Linear and non-linear interactions between static and dynamic bifurcations of damped planar beams

The critical and post-critical behavior of a non-conservative non-linear structure, undergoing statical and dynamical bifurcations, is analyzed. The system consists of a purely flexible planar beam, equipped with a lumped visco-elastic device, loaded by a follower force. A unique integro-differential equation of motion in the transversal displacement, with relevant boundary conditions, is derived. Then, the linear stability diagram of the trivial rectilinear configuration is built-up in the parameter space. Particular emphasis is given to the role of the damping on the critical scenario. The occurrence of different mechanisms of instability is highlighted, namely, of divergence, Hopf, double zero, resonant and non-resonant double Hopf, and divergence-Hopf bifurcation. Attention is then focused on the two latter (codimension-two) bifurcations. A multiple scale analysis is carried-out directly on the continuous model, and the relevant non-linear bifurcation equations in the amplitudes of the two interactive modes are derived. The fixed-points of these equations are numerically evaluated as functions of two bifurcation parameters and some equilibrium paths illustrated. Finally, the bifurcation diagrams, illustrating the system behavior around the critical points of the parameter space, are obtained. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.