Time Integration of Constrained Multi-catenary Systems

The multi-catenary systems offer interesting possibilities in practical application especially in combination with slider. However, the motion of the catenaries involves geometric nonlinearity, and by adding sliders, the problem becomes very complex because a set of differential-algebraic equations is obtained. Choosing a time integration scheme and the right parameters is one of the key steps in solving this differential-algebraic system. In this paper, several time integration methods from the Newmark scheme family are analyzed. As an example, catenaries with a slider were chosen, which were modeled using an isogeometric approach and four time integration schemes were analyzed.