On the Boltzmann-Hamel Equations of Motion: A Vectorial Treatment

Abstract

This paper presents a direct vectorial derivation of the famous Boltzmann-Hamel equations of motion of discrete mechanical systems, in general nonlinear nonholonomic coordinates and under general nonlinear (velocity) nonholonomic constraints. The connection between particle and system vectors is stressed throughout, in all relevant kinematic and kinetic quantities/principles/theorems. The specialization of these results to the common case of linear nonholonomic coordinates and linear nonholonomic (i.e., Pfaffian) constraints is carried out in the paper’s Appendix.