Teaching Multibody Dynamics In An Undergraduate Curriculum – An Intuitive And Explicit Formalism Based On Parasitic Elements

Typical undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula in North America do not include a course in multi-body dynamics. A rigid body dynamics course covering single-body kinetics is usually completed in early semesters, and often the material is not revisited before graduation. Students typically graduate without a sense of how to simulate the forward dynamics of even simple multi-body systems such as slider-crank or four-bar mechanisms. Engineers should have some increased depth of understanding in this area even if they will exclusively use specialized commercial software after graduation.