Parallel simulation dynamics for elastic multibody chains

A solution procedure for simulation dynamics of elastic multibody systems specifically designed for parallel processing is presented. The method is applicable to open chains with general (rotational and/or translational) interbody constraints. It is based on obtaining an explicit solution for the joint constraint forces by means of iterative techniques. Numerical results for a three-link anthropomorphic flexible-link manipulator are presented. The simulated comparison, on a serial computer, of different parallel iterative schemes indicates that the preconditioned conjugate-gradient methods are computationally most efficient. Moreover, their parallel implementation yields computational complexity that, based on theoretical estimates, is approximately constant with the number of bodies in the chain