Method of variation of parameters for solving a constrained Birkhoffian system

For an in-depth study on the integration problem of the constrained mechanical systems the method of integration for the Birkhoffian system with constraints is discussed and the method of variation of parameters for solving the dynamical equations of the constrained Birkhoffian system is provided.First the differential equations of motion for the constrained Birkhoffian system as well as for the corresponding free Birkhoffian system are established.Secondly a system of auxiliary equations is constructed and the general solution of the equations is found.Finally by varying the parameters and utilizing the properties of the generalized canonical transformation of the Birkhoffian system the solution of the problem can be obtained.The proposed method reveals the inherent relationship between the solution of a free Birkhoffian system and that of a constrained Birkhoffian system. The research results are of universal significance which can be further used in a variety of constrained mechanical systems such as non-conservative systems and nonholonomic systems etc.