Rheonomic Systems with Nonlinear Nonholonomic Constraints: The Voronec Equations

Abstract

One of the earliest formulations of dynamics of nonholonomic systems traces back to 1895 and it is due to Caplygin, who developed his analysis under the assumption that a certain number of the generalized coordinates do not occur neither in the kinematic constraints nor in the Lagrange function. A few years later Voronec derived the equations of motion for nonholonomic systems removing the restrictions demanded by the Caplygin systems. Although the methods encountered in the following years favour the use of the quasi-coordinates, we will pursue the Voronec method which deals with the generalized coordinates directly. The aim is to establish a procedure for extending the equations of motion to nonlinear nonholonomic systems, even in the rheonomic case.