MAGGIS EQUATIONS OF MOTION AND THE DETERMINATION OF CONSTRAINT REACTIONS

This paper presents a geometrical derivation of the constraint reaction-free equations of Maggi for mechanical systems subject to linear (first-order) nonholonomic and/or holonomic constraints. These results follow directly from the proper application of the concepts of virtual displacement and quasicoordinates to the variational equation of motion, i.e., Lagrange's principle. The method also makes clear how to compute the constraint reactions (kinetostatics) without introducing Lagrangian multipliers. © 1990 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., All rights reserved.