The Asymptotic Perturbation Method for Nonlinear Continuous Systems

We apply the asymptotic perturbation (AP) method to the study of the vibrations of Euler--Bernoulli beam resting on a nonlinear elastic foundation. An external periodic excitation is in primary resonance or in subharmonic resonance in the order of one-half with an nth mode frequency. The AP method uses two different procedures for the solutions: introducing an asymptotic temporal rescaling and balancing the harmonic terms with a simple iteration. We obtain amplitude and phase modulation equations and determine external force-response and frequency-response curves. The validity of the method is highlighted by comparing the approximate solutions with the results of the numerical integration and multiple-scale methods.