On stability of relative equilibria of a double pendulum with vibrating suspension point

We consider the motions of a double pendulum consisting of two hinged identical rods. The pendulum suspension point is assumed to perform harmonic vibrations of arbitrary frequency and arbitrary amplitude in the vertical direction. We carry out a complete nonlinear analysis of the stability of the four pendulum relative equilibria on the vertical. The problem on the stability of the relative equilibria of the mathematical pendulum in the case where the suspension point performs vertical harmonic vibrations of arbitrary frequency and arbitrary amplitude was considered in a linear setting [1–3] and a nonlinear setting [4, 5]. In the case of small-amplitude rapid vertical vibrations of the suspension point, linear and (mathematically not fully rigorous) nonlinear stability analysis of the relative equilibria was carried out for an ordinary pendulum [6–9] and a double pendulum [10, 11]. In [12], for the same case of rapid vibrations, stability conditions in the linear approximation were obtained for the four relative equilibria of a system consisting of two physical pendulums. In the special case of a system consisting of two identical rods, the problem was solved in the nonlinear setting.     

On periodic motions of an orbital dumbbell-shaped body with a cabin-elevator

The motion of a dumbbell-shaped body (a pair of massive points connected with each other by a weightless rod along which the elevator, i.e., a third point, is moving according to a given law) in an attractive Newtonian central field is considered. In particular, such a mechanical system can be considered as a simplified model of an orbital cable system equipped with an elevator. The practically most interesting case where the cabin performs periodic ??shuttle??motions is studied. Under the assumption that the elevator mass is small compared with the dumbbell mass, the Poincaré theory is used to determine the conditions for the existence of families of system periodic motions analytically depending on the arising small parameter and passing into some stable radial steady-state motion of the unperturbed problem as the small parameter tends to zero. It is also proved that, for sufficiently small parameter values, each of the radial relative equilibria generates exactly one family of such periodic motions. The stability of the obtained periodic solutions is studied in the linear approximation, and these solutions themselves are calculated up to terms of the firstorder in the small parameter. The contemporary studies of the motion of orbital dumbbell systems apparently originated in Okunev??s papers [1, 2]. These studies were continued in [3], where plane motions of an orbit tether (represented as a dumbbell-shaped satellite) in a circular orbit were considered in the satellite approximation. In [4], in the case of equal masses and in the unbounded statement, the energy-momentum method was used to perform the dynamic reduction of the problem and analyze the stability of relative equilibria. A similar technique was used in [5], where, in contrast to the above-mentioned problems, the massive points were connected by an elastic spring resisting to compression and forming a dumbbell with elastic properties. Under such assumptions, the stability of radial configurations was investigated in that paper. The bifurcations and stability of steady-state configurations of a deformable elastic dumbbell were also studied in [6]. Various obstacles arising in the construction of orbital cable systems, in particular, the strong deformability of known materials, were discussed in [7]. In [8], the problem of orbital motion of a pair of massive points connected by an inextensible weightless cable was considered in the exact statement. In other words, it was assumed that a unilateral constraint is imposed on themassive points. The conditions of stability of vertical positions of the relative equilibria of the cable system, which were obtained in [8], can be used for any ratio of the subsatellite and station masses. In turn, these results agree well with the results obtained earlier in the studies of stability of vertical configurations in the case of equal masses of the system end bodies [3, 4]. One of the basic papers in the dynamics of three-body orbital cable systems is the paper [9]. The steady-state motions and their bifurcations and stability were studied depending on the elevator cabin position in [10].     

On the stability of nonlinear vibrations of coupled pendulums

The motion of two identical pendulums connected by a linear elastic spring is studied. The pendulums move in a fixed vertical plane in a homogeneous gravity field. The nonlinear problem of orbital stability of such a periodic motion of the pendulums is considered under the assumption that they vibrate in the same direction with the same amplitude. (This is one of the two possible types of nonlinear normal vibrations.) An analytic investigation is performed in the cases of small vibration amplitude or small rigidity of the spring. In a special case where the spring rigidity and the vibration amplitude are arbitrary, the study is carried out numerically. Arbitrary linear and nonlinear vibrations in the case of small rigidity (the case of sympathetic pendulums) were studied earlier [1, 2].     

On equilibrium configurations and their stability for a system of two coupled pendulums

A mechanical system consisting of two identical mathematical pendulums connected by a linear spring is considered under the assumption that the pendulum suspension points lie on a horizontal straight line and the system is in a homogeneous gravitational field. The equilibrium configurations of this mechanical system and their stability are studied. The results are represented in the form of bifurcation diagrams.     

Stability of high-frequency periodic motions of a heavy rigid body with a horizontally vibrating suspension point

The motion of a heavy rigid body one of whose points (the suspension point) executes horizontal harmonic high-frequency vibrations with small amplitude is considered. The problem of existence of high-frequency periodic motions with period equal to the period of the suspension point vibrations is considered. The stability conditions for the revealed motions are obtained in the linear approximation. The following three special cases of mass distribution in the body are considered; a body whose center of mass lies on the principal axis of inertia, a body whose center of mass lies in the principal plane of inertia, and a dynamically symmetric body.     

Stability and instability of controlled motions of a two-mass pendulum of variable length

The problem of parametric control of plane motions of a two-mass pendulum (swing) is considered. The swing model is a weightless rod with two lumped masses one of which is fixed on the rod and the other slides along it within bounded limits. The control is the distance from the suspension point to the moving point. The proposed control law of swing excitation and damping consists in continuously varying the pendulumsuspension length depending on the phase state. The stability of various controlled motions, including the motions near the upper and lower equilibria, is studied. The Lyapunov functions that prove the asymptotic stability and instability of the pendulum lower position in the respective cases of the pendulum damping and excitation are constructed for the proposed control law. The influence of the viscous friction forces on the pendulum stable motions and the onset of stagnation regions in the case of its excitation is analyzed. The theoretical results are confirmed by graphical representation of the numerical results.     

Dynamic analysis of two-degree-of-freedom oblique impact system with non-fixed impact positions

Introduction Thecomplexdynamicphenomenainvibro impactsystemshaveattractedscholar’sclose concernformanyyears.ShawandWhiston[1-4]madealotofworksonsingle degree of freedomvibro impactsystemsandgottheexistenceofcomplexdynamicalbehaviorsinthis kindofsystem.LiandJin[5,6]maderesearchontheexistenceandthestabilityofperiodic motionsoftwo degree of freedomvibro impactsystems,andobtainedanalyticalresultson existencecriteriaandstabilityanalysisofsingleimpactperiod nsubharmonicmotions.Stronge[7]investigat…     

On the motion of a heavy dynamically symmetric rigid body with vibrating suspension point

The motion of a dynamically symmetric rigid body in a homogeneous field of gravity is studied. One point lying on the symmetry axis of the body (the suspension point) performs high-frequency periodic or conditionally periodic vibrations of small amplitude. In the framework of approximate equations of motion obtained earlier, we find necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of the body rotation about the vertical symmetry axis and study the existence and stability of regular precessions of the body in the coordinate system translationally moving together with the suspension point.     

Bifurcations in the dynamics of an orthogonal double pendulum

The weakly nonlinear resonant response of an orthogonal double pendulum to planar harmonic motions of the point of suspension is investigated. The two pendulums in the double pendulum are confined to two orthogonal planes. For nearly equal length of the two pendulums, the system exhibits 1:1 internal resonance. The method of averaging is used to derive a set of four first order autonomous differential equations in the amplitude and phase variables. Constant solutions of the amplitude and phase equations are studied as a function of physical parameters of interest using the local bifurcation theory. It is shown that, for excitation restricted in either plane, there may be as many as six pitchfork bifurcation points at which the nonplanar solutions bifurcate from the planar solutions. These nonplanar motions can become unstable by a saddle-node or a Hopf bifurcation, giving rise to a new branch of constant solutions or limit cycle solutions, respectively. The dynamics of the amplitude equations in parameter regions of the Hopf bifurcations is then explored using direct numerical integration. The results indicate a complicated amplitude dynamics including multiple limit cycle solutions, period-doubling route to chaos, and sudden disappearance of chaotic attractors.     

Rotation of the apparent vibration plane of a swinging spring at the 1:1:2 resonance

Nonlinear spatial vibrations of a mass point on a weightless elastic suspension (pendulum on a spring) are considered. The frequency of vertical vibrations is assumed to be equal to the doubled swinging frequency (the 1:1:2 resonance). In this case, as numerical calculations and experiments show, the vertical vibrations are unstable, which leads to the vertical vibration energy transfer to the pendulum swinging energy. The vertical vibrations of the mass point decay and, after a certain time period, the pendulum starts swinging in a certain vertical plane. This swinging is also unstable, which results in the reverse energy transfer into the vertical vibration mode. The vertical vibrations are again repeated. But after the second transfer of the vertical vibration energy to the pendulum swinging energy, the apparent plane of vibrations rotates by a certain angle. These effects are described analytically; namely, the energy transfer period, the time variations in the amplitudes of both modes, and the variations in the angle of the apparent vibration plane are determined. An asymptotic solution is also constructed for the mass point trajectory in the orbit elements. In projection on the horizonal plane, the mass point moves in a nearly elliptic trajectory. The ellipse semiaxes slowly vary with time, so that their product remains constant, and the major semiaxis slowly rotates at a constant sectorial velocity. The obtained analytic time dependence of the ellipse semiaxes and the precession angle agree well with the results of numerical calculations.     

On the Chaotic Dynamics of a Spherical Pendulum with a Harmonically Vibrating Suspension

The equations of motion for a lightly damped spherical pendulum are considered. The suspension point is harmonically excited in both vertical and horizontal directions. The equations are approximated in the neighborhood of resonance by including the third order terms in the amplitude. The stability of equilibrium points of the modulation equations in a four-dimensional space is studied. The periodic orbits of the spherical pendulum without base excitations are revisited via the Jacobian elliptic integral to highlight the role played by homoclinic orbits. The homoclinic intersections of the stable and unstable manifolds of the perturbed spherical pendulum are investigated. The physical parameters leading to chaotic solutions in terms of the spherical angles are derived from the vanishing Melnikov–Holmes–Marsden (MHM) integral. The existence of real zeros of the MHM integral implies the possible chaotic motion of the harmonically forced spherical pendulum as a result from the transverse intersection between the stable and unstable manifolds of the weakly disturbed spherical pendulum within the regions of investigated parameters. The chaotic motion of the modulation equations is simulated via the 4th-order Runge–Kutta algorithms for certain cases to verify the analysis.     

Stability problem for pendulum-type motions of a rigid body in the Goryachev-Chaplygin case

We consider the motion of a rigid body with a single fixed point in a homogeneous gravity field. The body mass geometry and the initial conditions for its motion correspond to the case of Goryachev—Chaplygin integrability. We study the orbital stability problem for periodic motions corresponding to vibrations and rotations of the rigid body rotating about the equatorial axis of the inertia ellipsoid.In [1], it was proved that these periodic motions are orbitally unstable in the linear approximation. It was also shown that, to solve the stability problem in the nonlinear setting, it does not suffice to analyze terms up to the fourth order in the expansion of the Hamiltonian function in the canonical variables.The present paper shows that in this problem one deals with a special case where standard methods for stability analysis based on the coefficients in the normal form of the Hamiltonian of the perturbed equations of motion do not apply. We use Chetaev’s theorem to prove the orbital instability of these periodic motions in the rigorous nonlinear statement of the problem. The proof uses the additional first integral of the Goryachev—Chaplygin problem in an essential way.     

An extension of the Levi-Weckesser method to the stabilization of the inverted pendulum under gravity

Sufficient conditions are given for the stability of the upper equilibrium of the mathematical pendulum (inverted pendulum) when the suspension point is vibrating vertically with high frequency. The equation of the motion is of the form $$ \ddot{\theta}-\frac{1}{l}\bigl(g+a(t)\bigr) \theta=0, $$ where l,g are constants and a is a periodic step function. M. Levi and W. Weckesser gave a simple geometrical explanation for the stability effect provided that the frequency is so high that the gravity g can be neglected. They also obtained a lower estimate for the stabilizing frequency. This method is improved and extended to the arbitrary inverted pendulum not assuming even symmetricity between the upward and downward phases in the vibration of the suspension point.     

Stability of the stationary motion of a double pendulum interacting with a string

The equation of in-plane vertical motion of a double pendulum suspended at some point of a horizontal elastic string is derived using a hybrid model of this mechanical system. The conditions for the asymptotic stability of the stationary motion of the pendulum interacting with the string are established     

Influence of periodic excitation on self-sustained vibrations of one disk rotors in arbitrary length journals bearings

Interaction of forced and self-sustained vibrations of one disk rotor is described by nonlinear finite-degree-of-freedom dynamical system. The shaft of the rotor is supported by two journal bearings. The combination of the shooting technique and the continuation algorithm is used to study the rotor periodic vibrations. The Floquet multipliers are calculated to analyze periodic vibrations stability. The results of periodic motions analysis are shown on the frequency response. The quasi-periodic motions are investigated. These nonlinear vibrations coexist with the periodic forced vibrations.     

Pendulum motions of extended lunar space elevator

In the usual everyday life, it is well known that the inverted pendulum is unstable and is ready to fall to “all four sides,” to the left and to the right, forward and backward. The theoretical studies and the lunar experience of moon robots and astronauts also confirms this property. The question arises: Is this property preserved if the pendulum is “very, very long”? It turns out that the answer is negative; namely, if the pendulum length significantly exceeds the Moon radius, then the radial equilibria at which the pendulum is located along the straight line connecting the Earth and Moon centers are Lyapunov stable and the pendulum does not fall in any direction at all. Moreover, if the pendulum goes beyond the collinear libration points, then it can be extended and manufactured from cables. This property was noted by F. A. Tsander and underlies the so-called lunar space elevator (e.g., see [1]). In the plane of the Earth and Moon orbits, there are some other equilibria which turn out to be unstable. The question is, Are there equilibria at which the pendulum is located outside the orbital plane? In this paper, we show that the answer is positive, but such equilibria are unstable in the secular sense. We also study necessary conditions for the stability of lunar pendulum oscillations in the plane of the lunar orbit. It was numerically discovered that stable and unstable equilibria alternate depending on the oscillation amplitude and the angular velocity of rotation. The study of the lunar elevator dynamics originates in [2]. The concept of lunar elevator was developed in detail in [3, 4]. Several classes of equilibria with the finiteness of the Moon size taken into account were studied in [5]. The possibility of location of an orbital station fixed to the Moon surface by a pair of tethers was investigated in [6]. The problem of orientation of the terminal station of the lunar space elevator was studied in [7]. The influence of the tether length variations on the motion of the lunar tether system was considered in [8]. The alternation of stable and unstable flat oscillations is well known in the problem of satellite oscillations in a circular orbit [9, 10].     

Nonlinear 3D vibrations of a heavy material point on a spring at resonance

We consider the problem of nonlinear 3D vibrations of a heavy material point suspended on a weightless spring at a 1:1:2 frequency resonance. To construct an asymptotic solution, we use the Hamiltonian normal form method. Just as in the plane problem, this asymptotic solution describes the periodic process in which the vertical vibration energy passes into the horizontal vibration energy. For an arbitrarily small nonzero angular momentum with respect to the vertical axis, an effect typical of 3D systems manifests itself. The projection of the trajectory of the point onto the horizontal plane (xy) is an ellipse of constant area with axes varying in time. For certain initial conditions, the ellipse almost degenerates into straight-line segments. The direction of the straight line does not vary on the time interval where the vibration energy is in the horizontal mode and then varies almost by a jump on the interval where the vibration energy is transferred into the vertical mode. The analytic results are in good agreement with numerical solutions of equations of motion of the system.     

Dynamics Investigation of Three Coupled Rods with a Horizontal Barrier

This report is a part of the larger project of non-linear dynamics investigation of three coupled physical pendulums with damping and with arbitrary situated barriers, and externally driven. The set of differential equations and the set of algebraic inequalities (representing a barrier) governing the motion of three coupled rods are presented in the non-dimensional form. The system of governing equations is integrated between two successive impacts, and the discontinuity points are detected (by halving time step until a required precision is obtained). In each impact time, the state of the system is transformed using the extended restitution coefficient rule. The theory of Aizerman and Gantmakher is used to calculate the fundamental solution matrices in the analyzed system exhibiting discontinuities. The fundamental matrices are used during calculation of Lyapunov exponents, during stability analysis of periodic solutions (Floquet multipliers) and in shooting method applied to detect and trace periodic orbits. Some examples for three coupled identical rods with horizontal barrier are reported.     

Stability and Hopf bifurcation in an inverted pendulum with delayed feedback control

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of the inverted pendulum with delayed feedback control. The existence and stability of multiple equilibria depending on the control strengths are studied. Taking the time delay of the control terms as a parameter, periodic oscillations induced by delay are found. By using the method of multiple scales, the effect of the control gains and the relative mass of the pendulum on the stability and direction of Hopf bifurcations are discussed. Numerical simulations are employed to illustrate the obtained theoretical results.     

Global Dynamics of a Rapidly Forced Cart and Pendulum

In this paper, we study emergent behaviors elicited by applying open-loop, high-frequency oscillatory forcing to nonlinear control systems. First, we study hovering motions, which are periodic orbits associated with stable fixed points of the averaged system which are not fixed points of the forced system. We use the method of successive approximations to establish the existence of hovering motions, as well as compute analytical approximations of their locations, for the cart and pendulum on an inclined plane. Moreover, when small-amplitude dissipation is added, we show that the hovering motions are asymptotically stable. We compare the results for all of the local analysis with results of simulating Poincaré maps. Second, we perform a complete global analysis on this cart and pendulum system. Toward this end, the same iteration scheme we use to establish the existence of the hovering periodic orbits also yields the existence of periodic orbits near saddle equilibria of the averaged system. These latter periodic orbits are shown to be saddle periodic orbits, and in turn they have stable and unstable manifolds that form homoclinic tangles. A quantitative global analysis of these tangles is carried out. Three distinguished limiting cases are analyzed. Melnikov theory is applied in one case, and an extension of a recent result about exponentially small splitting of separatrices is developed and applied in another case. Finally, the influence of small damping is studied. This global analysis is useful in the design of open-loop control laws.