DYNAMICS OF THE RIGID BODY

It’s possible to write down the equations for the dynamics of a system composed by material points
Pi . Let Pi be fixed reciprocally to form a rigid body. Now the single material point Pi has a mass
designated as mi. In order to study the dynamics of this system, it’s necessary to express the
acceleration of each point and apply the Newton’s laws.
If a rigid body is considered, it’s useful to have the mobile reference system S2 fixed with it. In this
case, being Pi a point of the rigid body, it’s possible to simplify the equations for the velocity and
for the acceleration of the point referred to the global reference system S1. This because the vector
q2, expressing the relative position of Pi referred to the center of the mobile reference system S2, is
constant. By this it is

u1 = r1 + R 12q 2 , (1)

˙ q = r˙ + ω × (u − r ) ,
u˙ 1 = r˙1 + R (2)
12 2 1 1 1 1

u 12 2 1
˙ 1 × ( u1 − r1 ) + ω1 × [ ω1 × ( u1 − r1 ) ] .
˙˙ q = ˙r˙ + ω
˙˙ 1 = ˙r˙1 + R (3)

R12 q2

u1

O2 S2
S1
r1

O1

MOMENTUM AND THEOREM OF THE MOMENTUM

The mathematical relations describing the behavior of a mechanical system are the Newton’s law,
stating that in a such system the rate of change of momentum equals the resultant of all external
forces.
Using the previous formulas we have the following expression for the momentum:

p1 = ∑
i
mi u˙ i,1 = ∑
i
mi r˙1 + ∑
i
˙ q
mi R 12 i,2 , (4)

and using the definition of center of gravity for the given system, it’s possible to write down, in the

1
mobile reference system S2,

1 1
( G − O2 ) 2 = ∑ mi ( Pi − O2 ) 2 = ∑ mi q i,2 . (5)
mTOT i mTOT i

If the origin O2 of the reference system S2 is coincident with the center of gravity G, it’s

p1 = ∑i
mi u˙ i,1 = ∑
i
mi r˙1 + ∑
i
˙ q
mi R 12 i,2 , (6)

p 1 = mTOT [ r˙ 1 + ω 1 × R 12 ( G − O2 ) 2 ] , (7)

finally the momentum is

p1 = ∑i
mi u˙ i,1 = mTOT v G,1 . (8)

In fact, the member within squared parenthesis in equation (7) is the velocity of the center of gravity
of the system. In accordance with the statement of Newton’s law, we have in the reference systems
S1 and S2

∑ ext
p˙ 1 = mTOT v˙ G,1 = Fi,1 , (9)
i

∑ ext
p˙ 2 = mTOT v˙ G,2 = Fi,2 . (10)
i

2
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
To define the moment of momentum or the angular momentum, a reference point has to be selected.
Let O2 be this point, so the angular momentum referred to O2 is

L1 ( O2 ) = ∑ ( P − O ) × m u˙
i 2 i i,1 . (11)
i

Different steps of calculation will be shown, in the following section, to demonstrate as the final
and well known expression of the angular momentum comes out. Using the previous equations it’s
possible to obtain:

L 1 ( O2 ) = ∑ R 12q i,2 × mi u˙ i ,
i

L 1 ( O2 ) = ∑ ( ˙ q
R 12q i,2 × mi r˙ + R 12 i,2 , )
i

L 1 ( O2 ) = ∑ R 12q i,2 × mi ( r˙ + R 12 ( ω 2 × q i,2 ) ) ,

i

L 1 ( O2 ) = ∑ mi R 12q i,2 × r˙ + ∑ mi R 12q i,2 × R 12 ( ω 2 × q i,2 ) ,

i i

L 1 ( O2 ) = ∑ mi ( P − O2 ) × v O 2 ,1 + R 12 ∑ mi q i,2 × ( ω 2 × q i,2 ) . (12)

i i

Using equation (5) and the definition of the tensor of inertia for a discrete material system, it’s
possible to obtain the final formula of the angular momentum as

L1 ( O2 ) = mTOT ( G − O2 ) × v O 2 ,1 + R 12 J 2ω 2 ,

L1 ( O2 ) = mTOT ( G − O2 ) × v O 2 ,1 + R 12 J 2 R 12 ω1 ,
T

L1 ( O2 ) = mTOT ( G − O2 ) × v O 2 ,1 + J 1ω1 . (13)

In the equation (13), L1 is the angular momentum vector defined in the global reference system, J1
is the tensor of inertia of our system defined in the global reference system too and, for this reason,
its value is not constant. To have a constant tensor of inertia we must use the vector base of the
mobile reference system fixed with the body. Let J2 be the tensor in the mobile reference system
and let ω2=R12-1ω1= R12Tω1 be the vector of the angular velocity in the mobile reference system.
Therefore, by calculating the angular momentum referred to the center of gravity G of the body, the
first term of the second member of the equation (13) is zero. In fact

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L 1 ( G ) = J 1 ( G ) ω1 = R 12 J 2 ( G ) R 12 ω1 = R 12 J 2 ( G ) ω 2 = R 12 L 2 ( G ) , (14)
T

L 2 ( G ) = J 2 ( G )ω 2 , (15)

where L2 is the angular momentum in the mobile reference system.

Using the mobile reference system, it’s possible to have a more simple formulation for the
equations of motion, with constant tensors of inertia.

THEOREM OF THE ANGULAR MOMENTUM

The Newton’s law for moments states that in a mechanical system the rate of change of angular
momentum equals the resultant of all external moments:

L˙ 1 ( G ) = J 1 ( G ) ω
˙ 1 + ω1 × J 1 ( G ) ω1 = ∑ ext
Ci,1 , (16)
i

where Ci,1ext are the external moments applied to different points Pi. To write the equation (16) in the
mobile reference system we can use the rotation matrix as done before:

R 12 L 2 (
˙ (G) = R J (G)R R ω
12 2 12
˙ T
)
12 2 + R 12ω 2 × R 12 J 2 ( G ) R 12 R 12ω 2 , ( T
)

R 12 L˙ 2 ( G ) = R 12 J 2 ( G ) ω
˙ 2 + R 12ω 2 × R 12 J 2 ( G ) ω 2 ,

R 12 L˙ 2 ( G ) = R 12 J 2 ( G ) ω
˙ 2 + R 12 ( ω 2 × J 2 ( G ) ω 2 ) .

Finally the time derivative of angular momentum is obtained in the mobile reference system where
the tensor of inertia is independent of the time.

L˙ 2 ( G ) = J 2 ( G ) ω
˙ 2 + ω 2 × J 2 ( G )ω 2 . (17)

Therefore the theorem in the mobile reference system is

J 2 ( G)ω
˙ 2 + ω2 × J 2 ( G)ω2 = ∑ ext
Ci,2 . (18)
i