Finite‐Difference Reduced Transfer Matrix Method for Multibody Systems With Rotating Beams

ABSTRACT Multibody systems with rotating beams serve as critical simplified models of core components in engineering systems; however, existing analytical and numerical methods have limitations in analyzing their complex dynamic behavior. This paper proposes the Finite‐Difference Reduced Multibody System Transfer Matrix Method (FD‐RMSTMM), which innovatively integrates the Reduced Multibody System Transfer Matrix Method (RMSTMM) with the finite‐difference method. Finite‐difference transfer matrices for planar and spatial vibrating Euler–Bernoulli beams, as well as rotating hub–beam systems, are systematically derived. The proposed approach retains the RMSTMM's advantage of a low matrix order while eliminating the cumulative errors typically associated with matrix multiplication via reduction transformations, thereby enhancing numerical stability and accuracy. The correctness of the proposed method is validated through four sets of numerical examples. Finally, this method can be applied to complex engineering systems, such as wind turbines and satellites, and has the potential to be extended to plates and shells.