A Nonlinear Viscoelastic Contact Interphase Modeled as a Cosserat Rod-Like String

Journal of Elasticity - A nonlinear viscoelastic contact interphase is modeled using a Cosserat rod-like string. This Cosserat model is a rod with a deformable cross-section, but with no...     

Modeling Historical Development: Fitting a Competing Practices System to Coded Archival Data

This project used curve fitting to refine an ecological model of historical development. Dirlam (1972, 1980, and 1996) constructed multidimensional classifiers for coding sociocultural practices by using theories of children's drawing, students' writing, and developmental researchers' methods. The last involved an eleven-dimensional classifier based mostly on Danziger's (1990) insights. An NDS analysis began with Van Geert's (1991) variant of the Lotka-Volterra two-species model, which was generalized by Dirlam (1997) to many competing species, each embodying an evolutionary strategy. Excellent fits to codings of research strategies in 599 articles from Child Development and Developmental Psychology, 1969-1992, revealed chaotic growth unless suppressed by new strategies. In this paper, coding was extended to 313 new articles published from 1930-1968. A refined model using Levins' (1969) logistic weed produced more meaningful parameter values and suggested dynamic differences between evolutionary strategies and sociocultural practices. Statistically adequate solutions with both low growth and high growth were found. To differentiate solutions, we proposed independent experimental testing and examining the scientific meaning of parameter values. The analysis identified two novel dynamic entities: default and polarized practices. Removing the person-practice link and coding many dimensions at once extends dynamic modeling to a greatly enriched variety of cultural and historical processes.     

A Distal Model of Congenital Nystagmus as Nonlinear Adaptive Oscillations

Congenital nystagmus (CN) is an incurable pathological spontaneous oscillation of the eyes with an onset in the first few months of life. The pathophysiology of CN is mysterious. There is no consistent neurological abnormality, but the majority of patients have a wide range of unrelated congenital visual abnormalities affecting either the cornea, lens, retina or optic nerve. In this theoretical study, we show that these eye oscillations could develop as an adaptive response to maximize visual contrast with poor foveal function in the infant visuomotor system, at a time of peak neural plasticity. We argue that in a visual system with abnormally poor high spatial frequency sensitivity, image contrast is not only maintained by keeping the image on the fovea (or its remnant) but also by some degree of image motion. Using the calculus of variations, we show that the optimal trade-off between these conflicting goals is to generate oscillatory eye movements with increasing velocity waveforms, as seen in real CN. When we include a stochastic component to the start of each epoch (quick-phase inaccuracy) various observed waveforms (including pseudo-cycloid) emerge as optimal strategies. Using the delay embedding technique, we find a low fractional dimension as reported in real data. We further show that, if a velocity command-based pre-motor circuitry (neural integrator) is harnessed to generate these waveforms, the emergence of a null region is inevitable. We conclude that CN could emerge paradoxically as an ‘optimal’ adaptive response in the infant visual system during an early critical period. This can explain why CN does not emerge later in life and why CN is so refractory to treatment. It also implies that any therapeutic intervention would need to be very early in life.     

Large Motions of a Moored Floating Breakwater Modeled as an Impact Oscillator

Two-dimensional motions of a floating breakwater moored to thesea floor by two cables are considered. The breakwater is modeled bothas a point mass and as a rigid body. The mooring lines are assumed tohave no effect on the breakwater when they are slack, and to provide aninstantaneous impulsive force when they become taut, analogous to animpact oscillator or a ball bouncing on a rigid surface. The axialcomponent of the velocity is reduced at this instantaneous tautcondition. Fluid inertia and damping are not included, and the waveforces are assumed to be harmonic. A critical force is defined, and theeffects of the forcing frequency, the coefficient of restitution, andthe shape and size of the body on the critical force are examined.Trajectories of the motion are plotted and the impact velocities arecomputed and analyzed. Knowledge of the number and magnitude of theseimpacts is useful in assessing fatigue of the mooring lines.     

Inception and Development of Nonlinear Mechanics as a New Research Field

International Applied Mechanics - The works done by Ì. M. Krylov and M. M. Bogolyubov at the Institute of Structural Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR and underlying...     

Applications of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Theory in Developmental Psychology: Motor and Cognitive Development

Applications of nonlinear dynamical systems theory to psychology have led to recent advances in understanding neuromotor development and advances in theories of cognitive development. This article reviews published findings associated with a specific coherent and influential application from which a theory of adaptive, self-organized cognition has been derived and related to a theory of developmental dynamics of the neuromotor system. The review focuses on implications of the two theories for quantifying developmental phenomena, and suggests a method for quantifying the cognitive theory.     

Adaptive Control of Flexible Structures Using a Nonlinear Vibration Absorber

A nonlinear adaptive vibration absorber to control the vibrations offlexible structures is investigated. The absorber is based on thesaturation phenomenon associated with dynamical systems possessingquadratic nonlinearities and a two-to-one internal resonance. Thetechnique is implemented by coupling a second-order controller with thestructure through a sensor and an actuator. Energy is exchanged betweenthe structure and the controller and, near resonance, the structure'sresponse saturates to a small value.Experimental results are presented for the control of a rectangularplate and a cantilever beam using piezoelectric ceramics andmagnetostrictive alloys as actuators. The control technique isimplemented using a digital signal processing board and a modelingsoftware. The control strategy is made adaptive by incorporating anefficient frequency-measurement technique. This is validated bysuccessfully testing the control strategy for a nonconventionalproblem, where nonlinear effects hinder the application of thenonadaptive controller.     

Urban Segregation as a Nonlinear Phenomenon

A new mathematical model that describes segregation dynamics of two distinct populations in a city is presented. The model associates segregation with an instability of a spatially uniform mixed population state. Segregated states correspond to alternating domains of overrepresentation and underrepresentation of a given population. A second instability designates a transition to a stronger form of segregation involving enclaves of pure population. The model is used to study neighborhood change processes such as displacements of transition zones and tipping point phenomena. The main significance of the model lies in the conceptual framework it introduces by relating sociospatial phenomena to dynamical system and pattern formation theories.     

Output Feedback Modular Adaptive Control of a Nonlinear Prototypical Wing Section

The paper presents nonlinear adaptive control systems for the control of limit cycle oscillations of a prototypical wing section with structural nonlinearities using only output feedback. The chosen model describes the plunge and pitch motion of a wing. The model includes plunge and pitch nonlinearities, and has a single control surface for the purpose of control. Using a canonical representation of the aeroelastic system, a modular output feedback adaptive control system consisting of an input-to-state stabilizing controller and a passive identifier (an observer and adaptation law) is derived. In the closed-loop system, asymptotic stabilization of the pitch and plunge motion is accomplished. Simulation results show that the control system is effective in regulating the state vector to the origin in spite of large parameter uncertainties.     

Adaptive Control of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Using a Model Reference Approach

In this paper we consider using a model reference adaptive control approach to control nonlinear systems. We consider the controller design and stability analysis associated with these type of adaptive systems. Then we discuss the use of model reference adaptive control algorithms to control systems which exhibit nonlinear dynamical behaviour using the example of a Duffing oscillator being controlled to follow a linear reference model. For this system we show that if the nonlinearity is small then standard linear model reference control can be applied. A second example, which is often found in synchronization applications, is when the nonlinearities in the plant and reference model are identical. Again we show that linear model reference adaptive control is sufficient to control the system. Finally we consider controlling more general nonlinear systems using adaptive feedback linearization to control scalar nonlinear systems. As an example we use the Lorenz and Chua systems with parameter values such that they both have chaotic dynamics. The Lorenz system is used as a reference model and a single coordinate from the Chua system is controlled to follow one of the Lorenz system coordinates.     

Stability of a Nonlinear Impulsive System

New sufficient conditions for the stability and asymptotic stability of a nonlinear impulsive system are established. An essentially nonlinear system is considered as an example to illustrate the results obtained     

叶片-转子-轴承系统的非线性动力学问题研究

以非线性动力学和转子动力学理论为基础,研究了在油膜力作用下,叶片和转轴耦合振动系统的动力学行为。为分析叶片的惯性影响,将叶片模化为单摆模型。采用Runge-Kutta数值方法求解了耦合系统的振动方程,并利用分岔图、Lyapunov指数图、Poincar啨映射图和频谱图等分析了系统的稳定性。分析结果表明,当转速变化时,系统响应会出现倍周期、拟周期和混沌运动等现象,在此基础上分析了叶片长度的变化对该系统非线性动力学行为的影响。     

Diffusion-Induced Blowup in a Nonlinear Parabolic System

A two-component semilinear parabolic system on a bounded domain with Neumann boundary conditions is studied. It is shown that for a certain kind of nonlinearity, the blowup of solutions may occur when the diffusion coefficients are not equal, though the corresponding ODE possesses a globally stable equilibrium.     

Nonlinear Oscillations in a System with Dry Friction

The case is examined where the right-hand side of the equations of motion is discontinuous. Attraction only in the stick domain ensures existence of periodic oscillations. Sufficient stability conditions for the periodic solution of a nonlinear system with dry friction are established__________Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 110–116, April 2005.     

Lyapunov Stability and Adaptive Regulation of a Class of Nonlinear Nonautonomous Second-Order Differential Equations

This paper presents an adaptive regulation scheme for a class ofordinary nonlinear nonautonomous second-order differential equationswhich includes as particular cases a number of particular differentialequations which occur in applications. The unforced reference model isproposed to be a stable differential parametrization within the generalclass dealt with. Therefore, some sufficient Lyapunov's stabilityconditions for such a class are previously investigated which can beused, in particular, to set an appropriate reference model. Theresulting closed-loop adaptive scheme is proved to be stable and itinvolves a parameter estimation scheme of least-squares type which isproved to possess all suitable properties in terms of estimatesboundedness and asymptotic convergence of the estimates to finite limitsas well as time-integrability of the squared adaptation error.     

Development of a Robust Nonlinear Observer for a Single-Link Flexible Manipulator

Accurate measurements of all the state variables of a given system are often not available due to the high cost of sensors, the lack of space to mount the transducers or the hostile environment in which the sensors must be located. The purpose of this study was to design a robust sliding mode observer that is capable of accurately estimating the state variables of the system in the presence of disturbances and model uncertainties. It should be emphasized that the proposed observer design can handle state equations expressed in the general form. The performance of the nonlinear observer is assessed herein by examining its capability of predicting the rigid and flexible motions of a compliant beam that is connected to a revolute joint. The simulation results demonstrate the ability of the observer in accurately estimating the state variables of the system in the presence of structured uncertainties and under different initial conditions between the observer and the plant. Moreover, they illustrate the deterioration in the performance of the observer when subjected to unstructured uncertainties of the system. Furthermore, the nonlinear observer was successfully implemented to provide on-line estimates of the state variables for two model-based controllers. The simulation results show minimal deterioration in the closed-loop response of the system stemming from the usage of estimated rather than exact state variables in the computation of the control signals.Contributed by Professor R. A. Ibrahim.     

Nonlinear Normal Modes in a System with Nonholonomic Constraints

We investigate the dynamics of a system involving the planar motionof a rigid body which is restrained by linear springs and whichpossesses a skate-like nonholonomic constraint known as aplygin'ssleigh. It is shown that the system can be reduced to one with 2 degrees of freedom. The resulting phase flow is shownto involve a curve of nonisolated equilibria. Using second-orderaveraging, the system is shown to possess two families of nonlinearnormal modes (NNMs). Each NNM involves two amplitude parameters.The structure of the NNMs is shown to depart from the generic formin the neighborhood of a 1:1 internal resonance.     

Control of a Nonlinear System Using the Saturation Phenomenon

In this paper, a theoretical investigation of nonlinear vibrations of a 2 degrees of freedom system when subjected to saturation is studied. The method has been especially applied to a system that consists of a DC motor with a nonlinear controller and a harmonic forcing voltage. Approximate solutions are sought using the method of multiple scales. It is shown that the closed-loop system exhibits different response regimes. The nature and stability of these regimes are studied and the stability boundaries are obtained. The effects of the initial conditions on the response of the system have also been investigated. Furthermore, the second-order solution is presented and the corresponding results are compared with those of the first-order solution. It is shown that by increasing the amplitude of the excitation voltage, the higher-order term in the solution becomes significant and causes a drift in the response. In order to verify the obtained theoretical results, they are compared with the corresponding numerical results. Good agreement between the two sets of results is observed.     

Stabilization of Parametric Vibrations of a Nonlinear Continuous System

The purpose of the present paper is to solve an active control problem of nonlinear continuous system parametric vibrations excited by the fluctuating force. The problem is solved using the concept of distributed piezoelectric sensors and actuators with a sufficiently large value of velocity feedback. The direct Liapunov method is proposed to establish criteria for the almost sure stochastic stability of the unperturbed (trivial) solution of the shell with closed-loop control. The distributed control is realized by the piezoelectric sensor and actuator, with the changing widths, glued to the upper and lower shell surface. The relation between the stabilization of nonlinear problem and a linearized one is examined. The fluctuating axial force is modeled by the physically realizable ergodic process. The rate velocity feedback is applied to stabilize the shell parametric vibrations.     

Double Hopf Bifurcations and Chaos of a Nonlinear Vibration System

A double pendulum system is studied for analyzing the dynamic behaviour near a critical point characterized by nonsemisimple 1:1 resonance. Based on normal form theory, it is shown that two phase-locked periodic solutions may bifurcate from an initial equilibrium, one of them is unstable and the other may be stable for certain values of parameters. A secondary bifurcation from the stable periodic solution yields a family of quasi-periodic solutions lying on a two-dimensional torus. Further cascading bifurcations from the quasi-periodic motions lead to two chaoses via a period-doubling route. It is shown that all the solutions and chaotic motions are obtained under positive damping.