Bifurcation and stability properties of periodic solutions to two nonlinear spring-mass systems (Q1780780)

The nature of periodic solutions to two nonlinear spring-mass equations is studied. The nonlinear terms are similar to earlier models of motion in suspension bridges. Many of the qualitative properties are the same for the two models, the nature of the secondary bifurcations (e.g. period-doubling) differs significantly. The results on existence, uniqueness, multiplicity, bifurcation and stability of periodic solutions are consistent with the nonlinear behavior of some suspension bridges.