Dynamic analysis for planar beam with clearance joint

An analytical model was presented in this study to describe the dynamic characteristics of a planar rotation beam with clearance joint. The spherical contact model was introduced to calculate the collision forces for the planar revolute joint. Unlike previous research, to acquire an accurate and convergent solution, the second-order coupling term of the beam axial deformation is taken into account. Then, the flexible beam was divided into discrete elements via the finite element method. The dynamic equations of the model were deduced via the Hamilton׳s principle. Further, the dynamic responses were obtained and analyzed in the non-inertial and inertial coordinates. To prove the validity of the presented methodology, a virtual prototype model with identical conditions was created in ADAMS. A numerical example was simultaneously calculated by the two different approaches. Comparison of the results shows that the two approaches match quite well. Finally, some valuable conclusions describing the inner-joint collision process are extracted and summarized.