Accelerate the analysis of large motions of flexible beams, annular plates and flexible bodies

The Modelica based Systems Flexible Bodies Library enables the efficient mathematical modeling of flexible bodies such as components of multi-body and arbitrary physical systems.

This library provides 4 Modelica model classes. Three of these classes are based on an analytical description of flexible bodies with a characteristic geometrical shape such as beams, annular plates and thermos-elastic annular plates. These model classes are completely implemented in Modelica and its instantiation and visualization is entirely controlled by Modelica user input parameters.
The fourth class, the ModalBody is supposed to model flexible bodies with a general geometrical shape, whose mechanical description is based on an underlying finite element model. Therefore, a ModalBody relies on a preprocessing step and requires two input files in order to specify the associated parameters and visualization data. 

Benefits

• Model and simulate mechanical systems that contain a mixture of rigid elements and flexible beam structures

• Reduce costs through the seamless modeling and simulation of scenarios that are expensive and difficult to physicallly test

• Analyze the impact of geometric stiffening and buckling during simulations

• Library provides four modelica models

  • A Beam Model is capable to represent a straight, homogenous and isotropic beam

  • The Annular Plate Model considers first order bending deformation

  • The ThermoelasticPlate model is a specific variant of the annular plate model that is extended and streamlined in order to represent the thermoelastic behaviour of brake discs mainly in the low frequency range

  • The ModalBody model is capable to represent bodies with an arbitrary geometrical shape

Highlights

• Easy modeling and simulation of mechanical systems that comprise a mixture of rigid elements and flexible beam structures

• High quality simulation performance

• Significantly reduced costs due to seamless simulation of scenarios that are expensive and difficult to physically test

• Supports bending in two planes, torsion and lengthening deformation

• Animation to visualize deformation

• Compatible with all other Modelica libraries e.g. Smart Electric Drives and Powertrain libraries