State-of-the-Art and Challenges of Contact-Impact Problems Using Multibody Dynamics Methodologies

Multibody dynamics deals with the modeling and analysis of mechanical systems comprising multiple bodies, whose interactions are governed by kinematic constraints and external applied forces. Contact-impact events represent one of the most critical and challenges issues when dealing with dynamical systems, because they can significantly affect the behavior of multibody systems. The accurate response of a collision in multibody dynamics is strongly dependent on some critical factors, including the geometry of contacting surfaces, material properties of the bodies involved, and the constitutive laws utilized to evaluate the contact forces. This work provides a comprehensive overview of the main aspects and state-of-the-art techniques for modeling contact-impact events in multibody dynamics. In the sequel of this process, contact detection and contact resolution tasks are presented. In addition, some of the most prominent force models available in the literature to compute normal and tangential forces developed within contact-impact events are discussed. Moreover, this work examines key numerical aspects related to contact-impact events that strongly influence the computational accuracy and efficiency. Finally, an application example is presented, whose results permit to discuss the key aspects related to the modeling process of friction contact-impact events in multibody dynamics.