A comparison of DAE integrators in the context of benchmark problems for flexible multibody dynamics

In the present work a uniform framework for general flexible multibody dynamics is used to compare state-of-the-art DAE integrators in the context of benchmark problems. The multibody systems considered herein are comprised of rigid bodies, nonlinear beams and shells. The constitutive laws applied in the benchmark problems belong to the class of hyperelastic materials. To numerically integrate the uniform set of DAEs three alternative time-stepping schemes are applied: (i) an energy-momentum consistent method, (ii) a specific variational integrator and (iii) a generalized-a scheme.