ORIGINAL RESEARCH

published: 11 October 2019

Recent Developments in the Dynamic

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy

Dynamic instability in the mechanics of elastic structures is a fascinating topic, with many
issues still unsettled. Accordingly, there is a wealth of literature examining the problems
from different perspectives (analytical, numerical, experimental etc.), and coverings a
wide variety of topics (bifurcations, chaos, strange attractors, imperfection sensitivity,
tailor-ability, parametric resonance, conservative or non-conservative systems, linear or
non-linear systems, fluid-solid interaction, follower forces, etc.). This paper provides
a survey of selected topics of current research interest. It aims to collate the key
recent developments and international trends, as well as describe any possible future
challenges. A paradigmatic example of Ziegler paradox on the destabilizing effect of small
damping is also included.
Keywords: dynamic stability, Ziegler paradox, followerforces, codimension-1 bifurcations, codimension-2
bifurcations

1. INTRODUCTION
Edited by:
Federico Guarracino, The topic of dynamic stability, or to put it in Bolotin terms “dynamic instability” [1], is inherently
University of Naples Federico II, Italy
a highly multidisciplinary problem, impacting a wide variety of fields (mathematics, engineering,
Reviewed by: chemistry, biology, ecology, economic, etc.). This review focuses on engineering applications with
Vasilii A. Gromov,
particular emphasis on elastic structural systems. This issue has attracted significant scientific
National Research University Higher
School of Economics, Russia
interest, beginning with the first rigorous definition of stability provided by Aleksandr Mikhailovic
Igor V. Orynyak, Lyapunov at the end of the nineteenth century [2]. Despite its relatively long tradition, the dynamic
Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine instability of elastic systems has yet to be fully explored, and several highly topical issues still
*Correspondence:
await clarification.
Ida Mascolo Dynamic instability phenomena, in contrast with their static counterparts, take place at a
[email protected] non-zero critical frequency and involve all mechanical problems in which the inclusion of time
cannot be avoided. This is the case for structural mechanical systems subjected to a dynamic loading
Specialty section: in their equilibrium state: either, where the load applied is sudden (e.g., shock, impact loading etc.),
This article was submitted to or in the case of aero- or hydro-elastic forces, or pulsating parametric forces, or follower forces,
Dynamical Systems, and so on [3–6]. Dynamic stability issues may also affect systems whose post-critical response is
a section of the journal
a dynamic process, and/or systems that are in motion in their unperturbed state. It is important
Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and
to highlight that all real-world stability problems are dynamic, although they can be successfully
Statistics
modeled as static.
Received: 26 July 2019
The present review cannot be seen as a thorough survey of the dynamical stability of mechanical
Accepted: 26 September 2019
systems. This would be an impossible task, and beyond the scope of a single article. The research
Published: 11 October 2019
literature is too extensive, and the issues too many. For a more complete understanding, the
Citation:
reader is referred to the countless textbooks that have been written on the topic [1, 2, 4–11].
Mascolo I (2019) Recent
Developments in the Dynamic Stability
Rather, the attempt here is to focus on current issues and trends, while giving an overview of the
of Elastic Structures. pertinent literature, with special emphasis on some relevant outstanding topics. The paper will
Front. Appl. Math. Stat. 5:51. proceed as follows. Section 2 briefly discusses the fundamental concepts in static and dynamic
doi: 10.3389/fams.2019.00051 stability, including a short summary of both local and global bifurcations, and of chaos (section 2.2).

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Mascolo Dynamic Stability of Structures

Section 3 focuses on the difference between linear andnon- stability resulting in a codimension-2 bifurcation (i.e., snap-
linear instability, highlighting some misleading interpretations through buckling). In such cases, the transition, or “jump”
of the dynamic response of a mechanical system caused by to another non-adjacent equilibrium point is a dynamic
linearization near a fixed point. Sections 4 and 5 present process. The first to tackle theseissues were Hoff and
two different methods—the primary analytical/semi-analytical Bruce [20], who in the early 1950s proved the dynamic
method, and the numerical method—that are used to solve buckling of flat arches under lateral sinusoidal loading
equations governing the dynamic stability of structures. Section 6 by investigating Total Potential Energy. Their pioneering
emphasizes the strong sensitivity of dynamic systems, including paper led to significant interest in stability issues associated
a presentation of the main techniques used to address this with shallow arches over the reminder of the twentieth
problem. A paradigmatic example on the destabilizing effect century. Important research contributions were also made
of small vanishing damping(Ziegler paradox) is alsogiven. by other outstanding scientists. Budiansky and Roth [21],
Section 7 reviews some experimental investigations, with for instance, investigated a suddenly loaded shallow spherical
emphases on experimental developments in follower-forces, shell with axisymmetric behavior by numerically integrating
while section 8 reviews some recent developments in innovative the motion equations. Simitses [22], meanwhile, analyzed the
smart applications. Section 9, finally, contains concluding snap-through behavior of low arches and shallow spherical
remarks, highlighting the necessity of intensifying experimental caps. And Hsu [23–25] produced a qualitative investigation
investigations into post-buckling behavior in order to close the of the trajectory of the motion in the phase-plane (Total
gap between analytical and experimental studies. Energy-Phase Plane Approach). The book [4] contains a
survey of some relevant results achieved on the subject.
iii. Instabilities in non conservative systems [6, 11]. In a large
2. FUNDAMENTALS OF STABILITY number of engineering applications, the forces are statically
applied but the system is non-conservative. This is the
Instability phenomena that take place at zero natural frequency case for follower-force problems, rotating shafts (whirling),
are known as static. These encompass problems that involve and aeroelasticity instability (i.e., fluid-solid interaction
path-independent forces (e.g., conservative forces) and more and flutter). Some of these problems (e.g., the follower-
generally all problems where load is applied in a static or force problem) exhibit two different types of unstable
quasi-static manner. Vice versa, the term dynamic instability behavior: divergenceand flutter instabilities. Divergence
refers to a large class of problems and several different physical instability is a typical quasi-static-bifurcation leading to an
phenomena which require the inclusion of time. Examples of exponentially growing motion. Flutter instability, conversely,
dynamic instability in structural mechanics include [1, 12]: is a typical dynamic instability leading to the absorption
i. parametric resonance. Instabilities of periodic motions of energy from a steady source by means of self-sustaining
(i.e., parametrically excited vibrations) can be occur when oscillations. Divergence instability can be determined by
a structural system is loaded by periodic (i.e., time- classical approaches (i.e., a classical, quasi-static bifurcation
varying) excitation; or the system parameters are periodically technique, potential energy, or kinetic energy methods).
modulated. In such cases, the system experiences parametric Flutter instability, meanwhile, is only detectable using
resonance [13–15]: an equilibrium point becomes unstable, dynamic analysis. This last observation has given rise to
and any even small perturbations involve large amplitude an amount of paradoxes in thelast century, the most
oscillations. A classic example of this phenomenon is a famous of which is the destabilization effect due to small
person on a swing, which can be modeled as a pendulum of damping (Ziegler paradox [26, 27]), which is described in
varying length [16]. A considerable amount of research and detail in section 6.1. Rotor-dynamic instability, conversely,
reviews have been carried out on this topic. Most deal with leads to unstable torsional and whirling vibrations that were
pulsating forces that result in the parametric resonance of recognized by Crandall [28]. The rotors’ dynamic behavior is
columns, shallow arches, or shells. Others deal with internal affected by their filling ratio, the effect of surface oscillations
parametric excitation and with the parametric resonance (i.e., the sloshing motion) of the rotating liquid, and also
that occurs in fluid-solid interaction problems [17, 18]. by damping which in this context has a destabilizing effect.
Finally, several studies have employed parametric resonance Flow-induced instabilities are a fascinating topic pertinent to
in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) (see [19] and aircraft, spacecraft, airfoil, nuclear power plants, conveying
references therein). pipes, etc. Fluid-solid interaction leads to panel flutter
ii. Instabilities under the sudden loading ofconservative instability, divergence and parametric resonance. The issue
systems. These include a large number of dynamic problems has been widely explored in the literature, notably in light of
(e.g., arches and arch-like structures, shells, and initially the notorious collapse of Tacoma Narrow Bridge near Seattle
curved panels) in which the structures are either loaded in 1940.
with a large integral impulse and vanishingly small duration
loads (e.g., by impact load), or suddenly loaded with 2.1. Stability Criteria
constant magnitude and infinite duration loads. In such Due to the great variety of phenomena that encompass instability,
cases, the critical state that corresponds to quasi-static it is not possible to provide a universal way of lookingat
loading degenerates in a limit point, with the lossof stability. Depending on the nature of the problem, three main

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Mascolo Dynamic Stability of Structures

FIGURE 1 | Simple illustrative representation of stable, unstable, and indifferent equilibrium positions in the small (A–C) and in the large (D–F). The arrows represent
admissible perturbations.

approaches and three ensuing criteria can be employed to assess and releasing, the ball rolls farther away from equilibrium and
the stability of a structure’s equilibrium: the equilibrium method the equilibrium will be unstable. Finally, when the ball is located
(static approach) proposed by Euler, the energy method and on a flat surface and it is moved away from its original spot, it
the dynamic method. All three above-mentioned methods are adopts a new different equilibrium position (Figure 1C) without
independent, meaning that the results that they provide may any change in potential energy. In this case the equilibrium is
not always be comparable. The equilibrium method investigates said to be indifferent. It is necessary to stress that this stability
the existence of a non-trivial equilibrium state infinitesimally criterion is only a local in scope, because a large perturbation can
close tothe initial one. From a mathematical point of view lead to stability in the small and instability in the large [e.g., in
this is equivalent to investigating the existence of non-trivial the case shown in Figure 1D a large perturbation sends the ball
solution for the equilibrium equation of the perturbed system. over the small hump definitively removing it from the stationary
The existence of at least one more neighboring equilibrium point] or vice versa (Figure 1E).
state implies that the equilibrium configurationof the elastic The process through which the structure (i.e., the ball)
body is unstable. It is important to stress that the equilibrium returns to (or moves away from) its current state is a
method provides non-trivial solutions only in the case of non- time-dependent process and should be treated as such
linear elasto-static problems. Furthermore, if there are non- (i.e., dynamically). A dynamic approach provides a much
conservative forces (e.g., follower forces) it can give paradoxical more complete insight into static instability problems as it
and erroneous results, so its applicability is restricted to enables the computation and tracking of the complete state
conservative systems. Finally, it is general unable to detect so vector (i.e.,displacement and velocity fields) and yields
called snap-through instability (the typical instability of shallow accurate information on the post-buckling response of
arches and domes) and dynamic flutter instability. the structure.
The energy method can be applied, more generally, to systems The dynamic method is a more general approach which can
where an energy functional exists (e.g., conservative mechanical be used to investigate static and dynamic stability alike. It is
systems). It is based on the Lagrange-Dirichlet theorem which based on the classical definition of stability which goes back to
states that the equilibrium locus of a conservative system with Lyapunov (the so-called two-metric stability of Lyapunov) which
holonomic and scleronomic constraints will be stable if and only states that a necessary and sufficient condition for stability of an
if the total potential energy E (the sum of potential energy of equilibrium point is that all solutions of the evolution equations
deformationand strain energy) takes a minimal value in the that govern the problemstarting nearby initial conditions remain
class of virtual displacements (i.e., infinitesimal displacements close to this state all the time. In terms of phase space this can
satisfying kinematical constraints). Accordingly, for any optional be geometrically interpreted as follows: once a sphere however
but sufficiently small deviation from an equilibrium state the small in radius ε > 0 is chosen around the equilibrium
stability points are associated with the stationarity of the second point x∗ , it is always possible to construct another sphere of
variation of the total potential energy ∂2 E . Figure 1 provides a radius δ(ε) that is contained in the ε-sphere (Figure 2). All
very illustrative graphical representation of this approach: the the trajectories x(t) with its origin in the δ-sphere will remain
structure is modeled as a ball which is initially in balance on inthe ε-sphere when the time increase and will never reach
an energy surface. When a small perturbation is applied the ball its limit.
moves from its equilibrium position. Generally, three cases can The interested reader can find a more in-depth and detailed
arise. In the first case, the ball is in equilibrium at the lowest point description of the concepts presented in this Section in references
of a concave surface, moving away from its equilibrium point and [29–34].
then releasing, it will roll back toward the position of minimal
potential energy and the equilibrium will be stable (Figure 1A). 2.2. A Brief Survey of Static and Dynamic
In the second case, the ball is on top of hump, as shown Bifurcations
in Figure 1B, and the stationary point has a maximal potential By slightly varying one or more system parameters, the
energy. Accordingly, moving away from its equilibrium position qualitative behavior of solutions can abruptly change, resulting

Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics | www.frontiersin.org 3 October 2019 | Volume 5 | Article 51