The concept of system multicorps is used in mechanics to model the dynamic behavior of rigid and/or flexible bodies connected the ones to the others by mechanical connections, each one of its describing bodies of great displacements at the same time in translation and rotation.

Introduction

The dynamic behavior of the mechanisms is a subject which was particularly covered and this, using many formalisms. The first formulations of the problem were introduced by Newton for the particles and Euler for the solid bodies. Euler having already introduced the concept of efforts of reaction between various mechanical bodies. Later, these extended formalisms one, in particular by Lagrange with a description based on the coordinates minimum like another formulation introducing the equations of constraints. The movement of the solid bodies can be described initially by kinematics. The dynamic behavior of the system results from the balance of the forces and the moments applied to different the solids.

The analysis of the system multicorps is found today in many technical fields, as well on the level of the research as of industry. One will quote in particular the robotics and the dynamics of the vehicles, guided or not. Thanks to the means of current data-processing calculations and the performance of the modern computer codes, it is possible to model, simulate, analyze and optimize systems comprising to several thousands of inter-connected bodies.

Applications

Whereas the finite element method is used mainly for the local analysis of a machine element, the behavior of the complete system as a mechanism is modeling by multicorps formulations. The methods multicorps are used in the fields of:

• the Robot-like

• the simulation of the vehicles (dynamic of the vehicles, rapid protoyping, agility, improvement of the behavior, improvement of comfort,…)
• the Biomechanical
• the Aerospace (Helicopter S, Gear landing, behavior of the mechanisms under various conditions of gravity)
• internal combustion engines, spur gearings, drive chain, belt drives.
• the industrial machines (conveyers)
• the simulation of the particles to the general direction (granular mediums, molecules)
• military applications.