Physics Engines Benchmarking

The target was to devise in some manner the way different computational physics simulation models/engines/environments performed against a canonical one.

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For such purpose, I have reviewed the paper "Beam Benchmark Problems For Validation Of Flexible Multibody Dynamic Codes" by A.L. Schwab and J.P. Meijgaard.

The following is an outline of the proposed in this paper:

1.- Introduction

The paper presents some basic problems for which analytic solution is known

2.- Beam benchmark problems

Tests to be performed

Static analyses in small displacements for the validation of the correct formulation of elastic forces

Static analyses for large displacements and rotations, on straight and curved beams

Buckling tests in normal, lateral and torsional directions to check the way geometric stiffness due to prestress is taken into account

Eigen frequency analyses for the validation of the combination of elastic forces and distributed inertia forces

Mesh refinement tests for all the above to prove convergence of the results

Underlying model: Timoshenko beam with large displacements and large rotations

Finite Element Method Beam Element

Shear flexible based on the elastic line concept

Slender beam, cross section doubly symmetric

Large rotation and displacements, but small deformations

Isotropic and linearly elastic

BEAM model: standard strain-displacement relations

BEAMNL model: additional quadratic terms included in the strain-displacement for better performance in the pre-stress cases

Interestingly enough, the analytical solution is provided for each of the tests, and the proposed model is simple enough so as not having too much trouble in introducing it in a few characteristic ready made softwares currently available.

The implementation of such a benchmark over some of the most popular engines revised lately would surely make a nice contribution.

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