Calculating vertical load with multiple bodies

[ZachGriffin]

I'm currently writing a vehicle simulator and have constructed a chassis out of physical node bodies that are connected as in the screenshot below. I am trying to work out the normal force at each of the green circles such that if it were suspended by each of the four nodes, the summation of the normal force at each of the green circled nodes would equal the weight of the chassis. I can work out the net force acting on the nodes individually by taking the derivative of momentum over time but that doesn't take into account the mass of the rest of the chassis. I think this may involve weight transfer or COG variables? I need to scale the individual net force by something although I'm not sure what. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Almsco]

It sounds like you may have to account for weight transfer when calculating the normal force at each of the green circles. By understanding the center of gravity (COG) of the chassis and its motion, you can use that information to better estimate how much weight is distributed to each of the four nodes. Have you looked into using a physics engine such as Bullet Physics to help with the calculations? That might make it easier to get the results you're looking for. Good luck!

 

[charng]

To calculate the normal force at each of the green circles, you will need to take into account the weight of the chassis as a whole. This can be done by using the concept of center of gravity (COG) and weight transfer.

First, you will need to determine the total weight of the chassis. This can be calculated by summing the weight of each individual node, taking into account the mass and gravity.

Next, you will need to determine the center of gravity of the chassis. This is the point at which the weight of the chassis is evenly distributed. You can use the weight and position of each node to calculate the COG using the formula: COG = (sum of (weight x position)) / total weight.

Once you have the COG, you can use the concept of weight transfer to determine the normal force at each green circle. Weight transfer refers to the redistribution of weight that occurs when a vehicle is in motion. In this case, as the chassis is suspended by each node, the weight of the chassis will transfer to the nodes that are supporting it.

To calculate the normal force at each green circle, you will need to divide the weight of the chassis by the number of nodes supporting it. This will give you the weight that is transferred to each node. Then, you can use this weight and the position of each node to calculate the normal force using the formula: normal force = weight x position / distance from COG to node.

By scaling the individual net force at each node by the normal force calculated using weight transfer and COG, you will be able to accurately determine the normal force at each green circle that will support the weight of the chassis. I hope this helps and good luck with your vehicle simulator!