The geometrical stability of non-linear normal modes in two degree of freedom systems

The geometrical stability of the non-linear normal mode vibrations of a class of two degree of freedom dynamical systems is studied by utilizing the definitions and analysis of Synge's “Geometry of Dynamics.”It is shown that instabilities can occur for small amplitudes of vibration only if (a) one of the associated linear normal modes possesses a frequency which is nearly a multiple of the frequency of the other linear normal mode, or (b) the frequency of one linear normal mode is nearly zero.