Robot and Multibody Dynamics

The book is organized into three parts. Part 1, consisting of Chaps. 1–7, is a study of the dynamics of rigid-link, serial-chain systems. These are the simplest examples of multi-link systems. They serve to introduce the notion of spatial operators, and to develop the concepts of mapping operator expressions into low-order computational algorithms. In Part 2, consisting of Chaps. 8–13, the operator techniques are generalized to include the broader class of multibody systems. Graph theory ideas are used to describe the structure of the operators at a level of abstraction that makes them independent of the size, the topological structure, and the detailed properties of the linkages. Part 3 is an exploration of the application of SOA techniques to advanced topics. These include methods for partitioning and sub-structuring multibody models, constraint embedding for transforming closed-chain systems into tree systems, the dynamics of under-actuated systems and free-flying systems, derivation of analytical sensitivity expressions, and diagonalized dynamics formulations.