Coordinate transformation techniques for efficient model reduction in flexible multibody dynamics

Computational efficiency is important for all numerical simulation tools. For real-time and faster-than-real-time applications, which rely on a strong interaction between simulation results and other subsystems, it is vital. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for coordinate transformations to recast the differential-algebraic system equations of a flexible mechanism into a simpler set of equations, which is cheaper to solve. Desirable properties of the coordinate transformation to minimize the computational burden of the simulation are discussed, as well as some assumptions that can be made for further simplification. A methodology to make practical use of coordinate transformation techniques to speed up simulation speed for real-time and faster-than-real-time applications is presented.