On the Frictional Contacts in Multibody System Dynamics

A comprehensive analysis on the use of different friction force models on the dynamic simulations of multibody mechanical systems is investigated in this work. In this context, some of the most relevant approaches for dealing with friction available in the literature are revisited. In a broad sense, the friction models can be classified into the statics and dynamics models, as they describe the steady-state behavior or utilize extra state variable to capture the dynamic phenomena, respectively. In this process, the main limitations and implications of the friction force models are briefly analyzed. The dynamic responses of a single-mass one degree-of-freedom system with permanent contact, as well as a multibody model of double pendulum impacting the ground at its tip, are examined to analyze and compare the various friction laws. The obtained results suggest that the prediction of the dynamic behavior of multibody systems can strongly depend on the selection of the appropriate friction model as well as frictional parameters.