On the use of the consistent mass matrix in flexible multibody systems

Two different methods are used in finite element structural analysis to define element mass distribution: consistent and lumped mass approximations. The lumped mass method is currently favored in multibody dynamics software packages because of its computational efficiency. This paper, however, presents a multibody dynamics formulation based on the consistent mass approach which should prove to be as computationally efficient as the lumped mass approach. It is shown that when component flexibility is modelled using modal coordinates, the equations of motion, as formulated by these two methods, are very similar in appearance, thereby facilitating their comparison. It is also shown, through simulation of a simple multibody system, that a system formulated with the lumped mass approximation will often require more finite elements and smaller integration step sizes than the corresponding consistent mass system.