Energy conservative property of impulse‐based methods for collision resolution

SUMMARY Physical accuracy, numerical stability, and computational speed are critical factors in the simulation of collisions. The impulse‐based method models collisions in a system of rigid bodies in a relatively reliable and fast manner. In the present paper, evidence is presented for the energy‐conserving and momentum‐conserving properties of the method. Two different impulse‐based approaches are validated using numerical tests. A necessary condition is proposed for the impulse‐based method to be energy conservative. Results indicate that the impulse‐based method for collision simulation, which satisfies the proposed condition, is energy conservative. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.