Increased global competition is forcing manufacturers to reduce product development time while simultaneously increasing product quality, improving product innovation, and minimizing development risks. To meet these needs, manufacturers are now replacing many tasks once done exclusively through hardware testing with physics-based simulation tools such as Multi-Body Simulation (MBS).

MBS uses the power of a computer to design, evaluate, and refine complex systems using sophisticated mathematical modeling and solution tools. It is a companion to, and a replacement for, the traditional process of refining products using hardware prototypes.

This introductory volume explains MBS technology and its usage in industry. For information on the principles underlying MBS, please consult a text on theory. The book is organized as

• Chapter 1, “Introduction”, introduces MBS and its relationships to other CAE technologies.
• Chapter 2, “The Design and Analysis Process”, explains the MBS modeling process and shows how it is part of a global approach to multi-disciplinary simulation.
• Chapter 3, “The Principles Underlying MBS”, touches on the different types of analysis available for multi-body systems simulation and explains at a high level the physical principles and mathematical tools used to create usable solutions.
• Chapter 4, “Industry Applications”, examines the key markets for MBS and illustrates in some detail how MBS is used to create innovative products in many industries such as automotive, aerospace, railway, machinery, electromechanical, and biomechanical.
• Chapter 5, “Emerging Trends”, examines new ideas that are emerging as this technology is being deployed and used in industry.
• Chapter 6, “Conclusions”, provides a brief summary of commercially available MBS solvers and examines future trends in this domain.

Contents