Special Phenomena of Nonlinear Systems in Structural Dynamics

Abstract

In modern structural design, more and more nonlinear computation methods are used. In the past, it was possible to consider nonlinearities using analytical solutions only with great effort and only for very few cases. Today, with powerful computers and modern finite element codes, these nonlinear analyses are no longer a problem. For the assessment of the results of such a computation, however, the software user must have a certain mechanical background, in order to understand the behavior of the structure being examined. Especially in structural dynamics, some special phenomena arise with nonlinear systems that are not predicted from linear theory. Some of these phenomena are presented here in relation to a simple example, Duffing's oscillator (a mass–spring system).