Instability in the critical case of pair of pure imaginary roots for a class of systems with aftereffect

The stability of a system described by Volterra integrodifferential equations is investigated in the critical case when the characteristic equation has a pair of pure imaginery roots. Conditions for instability, analogous to the well-known conditions from the theory of differential equations 1], are derived. (A similar result was established previously in 2] for integrodifferential equations of simpler structure with integral kernels of exponential-polynomial type). For the proof, several manipulations are used to simplify the original equation and, in particular, to reduce the linearized equation to the form of a differential equation with constant diagonal matrix. (An analogous approach was used to analyse instability for Volterra integrodifferential equations in the critical case of zero root in 3, 4]). As an example, the sign of the Lyapunov constant in the problem of the rotational motion of a rigid body with viscoelastic supports is calculated.