Modal interactions in the non-linear response of elastic cables under parametric/external excitation

Abstract

A theoretical model is derived which describes the non-linear response of a suspended elastic cable to small tangential oscillations of one support. The support oscillations, in general, result in parametric excitation of out-of-plane motion and simultaneous parametric and external excitation of in-plane motion. Cubic non-linearities due to cable stretching and quadratic nonlinearities due to equilibrium cable curvature couple these motion components in producing full, three-dimensional cable response. In this study, a two-degree-of-freedom approximation of the model is employed to examine a class of in-plane/out-of-plane motions that are coupled through the quadratic non-linearities. A first-order perturbation analysis is utilized to determine the existence and stability of the planar and non-planar periodic motions that result from simultaneous parametric and external resonances. The analysis leads to a bifurcation condition governing planar stability and results highlight how planar stability is reduced and non-planar response is enhanced whenever a “two-to-one” internal resonance condition exists between a pair of in-plane and out-of-plane cable modes. This two-to-one resonant behavior is clearly observed in experimental measurements of cable response which are also in good qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.