Hierarchical modeling in multibody dynamics

In this paper a hierarchical approach using several mechanical models with different complexities and modeling depths to describe a single engineering system is presented. The mechanical models are derived from (but not limited to) multibody dynamics. The computer power available and improvements in theoretical understanding allow today not only to perform analyses but also to attack the problem of multimodel synthesis. Therefore, hierarchical modeling is used as a basis to analyze simultaneously models with different complexities and different excitations, and to optimize the performance with the most appropriate model for an investigated mechanical effect.