Meshfree elastoplastic solid for nonsmooth multidomain dynamics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a meshfree simulation method for elastoplastic solids within multibody systems, enabling real-time, nonsmooth, and strongly coupled dynamics including impacts and complex constraints.

Contribution

It develops a meshfree, particle-based elastoplastic solid model integrated into a unified nonsmooth multibody dynamics framework, supporting real-time simulations with complex interactions.

Findings

Verified elastic and plastic dynamics on simple test systems.

Demonstrated simulation of tracked vehicles on deformable terrain.

Enabled instant impulse propagation between rigid bodies and solids.

Abstract

A method for simulation of elastoplastic solids in multibody systems with nonsmooth and multidomain dynamics is developed. The solid is discretised into pseudo-particles using the meshfree moving least squares method. The particles carry strain and stress tensor variables that are mapped to deformation constraints and constraint forces. The discretised solid model thus fit a unified framework for nonsmooth multidomain dynamics for realtime simulations including strong coupling of rigid multibodies with complex kinematic constraints such as articulation joints, unilateral contacts with dry friction, drivelines and hydraulics. The nonsmooth formulation allow for impulses, due to impacts for instance, to propagate instantly between the rigid multibody and the solid. Plasticity is introduced through an associative perfectly plastic modified Drucker-Prager model. The elastic and plastic dynamics is verified for simple test systems and the capability of simulating tracked terrain vehicles driving on a deformable terrain is demonstrated.