Rapid developments in nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory have led to publication of many valuable monographs and books. However, most of these texts are devoted to the classical nonlinear dynamics systems, for example the Duffing or van der Pol oscillators, and either neglect or refer only briefly to systems with motion-dependent discontinuities. In engineering practice a good part of problems is discontinuous in nature, due to either deliberate reasons such as the introduction of working clearance, and/or the finite accuracy of the manufacturing processes.The main objective of this volume is to provide a general methodology for describing, solving and analysing discontinuous systems. It is compiled from the dedicated contributions written by experts in the field of applied nonlinear dynamics and chaos.The main focus is on mechanical engineering problems where clearances, piecewise stiffness, intermittent contact, variable friction or other forms of discontinuity occur. Practical applications include vibration absorbers, percussive drilling of hard materials and dynamics of metal cutting.

This book gives an exposition of the exciting field of control of oscillatory and chaotic systems, which has numerous potential applications in mechanics, laser and chemical technologies, communications, biology and medicine, economics, ecology, etc.A novelty of the book is its systematic application of modern nonlinear and adaptive control theory to the new class of problems. The proposed control design methods are based on the concepts of Lyapunov functions, Poincare maps, speed-gradient and gradient algorithms. The conditions which ensure such control goals as an excitation or suppression of oscillations, synchronization and transformation from chaotic mode to the periodic one or vice versa, are established. The performance and robustness of control systems under disturbances and uncertainties are evaluated.The described methods and algorithms are illustrated by a number of examples, including classical models of oscillatory and chaotic systems: coupled pendula, brusselator, Lorenz, Van der Pol, Duffing, Henon and Chua systems. Practical examples from different fields of science and technology such as communications, growth of thin films, synchronization of chaotic generators based on tunnel diods, stabilization of swings in power systems, increasing predictability of business-cycles are also presented.The book includes many results on nonlinear and adaptive control published previously in Russian and therefore were not known to the West.Researchers, teachers and graduate students in the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, economics will find this book most useful. Applied mathematicians and control engineers from various fields of technology dealing with complex oscillatory systems will also benefit from it.

This text maps out the modern theory of non-linear oscillations. The material is presented in a non-traditional manner and emphasises the new results of the theory - obtained partially by the author, who is one of the leading experts in the area. Among the topics are: synchronization and chaotization of self-oscillatory systems and the influence of weak random vibration on modification of characteristics and behaviour of the non-linear systems.

This book presents the theoretical frame for studying lumped nonsmooth dynamical systems: the mathematical methods are recalled, and adapted numerical methods are introduced (differential inclusions, maximal monotone operators, Filippov theory, Aizerman theory, etc.). Tools available for the analysis of classical smooth nonlinear dynamics (stability analysis, the Melnikov method, bifurcation scenarios, numerical integrators, solvers, etc.) are extended to the nonsmooth frame. Many models and applications arising from mechanical engineering, electrical circuits, material behavior and civil engineering are investigated to illustrate theoretical and computational developments.

An application of the techniques of dynamical systems and bifurcation theories to the study of nonlinear oscillations. Taking their cue from Poincare, the authors stress the geometrical and topological properties of solutions of differential equations and iterated maps. Numerous exercises, some of which require nontrivial algebraic manipulations and computer work, convey the important analytical underpinnings of problems in dynamical systems and help readers develop an intuitive feel for the properties involved.

This textbook is aimed at newcomers to nonlinear dynamics and chaos, especially students taking a first course in the subject. The presentation stresses analytical methods, concrete examples, and geometric intuition. The theory is developed systematically, starting with first-order differential equations and their bifurcations, followed by phase plane analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations, and culminating with the Lorenz equations, chaos, iterated maps, period doubling, renormalization, fractals, and strange attractors.

During the last decades, applications of dynamical analysis in advanced, often nonlinear, engineering systems have been evolved in a revolutionary way. In this context one can think of applications in aerospace engineering like satellites, in naval engineering like ship motion, in mechanical engineering like rotating machinery, vehicle systems, robots and biomechanics, and in civil engineering like earthquake dynamics and offshore technology. One could continue with this list for a long time. The application of advanced dynamics in the above fields has been possible due to the use of sophisticated computational techniques employing powerful concepts of nonlinear dynamics. These concepts have been and are being developed in mathematics, mechanics and physics. It should be remarked that careful experimental studies are vitally needed to establish the real existence and observability of the predicted dynamical phenomena. The interaction between nonlinear dynamics and nonlinear control in advanced engineering systems is becoming of increasing importance because of several reasons. Firstly, control strategies in nonlinear systems are used to obtain desired dynamic behaviour and improved reliability during operation, Applications include power plant rotating machinery, vehicle systems, robotics, etc. Terms like motion control, optimal control and adaptive control are used in this field of interest. Since mechanical and electronic components are often necessary to realize the desired action in practice, the engineers use the term mechatronics to indicate this field. If the desired dynamic behaviour is achieved by changing design variables (mostly called system parameters), one can think of fields like control of chaos.

This book presents a detailed analysis of bifurcation and chaos in simple non-linear systems, based on previous works of the author. Practical examples for mechanical and biomechanical systems are discussed. The use of both numerical and analytical approaches allows for a deeper insight into non-linear dynamical phenomena. The numerical and analytical techniques presented do not require specific mathematical knowledge.

The interest of the applied mechanics community in chaotic dynamics of engineering systems has exploded in the last fifteen years, although research activity on nonlinear dynamical problems in mechanics started well before the end of the Eighties. It developed first within the general context of the classical theory of nonlinear oscillations, or nonlinear vibrations, and of the relevant engineering applications. This was an extremely fertile field in terms of formulation of mechanical and mathematical models, of development of powerful analytical techniques, and of understanding of a number of basic nonlinear phenomena. At about the same time, meaningful theoretical results highlighting new solution methods and new or complex phenomena in the dynamics of deterministic systems were obtained within dynamical systems theory by means of sophisticated geometrical and computational techniques. In recent years, careful experimental studies have been made to establish the actual occurrence and observability of the predicted dynamic phenomena, as it is vitally needed in all engineering fields. Complex dynamics have been shown to characterize the behaviour of a great number of nonlinear mechanical systems, ranging from aerospace engineering applications to naval applications, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, robotics and biomechanics, and other areas. The International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics grasped the importance of such complex phenomena in the Eighties, when the first IUTAM Symposium devoted to the general topic of nonlinear and chaotic dynamics in applied mechanics and engineering was held in Stuttgart (1989).