Abstract
Multibody system dynamics is nowadays a widely used toolbox in the development of modern engineering science and technology. It provides powerful dynamic design theories, computational and analytical methods, as well as test technologies for innovative engineering applications. In order to systematically show the important effects of multibody system dynamics on the development of modern science and technology, and to strengthen the academic exchanges in the research field of multibody system dynamics and its applications, we organised the annual Special Collection ‘New Developments in Multibody System Dynamics and Its Applications 2015’, which is the third one of this Special Collection first started from 2013, for the Journal Advances in Mechanical Engineering. The present Special Collection contains 12 papers selected from the contributions coming from several countries.
The 12 papers selected for this Special Collection are devoted to the following topics: the modelling, simulation and analysis of a passive dynamic walking robot with flat feet; the test technique for eliminating the accelerometer’s mass effects from frequency response functions using sensitivity analysis; the formulation for automatic deduction of overall transfer equation for branch systems using the transfer matrix method for multibody systems; the modelling, simulation and analysis for an offshore wind turbine installed on a floating spar platform using a hybrid method of finite element multibody system; the application of the transfer matrix method for multibody systems to dynamics analysis of a reinforced concrete shear wall structure during earthquakes; the modelling and simulation of the lifting operation of an offshore supply vessel; the dynamics modelling and simulation of industrial robot subject to constraint using Udwadia–Kalaba equation; the modelling and simulation of the drilling system considering fluid–solid coupling using absolute nodal coordinate formulation; the experimental study and numerical simulation of multi-impact phenomena exhibited during the collision of a sphere onto a steel beam; the application of semi-analytical finite strip transfer matrix method to the buckling analysis of thin-walled members; and the dynamics modelling and simulation of a self-synchronisation vibrating pile driver system. Thus, the general fundamental theories and several key engineering applications are covered representing the state of the art of recent intensive and extensive research activities in the field of multibody system dynamics to a certain extent.
The guest editors hope that this Special Collection will provide some valuable information and guidance for scientists and engineers working on multibody system dynamics and its applications in modern engineering science and technology.