A hybrid approach for the modal analysis of continuous systems with discrete piecewise-linear constraints

The analysis of continuous systems with piecewise-linear constraints in their domains have previously been limited to either numerical approaches, or analytical methods that are constrained in the parameter space, boundary conditions, or order of the system. The present analysis develops a robust method for studying continuous systems with arbitrary boundary conditions and discrete piecewise-linear constraints. A superposition method is used to generate homogeneous boundary conditions, and modal analysis is used to find the displacement of the system in each state of the piecewise-linear constraint. In order to develop a mapping across each slope discontinuity in the piecewise-linear force-deflection profile, a variational calculus approach is taken that minimizes the L2 energy norm between the previous and current states. An approach for calculating the finite-time Lyapunov exponents is presented in order to determine chaotic regimes. To illustrate this method, two examples are presented: a pinned–pinned beam with a deadband constraint, and a leaf spring coupled with a connector pin immersed in a viscous fluid. The pinned–pinned beam example illustrates the method for a non-operator based analysis. Results are used to show that the present method does not necessitate the need of a large number of basis functions to adequately map the displacement and velocity of the system across states. In the second example, the leaf spring is modeled as a clamped-free beam. The interaction between the beam and the connector pin is modeled with a preload and a penalty stiffness. Several experiments are conducted in order to validate aspects of the leaf spring model. From the results of the convergence and parameter studies, a high correlation between the finite-time Lyapunov exponents and the contact time per period of the excitation is observed. The parameter studies also indicate that when the system's parameters are changed in order to reduce the magnitude of the impact velocity between the leaf spring and the connector pin, the extent of the regions over which a chaotic response is observed increases.