Free rotation of a circular ring with an unbalanced mass

Abstract

Large space structures are much more flexible than their terrestrial counterparts. Rotation of large space structures may be desirable for stability, thermal or artificial gravity reasons. Previous literature includes the large deformations due to the free rotation of a slender rod and a ring about a diameter. An important model of a space station is a ring rotating about its axis of symmetry. If the ring is balanced it will be stable and remain circular. The present note considers the case when the ring is unbalanced by a mass attached to a point on the ring.