Dynamics of an oscillator with a quadratic nonlinearity in the expression of the elastic force loaded with a step pulse

The unsteady oscillations of an oscillator with a quadratic nonlinearity in the expression of the elastic force under the action of an instantaneously applied constant force are described. The analytical solution of a second-order nonlinear differential equation is expressed in terms of periodic Jacobi elliptic functions. It is shown that the dynamic coefficient of a nonlinear system depends on the value of the instantaneously applied force and the direction of its action, since the elasticity characteristic of the system is asymmetric. If the force is directed towards positive displacements, then the characteristic of the system is "rigid" and the dynamic coefficient is in the interval , that is, it is smaller than that of a linear system. In the case when the force is directed towards negative displacements, the elasticity characteristic of the system is «soft» and the dynamic coefficient falls into the gap (2, 3), that is, it is larger than in the linear system. In the second case of deformation, there are static and dynamic critical values of the force, the excess of which leads to a loss of stability of the system. The dynamic critical force value is less than the static one. Since the displacement of the oscillator is expressed in terms of the Jacobi functions, the proposed formula for their approximate calculation using the table of the full elliptic integral of the first kind. The results of calculations are given, which illustrate the possibilities of the stated theory. For comparison, in parallel with the use of analytical solutions, numerical computer integration of the differential equation of motion was carried out. The convergence of the calculation results in two ways confirmed the adequacy of the derived formulas, which are also suitable for analyzing the motion of a quadratically nonlinear oscillator with a symmetric elastic characteristic. Thus, the considered nonlinear problem has an analytical solution in elliptic functions, and the process of motion depends on the direction in which the external force acts. In addition, when a force is applied towards a lower rigidity, a loss of system stability is possible. Keywords: nonlinear oscillator, quadratic nonlinearity, stepwise force impulse, Jacobi elliptic functions.