On damped nonlinear dynamic systems with many degrees of freedom (Q1082842)

The system consists of a chain of \(n+1\) rigid masses, each having a single translational degree of freedom in the direction of the chain (the coordinates are \(x_ i)\) and of nonlinear springs and dampers. In this way each mass is coupled to one or several or to all other masses. The coupling is such that the system cannot be separated into two or more subsystems. One of the masses is fixed, so the degree of freedom is n. Each spring force is an odd analytic function of the relative displacement of its end points and resists a length change; a similar assertion is valid for the damping forces, but instead of relative displacement and length change the relative velocity must be substituted. Spring forces can be derived from a potential function, damping forces however from the dissipation function. The system is called to be ''completely damped'' if every mass is coupled to a damper. In this case the dissipation function is ''complete''. In the opposite case the system is ''incompletely damped''. The free motion in which all coordinates are in the same instant zero, and all velocities are in the same instant zero is called normal mode vibration. ''Normal mode motion'' occurs if such new coordinates can be found, in which the equations of motion are decoupled and the initial conditions allow one single new coordinate not to be identically zero. Trajectories in the n- dimensional space belonging to a normal mode motion are characterized by the coordinates \(x_ i\) describing this normal mode motion. The paper asserts and proves the following theorems: (a) The rest position of the completely damped system is stable (in Lyapunov's sense with respect to the initial values). (b) Conditions are given which assure global asymptotic stability of the origin of the phase space. (c) In the (so called degenerate) case characterized by \(n-m=m-1\) (m is the number of particles to which at least one damper is coupled) conditions are given which assure that either all coordinates tend to zero, or that the coordinates of the damped masses tend to zero and the coordinates of the undamped ones tend to a normal mode vibration as \(t\to \infty\). (d) If there exists a normal mode motion of the damped system, then the trajectory of this system is identical with the normal mode trajectory of the system when all dampings are removed. (e) If the (damped) system performs normal mode motions, then their trajectories are straight lines. (f) Constructive conditions of the existence of normal mode motions of the damped system are given. (g) For an undamped system with normal mode motions conditions are given for the parameters of the damping which assure also normal mode motions of the damped system. Four examples illustrate the theorems. Some theorems of Rayleigh and Caughey and O'Kelly [e.g.: \textit{T. K. Caughey} and \textit{M. E. J. O'Kelley}, J. Appl. Mech. 32, 583-588 (1965)] are subcases of the above ones, moreover a new method is given to obtain the latter ones.