TRUTH MODELS FOR ARTICULATING FLEXIBLE MULTIBODY DYNAMICS SYSTEMS: PART II

Closed-form solutions are developed in this paper for the small elastic motions of a variety of planar, flexible, multilink systems arranged in chain topologies, in which the links are connected by pin joints. Each link is represented as an Euler-Bernoulli bar in transverse vibration. The solutions developed represent a generalization of an earlier work, in that they are valid for any reference articulated configuration. The characteristics of the new solutions are investigated, and are shown to metamorphose among recognizable forms as the articulation angle is varied. These solutions are generalized to represent n-links. One of the solutions is then used as a truth model in the evaluation of various types of assumed modes in conjunction with a linearized articulating flexible multibody model of a two-link planar manipulator. The results further confirm the validity of previously proposed guidelines for selecting assumed modes in articulating flexible multibody systems.