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Flexibility in Multibody Dynamics with Applications to Crashworthiness

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Computer-Aided Analysis of Rigid and Flexible Mechanical Systems

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSE,volume 268))

Abstract

Formulations based on multibody dynamics for the analysis of crashworthiness and impact of vehicles and structural systems are reviewed in this paper. A methodology to incorporate the elastodynamics effects, suitable to describe the elastic deformations of flexible bodies, is discussed. The limitations of this methodology for crash impact are overcome in a more general formulation where the deformation of the flexible (or partially flexible) bodies is described using an updated Lagrangian formulation. This allows for geometric and material nonlinear behavior of the multibody components. A major drawback of this nonlinear formulation is the inability to describe zones of concentrated deformation due to local instabilities. For this purpose the plastic hinge concept, where the structural plastic deformation is modelled by nonlinear joint-spring set-up, is used. The validity of this model is assessed by carrying out an experimental test where a hollow steel extruded beam collide with a rigid block. By predicting where and when failure is likely to occur using a flexible model, the present technique provides an efficient tool to access the crashworthiness design of a broad class of impact excited structural configurations with general kinematic constraints. Finally these methodologies are applied to model the rollover of a truck in order to illustrate their capabilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisboa, 1096, Portugal

    Jorge A. C. Ambrósio & Manuel Seabra Pereira

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  1. Jorge A. C. Ambrósio
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  2. Manuel Seabra Pereira
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa, Portugal

    Manuel F. O. Seabra Pereira  & Jorge A. C. Ambrósio  & 

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Ambrósio, J.A.C., Seabra Pereira, M. (1994). Flexibility in Multibody Dynamics with Applications to Crashworthiness. In: Seabra Pereira, M.F.O., Ambrósio, J.A.C. (eds) Computer-Aided Analysis of Rigid and Flexible Mechanical Systems. NATO ASI Series, vol 268. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1166-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1166-9_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4508-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1166-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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