Parameter-Free Second Order Numerical Scheme for Constrained Multibody Dynamical Systems

Abstract

This paper describes a second-order numerical scheme for constrained multibody dynamics that is simple to implement and does not require the selection of parameters for constraint satisfaction. The method is a predictor-corrector type of method, and both the predictor and the corrector steps require solution of a symmetric positive-definite linear system with no iteration of nonlinear equations. The basic philosophy of the method is to satisfy the constraint equations to the same order as the discretization of the ordinary differential equations.