Abstract

Structure-preserving algorithms exhibit superior long-run numerical stability in nonlinear solid and elasto-multibody dynamics. This paper provides time integrators for large flexible dynamic systems combining the carrier-sliding contact pair between two beams. The time integrators maintain some of the structural characteristics, which include the momentum, energy, symplecity et al. In research of the beam modeling, the director-based geometrically exact beam formulation has been compared with the three-dimensional absolute nodal coordinate beam formulation, which is also widely used in dynamic modeling of slender structures. The sliding contact transition between adjacent elements on the sliding line has been finely considered to keep the continuity of the sliding contact. The structurepreserving method has been embedded into the numerical solvers for dynamic analysis. The advantage of the structure-preserving methods over the time-decaying methods on energy and momentum preserving properties has been demonstrated in the dynamic analysis for the flexible beams that undergo sliding contact.