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A Holistic Simulation Approach from a Measured Load to Element Stress Using Combined Multi‐body Simulation and Finite Element Modelling
Author(s) -
Harter Matthias,
Beitelschmidt Michael
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
pamm
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1617-7061
DOI - 10.1002/pamm.200910042
Subject(s) - finite element method , rigid body , degrees of freedom (physics and chemistry) , finite element limit analysis , mixed finite element method , matlab , computer science , software , extended finite element method , elasticity (physics) , structural engineering , engineering , classical mechanics , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , programming language , operating system
The design of vehicle bodies requires the knowledge of the vehicle's structural response to external loads and disturbances. In rigid multi‐body simulation the dynamic behaviour of complex systems is calculated with rigid bodies and neglect of body elasticity. On the other hand, in finite element models large degree of freedom numbers are used to represent the elastic properties of a single body. Both simulation methods can be combined, if the finite element model size is reduced to a degree of freedom number feasible to multi‐body simulation. The application to practical purposes requires the use and interconnection of several different software tools. In this contribution a holistic method is presented, which starts with the measurement or synthesis of loads and excitations, continues with the integration of a reduced finite element model into a multi‐body system, the dynamic response calculation of this combined model, and concludes with the result expansion to the full finite element model for calculating strain and stress values at any point of the finite element mesh. The applied software tools are Simpack, Nastran, and Matlab. An example is given with a railway vehicle simulated on measured track geometry. (© 2009 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)