A systematic model reduction method for the control of flexible multibody systems

This paper presents a method to build closed-form dynamic equations for flexible multibody systems with a minimal kinematic description. Relying on the Finite Element formalism, the method is able to tackle complex topologies with closed-loops in a systematic way. Thus, it will be of great use in the framework of model based control of flexible mechanisms. The reduction procedure is based on an interpolation strategy: a Finite Element model is built and reduced for a number of selected points in the configuration space, and then, a piecewise polynomial model is adjusted to match the collected data. A few applications of the reduction method are considered: a serial pick-and-place machine, a flexible four bar mechanism, and a parallel kinematic manipulator.