Constrained Mechanical Systems in Descriptor form: Identification, Simulation and Control

The subject of constrained controlled mechanical (“mechatronic”) systems in descriptor form is a field of current research in mechanical engineering, control theory and applied mathematics. It is essentially based on the progress in numerical mathematics on the solution of differential-algebraic equations, cf. [1–3] and on the developments in control theory on singular (or descriptor) systems, cf. [4–6]. In mechanics the investigation of constrained mechanical systems is a well-known problem, particular in the case of nonholonomic systems [7,8]. First relations between mechanical and numerical approaches were established by Baumgarte [9] in 1972 and more recently by Nikravesh [10] and Führer [11], stimulating a lot of research work on the simulation of mechanical constrained systems, e.g. [12,13].