Oscillators with a quasi-constant restoring force: approximations for motion

In this work approximate solutions to conservative single-degree of freedom oscillators with a restoring force close to the one with a constant magnitude are derived. Approximate solutions are assumed as a truncated Fourier series and harmonic balancing is applied. In addition, the assumption that the response of the oscillators considered is close to the response of the antisymmetric oscillator is introduced. It is suggested in a novel way how to modify the differential equation of motion with the assumed solution so as to derive explicit expressions for the frequency and the amplitudes of harmonics in the first, second and third approximation are presented. The comparison of the results obtained with numerical solutions as well as with some existing approximate analytical results from the literature is also carried out, showing excellent accuracy.     

Modeling non-linear oscillators: a new approach

A new method for modeling oscillators is presented. Results from this method are superior to those of perturbation techniques, especially when non-linearities are large, and it is computationally just as simple. The method is introduced here by application to the non-linear pendulum and the Duffing equation, but it can be extended to non-conservative oscillators. It is based on a ‘dual’ state variable formulation, in which a second ordinary differential equation is paired with the oscillator's equation of motion. The solutions developed here are followed by a discussion of the underlying mathematics.     

About a class of nonlinear oscillators with amplitude-independent frequency

This work is concerned with nonlinear oscillators that have a fixed, amplitude-independent frequency. This characteristic, known as isochronicity/isochrony, is achieved by establishing the equivalence between the Lagrangian of the simple harmonic oscillator and the Lagrangian of conservative oscillators with a position-dependent coefficient of the kinetic energy, which can stem from their mass that changes with the displacement or the geometry of motion. Conditions under which such systems have an isochronous center in the origin are discussed. General expressions for the potential energy, equation of motion as well as solutions for a phase trajectory and time response are provided. A few illustrative examples accompanied with numerical verifications are also presented.     

A perturbation method for certain non-linear oscillators

We present a perturbation method for the analysis of single degree of freedom non-linear oscillation phenomena governed by an equation of motion containing a parameter ? which need not be small. The approach is to define a new parameter α = α(?) in such a way that asymptotic solutions in power series in α converge more quickly than do the standard perturbation expansions in power series in ?. Phenomena considered are free vibration of strongly non-linear conservative oscillators and steady state response of strongly non-linear oscillators subject to weak harmonic excitation.     

On the local stability analysis of the approximate harmonic balance solutions

Periodic response of nonlinear oscillators is usually determined by approximate methods. In the "steady state" type methods, first an approximate solution for the steady state periodic response is determined, and then the local stability of this solution is determined by analyzing the equation of motion linearized about this predicted "solution". An exact stability analysis of this linear variational equation can provide erroneous stability type information about the approximate solutions. It is shown that a consistent stability type information about these solutions can be obtained only when the linearized variational equation is analyzed by approximate methods, and the level of accuracy of this analysis is consistent with that of the approximate solutions. It is demonstrated that these consistent stability results do not imply that the approximate solution is qualitatively correct. It is also shown that the difference between an approximate and the next higher order stability analysis can be used to "guess" the role of higher harmonics in the periodic response. This trial and error procedure can be used to ensure the qualitatively correct and numerically accurate nature of the approximate solutions and the corresponding stability analysis.     

Construction of approximate analytical solutions to strongly nonlinear damped oscillators

An analytical approximate method for strongly nonlinear damped oscillators is proposed. By introducing phase and amplitude of oscillation as well as a bookkeeping parameter, we rewrite the governing equation into a partial differential equation with solution being a periodic function of the phase. Based on combination of the Newton’s method with the harmonic balance method, the partial differential equation is transformed into a set of linear ordinary differential equations in terms of harmonic coefficients, which can further be converted into systems of linear algebraic equations by using the bookkeeping parameter expansion. Only a few iterations can provide very accurate approximate analytical solutions even if the nonlinearity and damping are significant. The method can be applied to general oscillators with odd nonlinearities as well as even ones even without linear restoring force. Three examples are presented to illustrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Prediction of the response of non-linear oscillators under stochastic parametric and external excitations

The method of equivalent external excitation is derived to predict the stationary variances of the states of non-linear oscillators subjected to both stochastic parametric and external excitations. The oscillator is interpreted as one which is excited solely by an external zero-mean stochastic process. The Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation is then applied to solve for the density functions and match the stationary variances of the states. Four examples which include polynomial, non-polynomial, and Duffing type non-linear oscillators are used to illustrate this approach. The validity of the present approach is compared with some exact solutions and with Monte Carlo simulations.     

A power-form method for dynamic systems: investigating the steady-state response of strongly nonlinear oscillators by their equivalent Duffing-type equation

This paper aims to apply a transformation method that replaces the elastic forces of the original equation of motion with a power-form elastic term. The accuracy obtained from the derived equivalent equations of motion is evaluated by studying the finite-amplitude damped, forced vibration of a vertically suspended load body supported by incompressible, homogeneous, and isotropic viscohyperelastic elastomer materials. Numerical integrations of the original equations of two oscillators described by neo-Hookean and Mooney–Rivlin viscohyperelastic elastomer material models, and their equivalent equations of motion, are compared to the frequency–amplitude steady-state solutions obtained from the harmonic balance and the averaging methods. It is shown from numerical integrations and approximate steady-state solutions that the equivalent equations predict well the original system dynamic response despite having higher system nonlinearities.

     

On the response of purely nonlinear oscillators: An Ateb-type solution for motion and an Ateb-type external excitation

This study is concerned with free and forced undamped purely nonlinear oscillators. First, the exact closed-form solution for free vibrations given in terms of the Ateb function is discussed. An insight is provided with respect to the period of vibrations and the harmonic content of the response. Then, forced purely nonlinear oscillators with an Ateb-type external excitation are considered. The exact solution for the forced response is obtained, the amplitude-frequency equation derived and frequency-response curves investigated. It is also shown how one can adjust the system parameters to cause a constant frequency/period of the forced response.     

A Modified Perturbation Technique Depending Upon an Artificial Parameter

In this paper, a modified perturbation method is proposed to search for analytical solutions of nonlinear oscillators without possible small parameters. An artificial perturbation equation is carefully constructed by embedding an artificial parameter, which is used as expanding parameter. It reveals that various traditional perturbation techniques can be powerfully applied in this theory. Some examples, such as the Duffing equation and the van der Pol equation, are given here to illustrate its effectiveness and convenience. The results show that the obtained approximate solutions are uniformly valid on the whole solution domain, and they are suitable not only for weak nonlinear systems, but also for strongly nonlinear systems. In applying the new method, some special techniques have been emphasized for different problems.     

Transversal Dynamics of One-Dimensional Chain on Nonlinear Asymmetric Substrate

We present a study of localized transversal excitations in a system of weakly nonlinear oscillators coupled by linear bonds. The equations of motion are written in a complex form and then the multi-scale expansion is used. Short wave-length asymptotics have been considered. We have shown that in the case nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NSE) corresponds to the main approximation. This equation, in particular, possesses soliton-like solutions (breathers).     

Energy localization and white noise-induced enhancement of response in a micro-scale oscillator array

In this work, the authors seek to develop an analytical framework to understand the influence of noise on an array of micro-scale oscillators with special attention to the phenomenon of intrinsic localized modes (ILMs). It was recently shown by one of the authors and co-workers (Dick et al. in Nonlinear Dyn. 54:13, 2008) that ILMs can be realized as nonlinear vibration modes. Building on this work, it is shown here that white noise excitation, by itself, is unable to produce ILMs in an array of coupled nonlinear oscillators. However, in the case of an array subjected to a combined deterministic and random excitation, the obtained numerical results indicate the existence of a threshold noise strength beyond which the ILM at one location in attenuated whilst the localization in strengthened at another location in the array. The numerical results further motivate the formulation of a general analytical framework wherein the Fokker–Planck equation is derived for a typical coupled oscillator cell of the array subjected to a combined white noise and deterministic excitation. With a set of approximations, the moment evolution equations are derived from the Fokker–Planck equation and they are numerically solved. These solutions indicate that once a localization event occurs in the array, a random excitation with noise strength above a threshold value contributes to the sustenance of the event. It is also observed that an excitation with a higher noise strength results in enhanced response amplitudes for oscillators in the center of the array. The efforts presented in this paper, in addition to providing an analytical framework for developing a fundamental understanding of the influence of white noise on the dynamics of coupled oscillator arrays, suggest that noise may be potentially used to manipulate the formation and persistence of ILMs in such arrays. Furthermore, the occurrence of enhanced response amplitudes due to an excitation with a high noise strength indicates that the framework may also be used to investigate stochastic resonance-type phenomena in coupled arrays of nonlinear oscillators including micro-scale oscillator arrays.     

Metamorphoses of resonance curves in systems of coupled oscillators:The case of degenerate singular points

We study dynamics of two coupled periodically driven oscillators. The internal motion is separated off exactly to yield a nonlinear fourth-order equation describing inner dynamics. Periodic steady-state solutions of the fourth-order equation are determined within the Krylov–Bogoliubov–Mitropolsky approach and we compute the corresponding amplitude profiles.Metamorphoses of these amplitude curves induced by changes of control parameters as well as the corresponding changes of dynamics are studied within the framework of theory of differential properties of algebraic curves. The major finding is that there is a very rich dynamics in neighborhoods of degenerate singular points.     

Nonzero mean PDF solution of nonlinear oscillators under external Gaussian white noise

This paper is concerned with the nonzero mean stationary probability density function (PDF) solution for nonlinear oscillators under external Gaussian white noise. The PDF solution is governed by the well-known Fokker–Planck–Kolmogorov (FPK) equation and this equation is numerically solved by the exponential-polynomial closure (EPC) method. Different types of oscillators are further investigated in the case of nonzero mean response. Either weak or strong nonlinearity is considered to show the effectiveness of the EPC method. When the polynomial order equals 2, the results of the EPC method are identical with those given by equivalent linearization (EQL) method. These results obtained with the EQL method differ significantly from exact solution or simulated results. When the polynomial order is 4 or 6, the PDFs obtained with the EPC method present a good agreement with the exact solution or simulated results, especially in the tail regions. The numerical analysis also shows that the nonzero mean PDF of the response is nonsymmetrically distributed about its mean unlike the case of the zero mean PDF reported in the references.     

Nonzero mean response of nonlinear oscillators excited by additive Poisson impulses

This paper investigates the nonzero mean probability density function (PDF) of nonlinear oscillators under additive Poisson impulses. The PDF is governed by the generalized Fokker?CPlanck?CKolmogorov (FPK) equation which is also called the Kolmogorov?CFeller (KF) equation. An exponential-polynomial closure (EPC) method is adopted to solve the equation. Five examples are considered in numerical analysis to show the effectiveness of the EPC method. The nonzero mean response of nonlinear oscillators is formulated due to either nonlinearity type or nonzero mean amplitude of Poisson impulses. The analysis shows that the PDFs obtained with the EPC method agree with the simulated results when the polynomial order is 4 or 6. This agreement is also observed in the tail regions of the obtained PDFs. The comparison further shows that the nonzero mean PDF of displacement is nonsymmetrically distributed. Comparatively, the PDF of velocity still has a symmetrical distribution pattern when the nonlinearity only exists in displacement.     

Periodic and quasiperiodic motion for complex non-linear systems

A damped complex non-linear system corresponding to two coupled non-linear oscillators with a periodic damping force is investigated by an asymptotic perturbation method based on Fourier expansion and time rescaling. Four coupled equations for the amplitude and the phase of solutions are derived. Phase-locked solutions with period equal to the damping force period are possible only if the oscillators amplitudes are equal. On the contrary, if the oscillators amplitudes are different, periodic solutions exist only with a period different from the damping force period. These solutions are stable only for perturbations that conserve the phase difference and the square amplitude sum of the oscillators. Energy considerations are used in order to study existence and characteristics of quasiperiodic motion. We demonstrate that modulated motion can be also obtained for appropriate values of the detuning parameter and in this case an approximate analytic solution is easily constructed. If the detuning parameter decreases the modulation period increases and then diverges, an infinite-period bifurcation occurs and the resulting motion becomes unbounded. Analytic approximate solutions are checked by numerical integration.     

A further investigation about a simple model of the hunting behavior of some old locomotives

This study is concerned with forced damped purely nonlinear oscillators and their behaviour at different excitation frequencies. First, their dynamics is considered numerically for the response determined in the vicinity of a backbone curve with the aim of detecting coexisting responses that have not been found analytically so far. Both the cases of low and high excitation amplitudes are investigated. Second, the angular excitation frequency is lowered significantly for different powers of nonlinearity, and the system’s behaviour is examined qualitatively, which has not been considered previously related to a general class of purely nonlinear oscillators. It is illustrated that the response at a low-valued angular excitation frequency has a form of bursting oscillations, consisting of fast oscillations around a slow flow. Finally, approximate analytical solutions are presented for the slow and fast flow for a general class of purely nonlinear oscillators.     

Dynamic analysis of suspended cables carrying moving oscillators

An efficient procedure for analyzing in-plane vibrations of flat-sag suspended cables carrying an array of moving oscillators with arbitrarily varying velocities is presented. The cable is modelled as a mono-dimensional elastic continuum, fully accounting for geometrical nonlinearities. By eliminating the horizontal displacement component through a standard condensation procedure, the nonlinear integro-differential equation governing vertical cable vibrations is derived. Due to the dynamic interaction at the contact points with the moving oscillators, such equation is coupled to the set of ordinary differential equations ruling the response of the travelling sub-systems. An improved series representation of vertical cable displacement is proposed, which allows to overcome the inability of the traditional Galerkin method to reproduce the kinks and abrupt changes of cable configuration at the interface with the moving sub-systems. Following the philosophy of the well-known “mode-acceleration” method, the convergence of the series expansion of cable response in terms of appropriate basis functions is improved through the introduction of the so-called “quasi-static” solution. Numerical results demonstrate that, despite the basis functions are continuous, the improved series enables to capture with very few terms the abrupt changes of cable profile at the contact points between the cable and the moving oscillators.     

Survival probability of non-linear oscillators subjected to broad-band random disturbances

An analytical method is developed for examining the first-passage problem formulated in context with the response of a class of lightly damped non-linear oscillators to broad-band random excitations. A circular (E-type) barrier is considered. The amplitude of the oscillator response is modeled as a Markovian process. This modeling leads to a backward Kolmogorov equation which governs the evolution of the survival probability of the oscillator. The Kolmogorov equation is solved approximately by using the Galerkin technique and a perturbation technique. A set of confluent hypergeometric functions are used as an orthogonal basis for the expansions which are involved in the application of the Galerkin technique and the perturbation technique. The proposed method is exemplified by considering the response of the classical Van der Pol oscillator to white noise excitation. The reliability of the derived analytical solution is assessed by comparison with digital data obtained by a Monte Carlo simulation.     

Adiabatic invariants for dynamical systems with one degree of freedom

Adiabatic invariants for dynamical systems with one degree of freedom, whose equation of motion is (1), and where the existence of the corresponding Hamilton action integral is not imposed, are established. The adiabatic invariants may vary according to their structure. Using the theory a few particular problems, including non-autonomous Duffing and Van der Pol oscillators, are analysed. Finally, it is indicated how the adiabatic invariants can be used for finding approximate solutions, stability analyses and for plotting phase curves.