High-order direct parametrisation of invariant manifolds for model order reduction of finite element structures: application to generic forcing terms and parametrically excited systems

The direct parametrisation method for invariant manifolds is used for model order reduction of forced-damped mechanical structures subjected to geometric nonlinearities. Nonlinear mappings are introduced, allowing one to pass from the degrees of freedom of the finite-element model to the normal coordinates. Arbitrary orders of expansions are considered for the unknown mappings and the reduced dynamics, which are then solved sequentially through the homological equations for both autonomous and time-dependent terms. It is emphasised that the two problems share a similar structure, which can be used for an efficient implementation of the non-autonomous added terms. Special emphasis is also put on the new resonance conditions arising due to the presence of the external forcing frequencies, which allow predicting phenomena such as parametric excitation and isolas formation. The method is then applied to structures of academic and industrial interest. First, the large amplitude vibrations of a forced-damped cantilever beam are studied. This example highlights that high-order non-autonomous terms are compulsory to correctly estimate the maximum vibration amplitude experienced by the structure. The birth of isolated solutions is also illustrated on this example. The cantilever is then used to show how quadratic coupling creates conditions for the excitation of the parametric instability, and that this feature is correctly embedded in the reduction process. A shallow arch excited with multi-modal forcing is then studied to detail different forcing effects. Finally, the approach is validated on a structure of industrial relevance, i.e. a comb-driven micro-electro-mechanical resonator. The accuracy and computational performance reported suggest that the proposed methodology can accurately predict the nonlinear dynamic response of a large class of nonlinear vibratory systems.

Automated summary

The direct parametrisation method is used to reduce the model order of forced-damped mechanical structures with geometric nonlinearities. Nonlinear mappings are introduced to convert degrees of freedom to normal coordinates, and arbitrary orders of expansions are considered for the unknown mappings and reduced dynamics. The method is applied to various structures, highlighting the importance of high-order non-autonomous terms and predicting phenomena like parametric excitation and isolas formation. The accuracy and computational performance of the method suggest its potential for predicting nonlinear dynamic responses in a wide range of vibratory systems.