Is contact simulation possible using SimMechanics 2nd Gen?

Hi folks, I need to simulate the contact between my robot and the surface its traveling on, its an in-pipe inspection robot. Is there any way i can simulate this kind of contact in SimMechanics 2nd generation? if not what is your suggestion to perform this simulation. thanks

Answer 1

[Steve Miller]

For 1D contact problems where only viscous friction is present, the hardstop block may be sufficient. However, for 2D and 3D problems or if the friction force depends on the normal force, I recommend looking at the File Exchange submission Simscape Multibody Contact Forces Library. It contains a library of blocks for use with Simscape Multibody that detect collision between various shapes, calculates the normal force and friction force on each part, and applies them to the colliding parts.

Below are a few animations that test models included in the submission. The Simscape Multibody Contact Forces Library contains the library for current and previous MATLAB releases.

Thanks,

--Steve

Here is another one: