The DLR FlexibleBodies library to model large motions of beams and of exible bodies exported from nite element programs

Abstract

The new DLR FlexibleBodies library enables and sup-ports the object-oriented and mathematically efcient modelling of exible bodies as components of multi-body and of arbitrary physical systems. It provides Modelica model classes to model (a) beams and (b) general exible bodies exported from nite element programs. The motion of a exible structure is de-ned by superposition of a in general large, non-linear motion of a reference frame with small elastic defor-mations. This paper gives an overview on the back-ground, concepts and ideas on which the library is based and how the Modelica user may take advantage of it.