Dynamics and control of flexible multibody systems: Part II: simulation code and parametric studies with nonlinear control

Abstract

This paper describes a rather general numerical simulation code newly developed for studying dynamics and control of flexible multibody systems. It accounts for an arbitrary level of topological branching, character of the structural members, slewing, deployment, orbital perturbations, etc. The program is based on a recursive order n formulation whose details are given in Part I. Versatility and validity of the code are illustrated through parametric studies of several distinctively different systems. The dynamical analysis indicates that critical situations can lead to an undesirable system response. To establish specified performance, feasibility of a nonlinear control strategy based on the feedback linearization technique (FLT) in conjunction with the order n algorithm is explored. The FLT can control both the rigid and flexible degrees of freedom. The effectiveness of the control is assessed through numerical simulation.