New solutions of classical problems in rigid body dynamics

The equations of motion of a rigid body acted upon by general conservative potential and gyroscopic forces were reduced by Yehia to a single second-order differential equation. The reduced equation was used successfully in the study of stability of certain simple motions of the body. In the present work we use the reduced equation to construct a new particular solution of the dynamics of a rigid body about a fixed point in the approximate field of a far Newtonian centre of attraction. Using a transformation to a rotating frame we also construct a new solution of the problem of motion of a multiconnected rigid body in an ideal incompressible fluid. It turns out that the solutions obtained generalize a known solution of the simplest problem of motion of a heavy rigid body about a fixed point due to Dokshevich.     

Coulomb law in generalized differential form in problems of dynamics of rigid bodies with combined kinematics

We suggest an exact integral model of sliding and spinning friction constructed under the assumption that the Coulomb law in generalized differential form holds for the surface element in the interior of the contact spot.     

Analysis and numerical simulation of magnetic forces between rigid polygonal bodies. Part I: Analysis

The mathematical and physical analysis of magnetoelastic phenomena is a topic of ongoing research. Different formulae have been proposed to describe the magnetic forces in macroscopic systems. We discuss several of these formulae in the context of rigid magnetized bodies. In case the bodies are in contact, we consider formulae both in the framework of macroscopic electrodynamics and via a multiscale approach, i.e., in a discrete setting of magnetic dipole moments. We give mathematically rigorous proofs for domains of polygonal shape (as well as for more general geometries) in two and three space dimensions. In an accompanying second article, we investigate the formulae in a number of numerical experiments, where we focus on the dependence of the magnetic force on the distance between the bodies and on the case when the two bodies are in contact. The aim of the analysis as well as of the numerical simulation is to contribute to the ongoing debate about which formula describes the magnetic force between macroscopic bodies best and to stimulate corresponding real-life experiments.      

New integrable problems of motion of a rigid body with a particle oscillating or bouncing in it

Some qualitative aspects of the problem of motion about a fixed point of a rigid body with a particle moving in it in a prescibed (sinusoidal) way was treated in [1–3]. The mechanical system comprised of a rigid body containing an internal mass that moves along a fixed line in the body was considered in several works [4–5]. Recently, an integrable case of this system was found, in which the body is dynamically axisymmetric and moves under no external forces while the particle moves on the axis of dynamical symmetry under the action of Hooke's force to the fixed point [5].In the present note we introduce a more general integrable case in which the particle moves on the axis of dynamical symmetry and is subject to an arbitary conservative force that depends only on the distance from the fixed point. Separation of variables is accomplished and the solution is reduced to quadratures. As a special version of this problem, the case when the particle bounces elastically between two points is briefly discussed.     

Bi-potential method applied for dynamics problems of rigid bodies involving friction and multiple impacts

Nonlinear Dynamics - This study aims to extend the application of the bi-potential method to solve the dynamics problems of rigid bodies involving friction and multiple impacts. The key issue is...     

Solution of three-dimensional problems on the free vibration of axisymmetric bodies

S. P. Timoshenko Institute of Mechanics, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev. Lvov University. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 19–23, May, 1994.     

On the nonlinear dynamics of elastically interacting asymmetric rigid bodies

A symmetric mathematical model is developed to describe the spatial motion of a system of space vehicles whose structure is represented by regular geometrical figures (Platonic bodies). The model is symmetrized by using the Euler-Lagrange equations of motion, the Rodrigues-Hamilton parameters, and quaternion matrix mathematics. The results obtained enable us to model a wide range of dynamic, control, stabilization, and orientation problems for complex systems and to solve various problems of dynamic design for such systems, including estimation of dynamic loading on the basic structure during maneuvers in space __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 126–132, January 2006.     

Nonlinear dynamics of a system of rigid bodies with controlled electromagnetic dampers

A nonlinear mathematical model of a system of n rigid bodies undergoing translational vibrations under inertial loading is constructed. The system includes ball supports as a seismic-isolation mechanism and electromagnetic dampers controlled via an inertial feedback channel. A system of differential dynamic equations in normal form describing accelerative damping is derived. The frequencies of small undamped vibrations are calculated. A method for analyzing the dynamic coefficients of rigid bodies subject to accelerative damping is developed. The double phase–frequency resonance of a two-mass system is studied     

The dynamics of coupled planar rigid bodies. II. Bifurcations,periodic solutions,and chaos

We give a complete bifurcation and stability analysis for the relative equilibria of the dynamics of three coupled planar rigid bodies. We also use the equivariant Weinstein-Moser theorem to show the existence of two periodic orbits distinguished by symmetry type near the stable equilibrium. Finally we prove that the dynamics is chaotic in the sense of Poincaré-Birkhoff-Smale horseshoes using the version of Melnikov's method suitable for systems with symmetry due to Holmes and Marsden.     

Dual extremum principles in the dynamics of rigid perfectly-plastic bodies undergoing finite deformations

A pair of dual extremum principles is derived for a rigid perfectly-plastic body subjected to dynamic loading. No restrictions are placed on the magnitude of the deformation. A Lagrangian formulation is used, and the dual principles are obtained in a systematic manner by using a saddle-shaped functional and a pair of operators adjoint to each other, to generate the governing equations and inequalities. This procedure was developed by B. Noble and M. J. Sewell (1972) in their study of dual extremum principles in applied mathematics. It is shown that the principles derived here are closely connected to those given by M. Capurso (1972c) for the case of small strains and large displacements.     

Analysis and numerical simulation of magnetic forces between rigid polygonal bodies. Part II: Numerical simulation

The analysis of magnetoelastic phenomena is a field of active research. Formulae for the magnetic force in macroscopic systems have been under discussion for some time. In Popović et al. (Continum. Mech. Thermodyn. 2007), we rigorously justify several of the available formulae in the context of rigid bodies in two and three space dimensions. In the present, second part of our study, we investigate these formulae in a series of numerical experiments in which the magnetic force is computed in dependence on the geometries of the bodies as well as on the distance between them. In case the two bodies are in contact, i.e., in the limit as their distance tends to zero, we focus especially on a formula obtained in a discrete-to-continuum approximation. The aim of our study is to help clarify the question which force formula is the correct one in the sense that it describes nature most accurately and to suggest adequate real-life experiments for a comparison with the provided numerical data.      

New solvable problems in the dynamics of a rigid body about a fixed point in a potential field

We determine the general form of the potential of the problem of motion of a rigid body about a fixed point, which allows the angular velocity to remain permanently in a principal plane of inertia of the body. Explicit solution of the problem of motion is reduced to inversion of a single integral. A several-parameter generalization of the classical case due to Bobylev and Steklov is found. Special cases solvable in elliptic and ultraelliptic functions of time are discussed.