Continuation methods for tracing the equilibrium path in flexible mechanism analysis

Presents an implementation of continuation methods in the context of a code for flexible multibody systems analysis. These systems are characterized by the simultaneous presence of elastic deformation terms and rigid constraints. In our formulation, the latter terms are introduced by an augmented Lagrangian technique, resulting in the presence of Lagrange multipliers in the set of unknowns, together with displacement and rotation associated terms. Essential aspects for a successful implementation are discussed: e.g. the selection of an appropriate metric for computing the path following constraint, a flexible description of control parameters which accounts for conservative and nonconservative loads, imposed displacements and imposed temperatures (dilatation effects), and the inclusion of second order derivatives of rigid constraints in the Jacobian. A large set of examples is presented, with the objective of evaluating the numerical effectiveness of the implemented schemes.