Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of a Belt-Drive Using the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation
In this paper, the applicability of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation for the modeling of belt-drive systems is studied. A successful and effective analyzing method for belt-drive systems requires the exact modeling of the rigid body inertia during an arbitrary rigid body motion, accounting of shear deformation, description of nonlinear deformations and a simple as well as realistic description of the contact. The absolute nodal coordinate formulation meets the challenge and is a promising approach for the modeling of belt-drive systems. In this study, a recently proposed two-dimensional shear deformable beam element based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation has been modified to obtain a belt-like element. The belt-like element allows the user to control the axial and bending stiffness through the use of two parameters. In this study, the interaction between the belt and the pulleys is modeled using an elastic approach in which the contact is accounted for by the inclusion of a set of external forces that depend on the penetration between the belt and pulley.