Multibody system

A mechanical system of interconnected rigid or flexible bodies whose motion is shaped by joints, forces, and other interactions.

Rigid body: An idealized body whose shape and size remain unchanged during motion. Rigid-body models treat each component as undeformable while allowing translation and rotation.
Lagrangian mechanics: A formulation of mechanics based on kinetic energy, potential energy, and generalized coordinates. It provides equations of motion suited to interconnected bodies and generalized coordinates.
Computer-aided engineering: The use of computer software to support engineering analysis, design, and manufacturing. Multibody simulation is one form of computational engineering analysis.
Finite element method: A numerical method that approximates solutions to physical problems by dividing domains into elements. It is commonly used to resolve structural deformation rather than articulated system motion.
Flexible body: A body whose deformation must be represented alongside its overall motion. Flexible components add elastic deformation to the system’s motion.
Newton–Euler equations: Equations of motion formed from force and torque balances for a body. They describe each body’s translation and rotation within the assembly.
Vehicle dynamics: The study of how vehicles move and respond to forces and steering inputs. Suspensions, tires, and chassis are modeled as connected bodies and joints.
Continuum mechanics: The study of matter modeled as continuously distributed rather than as discrete particles or bodies. Flexible-body models connect discrete multibody motion with continuum descriptions of deformation.
Kinematic pair: A joint that constrains the relative motion of two bodies. Kinematic pairs specify which relative motions connected bodies can make.
Lagrange multipliers: Auxiliary variables used to enforce constraints in an optimization or mechanics problem. In constrained dynamics they represent forces associated with ideal constraints.

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D'Alembert's principleRelated: Its many joints and reactions make virtual-work formulations especially useful.