Chaotic Oscillations in Mechanical Systems (Nonlinear Science)

Mechanical systems may be considered as an example of nonlinear science, since the nonlinear effects can arise from a number of sources, such as geometric nonlinearities, nonlinear body forces, constitutive relations, kinematics or boundary conditions. This book presents the general methods of investigation of chaotic behaviour such as Lyapunov exponents, Melnikov method and Poincare maps. These methods are then applied to nonlinear mechanical systems where the chaotic oscillations are present. Throughout the book the emphasis is on the equal importance of both mathematical preciseness as well as mechanical systems applications. The book is intended to be of interest to mathematicians who are interested in applications as well as for mechanical engineers with an interest in the theory of oscillations.