A Symbolic Method for the Analysis of a Nonlinear Two-Mass-Skate Model

Abstract

Multibody systems usually give rise to complex nonlinear dynamics, and the bicycle is not an exception. Even a simple model as the Two-Mass-Skate presents a long expression of the kinetic energy, making difficult to write explicitly the equations of motion. Instead of linearising or approximating the model, we will overcome this issue by using a functional expression of the kinetic energy. With introduction of appropriate nonlinear functions, the equations of motion are written in a form that can be easily handled despite their complexity. A stability analysis of the dynamics is then conducted.