter one they are related to two subsets: a subset of independent points for the inertia matrix (independent contact space), and the total set for the stiffness matrix. A second difference concerns the calculation of the normal impulses generated at each contact point. For the nonredundant case, they can be directly obtained from the total incremental normal velocities of the contact points through the inertia and stiffness matrices. For the redundant one, they can be obtained by adding up their incremental values at each impact phase. This requires an updating of a new effective stiffness matrix depending on the contact points undergoing compression at each phase. Four planar application cases are presented involving a single body and a multibody system colliding with a smooth ground.