Analyzing the Stability of a Connected Moving Cart on an Inclined Surface with a Damped Nonlinear Spring

Abstract

This paper examines the stability behavior of the nonlinear dynamical motion of a vibrating cart with two degrees of freedom (DOFs). Lagrange’s equations are employed to establish the mechanical regulating system of the examined motion. The proposed approximate solutions (ASs) of this system are estimated through the use of the multiple-scales method (MSM). These solutions are considered novel as the MSM is being applied to a new dynamical model. Secular terms have been eliminated to meet the solvability criteria, and every instance of resonance that arises is categorized, where two of them are examined concurrently. Therefore, the modulation equations are developed based on the representations of the unknown complex function in polar form. The solutions for the steady state are calculated using the corresponding fixed points. The achieved solutions are displayed graphically to illustrate the impact of manipulating the system’s parameters and are compared to the numerical solutions (NSs) of the system’s original equations. This comparison shows a great deal of consistency with the numerical solution, which indicates the accuracy of the applied method. The nonlinear stability criteria of Routh–Hurwitz are employed to assess the stability and instability zones. The value of the proposed model is exhibited by its wide range of applications involving ship motion, swaying architecture, transportation infrastructure, and rotor dynamics.

Keywords

• nonlinear vibrations
• perturbation methods
• Lagrange’s equations
• resonance
• fixed points
• stability