Asymptotic solutions to the non-linear cantilever elastica

In this work it is shown that by a series of admissible functional transformations the constructed higher-order strongly non-linear differential equation (ODE), describing the elastica of a cantilever due to a terminal generalized concentrated, as well as to a lateral uniformly distributed loading, is reduced to a first-order non-linear integrodifferential equation consisting of the first intermediate integral of the original equation. The absence of exact analytic solutions in terms of known (tabulated) functions of the above reduced equation leads to the conclusion that there are no exact analytic solutions of this complicated elastica problem. In the limits of small values of the slope parameter of the deflected elastica, we expand asymptotically the above integrodifferential equation to non-linear ODEs of the generalized Emden–Fowler types, exact analytic solutions of which are constructed in parametric form.     

On the damping decrement for non-linear oscillations

The logarithmic damping decrement is obtained as a function of arbitrary non-linear restoring forces and arbitrary, but small, non-linear damping forces. General expressions are obtained for both amplitude-dependent and speed-dependent damping. The special case of a cubic restoring force with quadratic amplitude-dependent damping and the special case of a cubic restoring force with quadratic speed-dependent damping are considered in detail. The results of the analysis suggest how experimental data can be utilized to identify and evaluate the damping parameters for a given non-linear oscillator.     

Parametric vibrations and stability of an axially accelerating string guided by a non-linear elastic foundation

Parametric vibrations and stability of an axially accelerating string guided by a non-linear elastic foundation are studied analytically. The axial speed, as the source of parametric vibrations, is assumed to involve a mean speed, along with small harmonic variations. The method of multiple scales is applied to the governing non-linear equation of motion and then the natural frequencies and mode shape equations of the system are derived using the equation of order one, and satisfying the compatibility conditions. Using the equation of order epsilon, the solvability conditions are obtained for three distinct cases of axial acceleration frequency. For all cases, the stability areas of system are constructed analytically. Finally, some numerical simulations are presented to highlight the effects of system parameters on vibration, natural frequencies, frequency-response curves, stability, and bifurcation points of the system.     

Identification of the state equation in complex non-linear systems

Building on the basic idea behind the Restoring Force Method for the non-parametric identification of non-linear systems, a general procedure is presented for the direct identification of the state equation of complex non-linear systems. No information about the system mass is required, and only the applied excitation(s) and resulting acceleration are needed to implement the procedure. Arbitrary non-linear phenomena spanning the range from polynomial non-linearities to the noisy Duffing-van der Pol oscillator (involving product-type non-linearities and multiple excitations) or hysteretic behavior such as the Bouc-Wen model can be handled without difficulty. In the case of polynomial-type non-linearities, the approach yields virtually exact results for sufficiently rich excitations. For other types of non-linearities, the approach yields the optimum (in least-squares sense) representation in non-parametric form of the dominant interaction forces induced by the motion of the system. Several examples involving synthetic data corresponding to a variety of highly non-linear phenomena are presented to demonstrate the utility as well as the range of validity of the proposed approach.     

On non-linear stability in unconstrained non-linear elasticity

A method of obtaining a full three-dimensional non-linear Hadamard stability analysis of inhomogeneous deformations of arbitrary, unconstrained, hyperelastic materials is presented. The analysis is an extension of that given by Chen and Haughton (Proc. Roy. Soc. London A 459 (2003) 137) for two-dimensional incompressible problems. The process that we present replaces the second variation condition expressed as an integral involving a quadratic in three arbitrary perturbations, with an equivalent sixth-order system of ordinary differential equations. The positive definiteness condition is thereby reduced to the simple numerical evaluation of zeros of a well-behaved function. The general theory is illustrated by applying it to the problem of the inflation of a thick-walled spherical shell. The present analysis provides a simpler alternative approach to bifurcation problems approached by using the incremental equations of non-linear elasticity.     

Identification of physical parameters with memory in non-linear systems

A new technique called ‘Reverse MI/SO’ has been developed that greatly simplifies the identification of parameters in systems with amplitude non-linearities and frequency-dependent coefficients as described by non-linear integro-differential equations of motion. This paper illustrates the technique for single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) non-linear systems where linear and non-linear damping is described by memory functions of an exponential and exponential-cosine analytical form. Comparisons between analytical and numerical simulation results prove that the Reverse MI/SO technique is quite robust. A discussion is included outlining the importance of this new technique as applied to the (non-linear) dynamics of ships and stability studies.     

A new method for the non-linear deflection analysis of an infinite beam resting on a non-linear elastic foundation

The aim of this paper is to develop a new method of analyzing the non-linear deflection behavior of an infinite beam on a non-linear elastic foundation. Non-linear beam problems have traditionally been dealt with by semi-analytical approaches that involve small perturbations or by numerical methods, such as the non-linear finite element method. In this paper, in contrast, a transformed non-linear integral equation that governs non-linear beam deflection behavior is formulated to develop a new method for non-linear solutions. The proposed method requires an iteration to solve non-linear problems, but is fairly simple and straightforward to apply. It also converges quickly, whereas traditional non-linear solution procedures are generally quite complex in application. Mathematical analysis of the proposed method is performed. In addition, illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of the method developed in the present study.     

Stochastic averaging of n-dimensional non-linear dynamical systems subject to non-Gaussian wide-band random excitations

The averaged generalized Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (GFPK) equation for response of n-dimensional (n-d) non-linear dynamical systems to non-Gaussian wide-band stationary random excitation is derived from the standard form of equation of motion. The explicit expressions for coefficients of the fourth-order approximation of the averaged GFPK equation are given in series form. Conditions for convergences of these series are pointed out. The averaged GFPK equation is then reduced to that for 1-d dynamical systems derived by Stratonovich and compared with the closed form of GFPK equation for n-d dynamical systems subject to Poisson white noise derived by Di Paola and Falsone. Finally, this averaged GFPK equation is further reduced to that for quasi linear system subject to non-Gaussian wide-band stationary random excitation. Stationary probability density for quasi linear system subject to filtered Poisson white noise is obtained. Theoretical results for an example are confirmed by using Monte-Carlo simulation for different parameter values.     

Exact analytic solutions of the porous media and the gas pressure diffusion ODEs in non-linear mechanics

Two kinds of second-order non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) appearing in mathematical physics and non-linear mechanics are analyzed in this paper. The one concerns the Kidder equation in porous media and the second the gas pressure diffusion equation. Both these equations are strongly non-linear including quadratic first-order derivatives (damping terms). By a series of admissible functional transformations we reduce the prescribed equations to Abel's equations of the second kind of the normal form that they do not admit exact analytic solutions in terms of known (tabulated) functions. According to a mathematical methodology recently developed concerning the construction of exact analytic solutions of the above class of Abel's equations, we succeed in performing the exact analytic solutions of both Kidder's and gas pressure diffusion equations. The boundary and initial data being used in the above constructions are in accordance with each specific problem under considerations.     

Probabilistic solution of non-linear random ship roll motion by path integration

This paper investigates the probability density function (PDF) of non-linear random ship roll motion using a previously developed path integration method. The mathematical model of ship rolling motion consists of a linear-plus-cubic damping and a non-linear restoring moment in the form of odd-order polynomials up to fifth-order terms. In the path integration method, the interpolation scheme is based on the Gauss–Legendre quadrature integration rule and the short-time transition probability density function is formulated by short-time Gaussian approximation. The present work extends the path integration method to the case of non-linear random ship roll motion. Different values of non-linearity coefficient and excitation intensity are used to examine the effectiveness of the path integration method. Numerical analysis shows that the results of the path integration method agree well with the simulation results, even in the tail region. The path integration method is effective and it is simply implemented in the examined cases. Due to the presence of non-linear damping terms and non-linear restoring moment terms, the PDFs of roll angle and angular velocity exhibit highly non-Gaussian behaviors.     

Determination of unknown elastoplastic properties in signorini problem

The problem of recovering the plasticity function of non-linear Lame equation from the knowledge of penetration diagram is considered. Mathematical modelling of the identification problem leads to an inverse Signorini problem for a non-linear operator with a non-local additional condition (measured data). Using a variational method coefficient stability in H¹ is proved. Then based on this result, the existence of a quasisolution is obtained in a physically admissible class of coefficients. The numerical method and examples are also presented.     

Non-periodic motions of a Jeffcott rotor with non-linear elastic restoring forces

The conditions that give rise to non-periodic motions of a Jeffcott rotor in the presence of non-linear elastic restoring forces are examined. It is well known that non-periodic behaviours that characterise the dynamics of a rotor are fundamentally a consequence of two aspects: the non-linearity of the hydrodynamic forces in the lubricated bearings of the supports and the non-linearity that affects the elastic restoring forces in the shaft of the rotor. In the present research the analysis was restricted to the influence of the non-linearity that characterises the elastic restoring forces in the shaft, adopting a system that was selected the simplest as possible. This system was represented by a Jeffcott rotor with a shaft of mass that was negligible respect to the one of the disk, and supported with ball bearings. In order to check in a straightforward manner the non-linearity of the system and to confirm the results obtained through theoretical analysis, an investigation was carried out using an experimental model consisting of a rotating disk fitted in the middle of a piano wire pulled taut at its ends but leaving the tension adjustable. The adopted length/diameter ratio was high enough to assume the wire itself was perfectly flexible while its mass was negligible compared to that of the disk. Under such hypotheses the motion of the disk centre can be expressed by means of two ordinary, non-linear and coupled differential equations. The conditions that make the above motion non-periodic or chaotic were found through numerical integration of the equations of motion. A number of numerical trials were carried out using a 4th order Runge-Kutta routine with adaptive stepsize control. This procedure made it possible to plot the trajectories of the disk centre and the phase diagrams of the component motions, taken along two orthogonal coordinate axes, with their projections of the Poincaré sections. On the basis of the theoretical results obtained, the conditions that give rise to non-periodic motions of the experimental rotor were identified.     

Usefulness of passive non-linear energy sinks in controlling galloping vibrations

The suppression of vibration amplitudes of an elastically-mounted square prism subjected to galloping oscillations by using a non-linear energy sink is investigated. The non-linear energy sink consists of a secondary system with linear damping and non-linear stiffness. A representative model that couples the transverse displacement of the square prism and the non-linear energy sink is constructed. A linear analysis is performed to determine the impacts of the non-linear energy sink parameters (mass, damping, and stiffness) on the coupled frequency and onset speed of galloping. It is demonstrated that increasing the damping of the non-linear energy sink can result in a significant increase in the onset speed of galloping. Then, the normal form of the Hopf bifurcation is derived to identify the type of instability and to determine the effects of the non-linear energy sink stiffness on the performance of the aeroelastic system near the bifurcation. The results show that the non-linear energy sink can be efficiently implemented to significantly reduce the galloping amplitude of the square prism. It is also shown that the multiple stable responses of the coupled aeroelastic system are obtained as well as the periodic responses, which are dependent on the considered non-linear energy sink parameters.     

Unsteady inviscid flowfields of 2D airfoils by non-linear singular integral computational analysis

A two-dimensional aerodynamics representation analysis is introduced for the investigation of inviscid flowfields of unsteady airfoils. The problem of the unsteady flow of a two-dimensional NACA airfoil is therefore reduced to the solution of a non-linear multidimensional singular integral equation, when the form of the source and vortex strength distribution is dependent on the history of the above distribution on the NACA airfoil surface. An application is given to the determination of the velocity and pressure coefficient field around an aircraft by assuming constant source distribution.     

Stochastic stability of non-linear SDOF systems

A semi-analytical procedure for obtaining stability conditions for strongly non-linear single degree of freedom system (SDOF) subjected to random excitations is presented using stochastic averaging technique. The method is useful for finding stability conditions for systems having highly irregular non-linear functions which cannot be integrated in closed form to yield analytical expressions for averaged drift and diffusion coefficients. In spite of numerical methods available for finding stability of SDOF system by determining Lyapunov exponent, the proposed technique may have to be adopted (i) when the excitation is non-white; and (ii) when numerical integration fails due to convergence problem. The method is developed in such a way that it lends itself to a numerical computational scheme using FFT for obtaining numerical values of drift and diffusion coefficients of Its differential equation and the corresponding FPK equation for the system. These values of averaged drift and diffusion coefficients are then fit into polynomial form using curve fitting technique so that polynomials can be used for stability analysis. Two example problems are solved as illustrations. The first one is the Van der Pol oscillator having non-linearities which can be treated purely analytically. The example is considered for the validation of the proposed method. The second one involves non-linearities in the form of signum function for which purely analytical solution is not possible. The results of the study show that the proposed method is useful and efficient for performing stability analysis of dynamic systems having any type of non-linearities.     

Development of data-based model-free representation of non-conservative dissipative systems

A general procedure is presented for developing data-based, non-parametric models of non-linear multi-degree-of-freedom, non-conservative, dissipative systems. Two broad classes of methods are discussed: one relying on the representation of the system restoring forces in a polynomial-basis format, and the other using artificial neural networks to map the complex transformations relating the system state variables to the needed system outputs. A non-linear two-degree-of-freedom system is used to formulate the approach under discussion and to generate synthetic data for calibrating the efficiency of the two methods in capturing complex non-linear phenomena (such as dry friction, hysteresis, dead-space non-linearities, and polynomial-type non-linearities) that are widely encountered in the applied mechanics field. Subsequently, a reconfigurable test apparatus was used to generate experimental measurements from a physical non-linear “joint” involving two-dimensional motion (translation and rotation) and complicated interaction forces between the different motion axes, among its internal elements. Both the polynomial-basis approach and the neural network method were used to develop high-fidelity, non-parametric models of the physical test article. The ability of the identified models to accurately “generalize” the essential features of the non-linear system was verified by comparing the predictions of the models with experimental measurements from data sets corresponding to different excitations than those used for identification purposes. It is shown that the identification techniques under discussion can be useful tools for developing accurate simulation models of complex multi-dimensional non-linear systems under broadband excitation.     

Stochastic non-linear response of a flexible rotor with local non-linearities

The effects of uncertainties on the non-linear dynamics response remain misunderstood and most of the classical stochastic methods used in the linear case fail to deal with a non-linear problem. So we propose to take into account of uncertainties into non-linear models, by coupling the Harmonic Balance Method (HBM) and the Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE). The proposed method called the Stochastic Harmonic Balance Method (Stochastic-HBM) is based on a new formulation of the non-linear dynamic problem in which not only the approximated non-linear responses but also the non-linear forces and the excitation pulsation are considered as stochastic parameters. Expansions on the PCE basis are performed by passing via an Alternate Frequency Time method with Probabilistic Collocation (AFTPC) for estimating the stochastic non-linear forces in the stochastic domain and the frequency domain. In the present paper, the Stochastic Harmonic Balance Method (Stochastic-HBM) that is applied to a flexible non-linear rotor system, with random parameters modeled as random fields, is presented. The Stochastic-HBM combined with an Alternate Frequency-Time method with Probabilistic Collocation (AFTPC) allows us to solve dynamical problems with non-regular non-linearities in presence of uncertainties. In this study, the procedure is developed for the estimation of stochastic non-linear responses of the rotor system with different regular and non-regular non-linearities. The finite element rotor system is composed of a shaft with two disks and two flexible bearing supports where the non-linearities are due to a radial clearance or a cubic stiffness. A numerical analysis is performed to analyze the effect of uncertainties on the non-linear behavior of this rotor system by using the Stochastic-HBM. Furthermore, the results are compared with those obtained by applying a classical Monte-Carlo simulation to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methodology.     

On the identification of non-linear mechanical systems using orthogonal functions

Real world mechanical systems present non-linear behavior and in many cases simple linearization in modeling the system would not lead to satisfactory results. Coulomb damping and cubic stiffness are typical examples of system parameters currently used in non-linear models of mechanical systems. This paper uses orthogonal functions to represent input and output signals. These functions are easily integrated by using a so-called operational matrix of integration. Consequently, it is possible to transform the non-linear differential equations of motion into algebraic equations. After mathematical manipulation the unknown linear and non-linear parameters are determined. Numerical simulations, involving single and two degree-of-freedom mechanical systems, confirm the efficiency of the above methodology.     

Numerical approximation for a non-linear membrane problem

We present a numerical study of large deformations of non-linearly elastic membranes. We consider the non-linear membrane model obtained by Le Dret and Raoult using Γ-convergence, in the case of a Saint Venant-Kirchhoff bulk material. We consider conforming P₁ and Q₁ finite element approximations of the membrane problem and use a non-linear conjugate gradient algorithm to minimize the discrete energy. We present numerical tests including membranes subjected to live pressure loads.