The role of the coefficient of restitution on impact problems in multi-body dynamics

Abstract

This review article presents methods for treatment of impact problems in multi-body dynamics with a special focus on the coefficient of restitution. The impact modelling in multi-body systems is presented, including the impact kinematics, different definitions of the coefficient of restitution, the instantaneous impact modelling, and the continuous impact modelling. A main topic is the multi-scale simulation approach for the numerical evaluation of the coefficient of restitution using additional simulations on a fast time scale. Different models on the fast time scale are proposed and techniques for experimental validation of the models are given. Many numerical and experimental results for impacts of two and more bodies are presented. Thereby the efficiency and accuracy of the multi-scale simulation approach are verified; the influence of physical parameters on the impact process as well as the agreement of the instantaneous and continuous impact modelling are demonstrated. Finally, the extension of the presented methods to particle systems consisting of thousands of impacting bodies is briefly reviewed.