The program system ALASKA (an acronym for Advanced LAgrangian Solver in Kinetic Analysis) is a software product designed for the simulation of multibody systems. On the basis of Lagrange's equations of the second order, nonlinear and linear equations of motion for these systems are generated by means of a recursive algebraic algorithm, without the need for derivation. The interactive user interface, in conjunction with a simply structured model-description language, enables quick familiarization with the use of the program. The "open" structure of ALASKA enables an extensive field of application, including for instance the area of total vehicle dynamics; axle kinematics. Computed results can be presented in ables, graphics, and in animated form. The program system ALASKA can be implemented on practically all hardware platforms. Emphasis in the development of ALASKA is given, among other things, to tyre and axle models for simulating vehicle dynamics.
Abstract