This work focuses on analyzing the dynamical behavior of a mechanical system consisting of a double spatial pendulum in contact with a movable obstacle. The pendulum’s ability to move in space is achieved by the use of special Cardan–Hook joints as the links of the pendulum. The mechanical system is equipped with a special movable obstacle, i.e. a rotating circular plate situated below the pendulum, which limits the space of admissible positions. A significant part of this work is devoted to the modeling of the contact between the pendulum and the obstacle. In this regard, a special class of reduced models is derived with the resultant friction force and moment acting on the finite size of the contact area along with a compliant model of impact based on the Hertz stiffness. Finally, the effective model suitable for fast and realistic numerical simulations is obtained. The contact model is tested numerically and the effect of its parameters on the system bifurcation dynamics is investigated.
