Contacts in multibody systems

Research in contact mechanics is reviewed, mainly based on result determined at the Institute B of Mechanics in the Technical University of Munich. Interest in such problems arise in the 1960s in relation to statics and elastomechanics. Most of the mathematical tools were developed and used in those fields. As a result of increasing pressure from the practical side concerning vibrations and noise related to contract processes, methods of multibody dynamics with unilateral constraints have been elaborated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.