The use of symbolic algebra in multibody dynamic simulation

Examines the effect of introducing flexibility within the elements of a shipborne multibody dynamic system. Flexibility could be concentrated at the joints or distributed along components. A Lagrangian based technique has been used with a minimum number of coordinates. Generating the Lagrangian and the equations of motion requires a powerful computer tool to handle the vector algebra and subsequent sorting procedures. REDUCE was selected as the best and most accessible package. It is written in RLISP, communicates in an ALGOL-like dialect and has a large set of functions, control structures and sorting procedures. New rules and definitions can be included which is essential for practical problem solving. The development of a symbolic model is split into three stages: Lagrangian development, analysis and sorting compatible equations