Nonlinear nonplanar dynamics of parametrically excited cantilever beams (Q1129599)

We investigate the nonlinear nonplanar response of cantilever inextensional metallic beams to a principal parametric excitation of two of its flexural modes, one in each plane. The lowest torsional frequencies of the beams are much larger than the frequencies of the excited modes, so that the torsional inertia can be neglected. Using this condition as well as the inextensibility condition, we develop a Lagrangian whose variation leads to two integro-partial differential equations governing the motions of the beams. The method of time-averaged Lagrangian is used to derive four first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations governing the modulation of amplitudes and phases of the two interacting modes. A detailed bifurcation analysis of the dynamic solutions of the modulation equations is presented.