On the dynamic simulation of coupled multibody and hydraulic systems for real-time applications

Abstract

The computer simulation of mechanical systems enables engineers to perform fast prototyping and in-depth system analysis even before a single physical model has been built. However, since mechanical systems are often actuated by other physical systems which have their own internal dynamics, the multibody equations that describe the movement of the mechanism are in these cases not sufficient to model the entire system alone. This has become increasingly important, as the available software solutions have matured such that their use has become an industry standard. For these reasons, coupled simulation has a significant real-life impact.

This dissertation contributes to the coupled simulation of multibody and hydraulic dynamics, the objective being to develop methods and gain insight into the problem. The scope of the work covers real-time applicable methods. Both monolithic and co-simulation approaches are considered in this work and in the included publications. A monolithic formulation based on a semi-recursive multibody method has been proposed and further improved with the introduction of an efficient description for hydraulics. Regarding the co-simulation approaches, the effect and selection of the co-simulation configuration have been studied. The results may prove useful for both analysts and researchers in the field.