Speaker: Miguel Gomez, Applied Mathematics
Title:
Time: 3:30 PM, Thursday, 3/10/05
Place: Guggenheim Room 408d
Abstract:
Analytic mechanics deals with the formulation and solution of rigid mechanical systems subject to constraints on position and velocity. Classical Lagrangian methods have been successful in formulating equality constraints without friction, but do not extend well to unilateral constraints or contacts with Amontons-Coulomb (dry) friction. In the late 19th century, Painleve demonstrated non-existence and non-uniqueness of complementarity solutions to the sliding friction problem for the case of a thin rod with one end in contact with a flat surface. During the last 40 years, researchers have had some success in formulating the general problem as a nonlinear complementarity problem (NLCP) under certain conditions, but existence and uniqueness issues still remain. Resolution of these issues is critical in designing successful numerical solution schemes.
In this talk, I will present some of the latest theory on these systems, some preliminary theoretical results I have obtained, and some numerical and experimental simulations we have done here at the UW Mechanical Engineering Department.
Everyone welcome!