Solid brick with variable mass and size
Simscape / Multibody / Body Elements / Variable Mass
The Variable Brick Solid block adds to the attached frame a solid brick with variable mass and size. The mass and side lengths (x, y, and z) of the brick can each be a constant or vary with time. A variable quantity can be specified directly as a physical signal or it can be calculated as a function of the remaining quantities. Only one quantity, either mass or one side length, can be calculated during simulation.
A reference frame encodes the position and orientation of the solid in a model. The frame origin is located at the midpoint of the x- and y-dimensions and at the lower end of the z-dimension. These relationships are preserved during simulation. The z-dimension increases asymmetrically relative to the lower z-plane, along the positive direction of the z-axis.
Variable Brick with z-Dimension Calculated from Mass
Visualization is dynamic. Solid dimensions update continuously as they occur, in the visualization pane of Mechanics Explorer. The initial dimensions of the solid depend on the parameters and physical signals that you specify. It is possible for a variable dimension to begin with a zero value—for example, if it derives from a physical signal whose initial value is zero also.
Density can itself be constant or variable. This quantity is specified as a constant if at least one solid parameter is calculated during simulation. It is calculated as a variable if all solid parameters are explicitly specified, either as (constant) block parameters or as physical signals. As in the case of the solid blocks, you can specify a negative density, for example, to model voids in compound bodies.
Brick Solid | Cylindrical Solid | Ellipsoidal Solid | Extruded Solid | Revolved Solid | Rigid Transform | Spherical Solid | Variable Cylindrical Solid | Variable Spherical Solid