Application of vector-valued rational approximations to a class of non-linear oscillations

By combining a perturbation technique with a rational approximation of vector-valued function, we propose a new approach to non-linear oscillations of conservative single-degree-of-freedom systems with odd non-linearity. The equation of motion does not require to contain a small parameter. First, the Lindstedt-Poincare perturbation method is used to obtain an asymptotic analytical solution. Then the range of validity of the analytical representation is extended by using the vector-valued rational approximation of functions. For constructing the rational approximations, all that is needed is the coefficients of the perturbation expansion being considered. General approximate formulas for period and the corresponding periodic solution of a non-linear system are established. Two examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.