3.

Collision of two rigid bodies without constraints

3.1. Collision of the solid rigid by a percussion

One uses the notations (Fig. 5):

Cxyz the system of the principal central axes of inertia;
n the unit vector of the percussion P ;
a , b , c , and d , e , f , respectively the projections of the vectors
respectively, onto the axes of the system Cxyz ;
m the mass of the rigid body;
J Cx , J Cy , J Cz the principal central moments of inertia;

MC

0
0
0
0

J Cx
0 J Cy

0
0

v0 ,

CA n ,

the matrix of inertia relative to the principal central axes of inertia

0
0
0

MC

n , and

0
0
0
0
0
J Cz

m
0
0
0
0
0

0
m
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
m
0
1
, M C 1
0
0
m
0 m 1
0

0
0

1
0 J Cx
0
0

1
0
0 J Cy 0
1
0
0
0 J Cz
;
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

m 1 0
0
0

(27)
the velocities of the point C before after the application of the percussion

vn

vn0 A P

P;

v
C

vn0

Figure 5. Collision of a rigid body by a percussion.

0 ,

the angular velocities of the rigid body before and after the application of the percussion

P;
0
0
0
0
v x0 , v 0
y , v z , v x , v y , v z , x , y , z , and x , y , z , respectively the

projections onto the coordinate axes of the vectors v 0 ,

N the column matrix

a b c d e

f T ;
(28)

the square matrix

v , 0 , and , respectively;

0 0 0 1 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 1

1 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0
(29)
0

, v the column matrices

x y z vx v y vz

v 0 0x

T ,

(30)

0y 0z v x0 v 0y v z0

T ;

(31)
g the inertance of the rigid body, defined by the expressions

g N T M C 1 N , g

1
d2
e2
f2

.
m J Cx J Cy J Cz

(32)
With the aid of these notations, the theorems of momentum and moment of momentum with respect to
the point C lead [9], [14] to the matrix equation

M C v v 0 P N ,
(33)

or

v v 0 P M C 1 N ;

(34)
keeping into account the Eqs. (31) and (32), it results the equality
vn vn0 Pg ,
(35)
which is formally identical to Eq. (7).
The energy of the lost velocities

Ep

1
m v v0
2

2 12 J Cx x 0x 2 J Cy y 0y 2 J Cz z 0z 2

(36)
may be written in the form

Ep

T M C v v 0 .

1
v T v 0
2
(37)

Since the matrix M C 1 is a symmetrical one, the equality

M M
C

1 T

(38)
holds true; keeping into account this expression and the Eqs. (32) and (34), one obtains the relation

Ep

1 2
P g,
2

(39)
which is formally identical to Eq. (8).
The variation of the kinetic energy is given [9] by the relation

E c

T M C v 0 12 v T M C v .

1 0
v
2

(40)
Since the matrix M C is a symmetrical one, it results

 M C T M C
(41)
and the equality

2Ec 2E p 2 v 0 M C v v 0 .
(42)
Keeping into account the Eqs. (34), (39) and (31), one deduces

Ec

1 2
P g Pvn0 ,
2

(43)
which is formally identical to Eq. (9).
3.2. Collision of two rigid bodies
To study the collision of two rigid bodies at the point A , we consider the schema in Fig. 6 and the
previous notations adapted with the indices 1 and 2, respectively. The drawn reference systems are those of the
principal central axes of inertia.

z2

A
P

v20

v2
y2
2

C2

z1

0
2

x2
y1

C1
x1

Figure 6. Collision of two rigid bodies.

The column matrices N j ,

i 1, 2 ,

j 1, 2

, are defined by the projections of the vectors

n,

Ci A n ,

respectively, onto the axes of the systems Ci xi yi z i , i 1, 2 .

Analogically, one defines the column matrices v 0j and v j , j 1, 2 .

It results that the inertances g j , j 1, 2 , are given by the relations

T M jC 1N j m1

gj Nj

d 2j
J jx

e 2j
J jy

f j2
J jz

j 1, 2

from the Eqs. (33), (34), (35), (39) and (43) one obtains, for

M jC v j v 0j 1 PN j ,
j

(45)

j 1, 2

(44)
, the equalities

v j v 0j 1 j PM jC 1N j ,
(46)

v jn v 0jn 1 j Pg j ,

(47)

E jp

1
P2 g j ,
2
(48)

E jc

1 2
P g j 1 j Pv 0jn .
2

(49)
Using the notations
0
0
0
v12 n v1n v2 n , v12
n v1n v 2 n ,
(50)
from the Eq. (47) one deduces the equality
0
v12 n v12
n P g1 g 2 ,
(51)
which has the representation given in Fig. 3.
Further on, we obtain the quantities defined by the Eqs. (21) and (23), and we deduce the relations (24)
which prove that the Newton, Poisson and energetic variants lead to identical restitution coefficients; these
coefficients may be all denoted by k .
To solve a problem of collision without friction of two rigid bodies, one may use the following
algorithm:
calculate the parameters d j , e j , f j
d j Y jA c j Z jAb j , e j Z jA a j X jA c j , f j X jA b j Y jA a j ;
(52)
0
0
calculate the velocities v1n
, v2n

v10n N1 T v10 , v20n N 2 T v 02 ;

(53)
calculate the inertances using the relations (44) and the intensity of the percussion using the relation

1 k v120 n
g1 g 2

(54)
calculate the velocities after the collision using Eq. (46);
calculate the loss of kinetic energy,

Ec

0 2

1 k 2 v12
n
;

2 g1 g 2
(55)

3.3. Application
Two rectangular homogeneous shells of dimensions 2li , 2hi , i 1, 2 , and masses mi , i 1, 2
collide (Fig. 7) at the point A . Knowing the velocities w1 , w2 of the centers of weight C1 , C 2 , the
angle , and the distance BA s , determine: the percussion P , the velocities after the collision, and the
loss of kinetic energy.
Numerical application for m1 800 kg , m2 1000 kg , l1 2 m , h1 0.75 m ,

l 2 2.5 m , h2 1 m , s 2 m , 30 0 , k 0.4 , w1 20 m s , w2 30 m s .

l1
y1

h1

C1

w1

y2

x1

B
w2

n
P

x2

h2

h1

h2

l1

C2
l2
l2

Figure 7. Application.
Solution: From Fig. 7 it results

a1 sin , b1 cos , c1 0 , d1 0 , e1 0 , f1 l1 cos h1 sin ,

a 2 0 , b2 1 , c2 0 , d 2 0 , e2 0 , f 2 s ,
X 1 A l1 , Y1 A h1 , X 2 A s , Y2 A h2 ,
and one obtains the column matrices

N1 sin cos 0 0 0 f1 T sin cos 0 0 0

N 2 0 1 0 0 0 s T ,
v10 0 0 0 w1 0 0 T , v 02 0 0 0 w2 0 0 T .
It also results

J 1z

m1 l12 h12
m l 2 h22
, J 2z 2 2
,
12
12
f2
f2
1
1
1 , g2
2 ,
m1 J1z
m2 J 2 z

g1

l1 cos h1 sin T ,

v10n N1 T v10 w1 sin , v20n N 2 T v 02 0 ,

0
v12
n w1 sin ,

1 k v120 n
g1 g 2

sin
cos

0
m1
m1

M1C N1

f1
0 0
J 1z

M 2 C 1 N 2

s
1
0 0
0
0
J 2z
m2

v1
Ec

v10 P M1C 1 N1 , v 2 v 02 P M 2C 1 N 2 ,
0 2

1 k 2 v12
n
.

2 g1 g 2

In the case of the numerical application one obtains

3
0.86603 , c1 0 , d1 0 , e1 0 , f1 1.35705 ,
2
a 2 0 , b2 1 , c2 0 , d 2 0 , e2 0 , f 2 2 ,

a1 0.5 , b1

X 1 A 2 , Y1 A 0.75 , X 2 A 2 , Y2 A 1 ,

N1

0.5 0.86603 0 0 0 1.35705 T , N 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 T ,

 v10

0 0 0 20 0 0 T , v 02 0 0 0 30 0 0 T .

J1z 304.16667 kgm 2 , J 2 z 604.16667 kgm 2 ,

g1 0.00730 kg 1 , g 2 0.00762 kg 1 ,
0
v10n 10 m s , v20n 0 m s , v12
n 10 m s ,

P 938,33780 Ns ,

M1C 1 N1 0 0 0.00446 0.00063 0.00108 0 T ,

M 2C 1 N 2 0 0 0.00331 0 0.001 0 T ,
v1 0 0 4.18499 19.40885 1.01340 0 T ,
v 2 0 0 3.10590 30 0.93834 0 T ,
Ec 2815.01 J .