Three-dimensional rigid-body collisions with multiple contact points

This article deals with three-dimensional collisions of rigid, kinematic chains with an external surface while in contact with other surfaces. We concentrate on a special class of kinematic chain problems where there are multiple contact points during the impact process. A differential formulation based algorithm is used to obtain solutions that utilize the kinematic, kinetic, and the energetic definitions of the coefficient of restitution. Planar and spatial collisions of a three-link chain with two contact points are numerically studied to compare the outcomes predicted by each approach. Particular emphasis is placed on the relation between the post and pre-impact energies, slippage and rebounds at the contact points, and differences among planar and nearly planar three-dimensional solutions.