Ansys is committed to setting today's students up for success, by providing free simulation engineering software to students.
Ansys is committed to setting today's students up for success, by providing free simulation engineering software to students.
Ansys is committed to setting today's students up for success, by providing free simulation engineering software to students.
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ANSYS BLOG
May 5, 2023
Cars, robots, industrial machinery, and even the human body are all systems in which many elements work together toward a coordinated outcome. Through seamless synchronization of their many interconnected parts, these interdependent systems are present throughout our world, in everything from bicycles and heart pumps to satellites. To design, optimize, and maintain these complex mechanical organisms, engineers rely on the predictive power of multibody dynamics simulation.
A branch of structural dynamics, multibody dynamics simulation is an engineering method used to digitally model systems with many interconnected parts. Because these systems can be extremely complex — involving hundreds of bodies in constantly changing states of motion — multibody dynamics simulation is essential to predict a system’s complete behavior and structural worthiness.
By modeling the system in its entirety, engineers gain a clear picture of the cumulative impact of each body so they can test and validate outcomes holistically. With the help of multibody dynamics, both structural physics and affiliated physics can be investigated and understood.
When studying objects in motion (kinematics), there are a variety of quantities to consider, including position, velocity, acceleration, and time. Multibody dynamics simulation calculates these equations to reveal the thousands of behaviors that can be happening simultaneously while a machine’s many gears, joints, and mechanisms are actively in operation.
It all starts with Newton’s equation of motion, the famous F = ma (force = mass * acceleration). The transient dynamic equation for motion is represented here.
When a project requires whole system modeling of both rigid and flexible bodies, engineers use software like Ansys Motion to get fast and accurate analyses. This integrated software can evaluate systems both as a whole and as components — all from a single solver — to dissect complex mechanical relationships and make better decisions faster.
Sent a document to print recently? Or ridden a 10-speed bicycle? Complex systems are all around us, and multibody dynamics simulation can be used to benefit a variety of fields and industries such as aerospace, industrial machines, robotics, biomechanics, and automotive.
In the automotive industry, multibody dynamics simulation is used to design, test, and optimize systems throughout a vehicle. Engineers can use simulation to see the overall behavior of the car or model one system at a time.
In this example, simulation is used to investigate the forces and stresses on the belt, as well as transmission efficiency.
In these examples, simulation is used to investigate the issues of gear whine and rattle in the transmission of a car.
From heavy machinery to consumer goods, the systems that power our lives are complex and integrated. Multibody dynamics simulation helps engineers see these systems as a whole and ensure that every component is doing its job working toward the greater goal. To learn more about multibody dynamics simulation, watch the webinar Ansys Motion: Multibody Dynamics Solver.
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