11,779 research outputs found
Nonholonomic Dynamics
Nonholonomic systems are, roughly speaking, mechanical
systems with constraints on their velocity
that are not derivable from position constraints.
They arise, for instance, in mechanical systems
that have rolling contact (for example, the rolling
of wheels without slipping) or certain kinds of sliding
contact (such as the sliding of skates). They are
a remarkable generalization of classical Lagrangian
and Hamiltonian systems in which one allows position
constraints only.
There are some fascinating differences between
nonholonomic systems and classical Hamiltonian
or Lagrangian systems. Among other things: nonholonomic
systems are nonvariational—they arise
from the Lagrange-d’Alembert principle and not
from Hamilton’s principle; while energy is preserved
for nonholonomic systems, momentum is
not always preserved for systems with symmetry
(i.e., there is nontrivial dynamics associated with
the nonholonomic generalization of Noether’s
theorem); nonholonomic systems are almost Poisson
but not Poisson (i.e., there is a bracket that together
with the energy on the phase space defines
the motion, but the bracket generally does not satisfy
the Jacobi identity); and finally, unlike the
Hamiltonian setting, volume may not be preserved
in the phase space, leading to interesting asymptotic
stability in some cases, despite energy conservation.
The purpose of this article is to engage
the reader’s interest by highlighting some of these
differences along with some current research in the
area. There has been some confusion in the literature
for quite some time over issues such as the
variational character of nonholonomic systems, so
it is appropriate that we begin with a brief review
of the history of the subject
The energy–momentum method for the stability of non-holonomic systems
In this paper we analyze the stability of relative equilibria of nonholonomic systems (that is, mechanical systems with nonintegrable constraints such as rolling constraints). In the absence of external dissipation, such systems conserve energy, but nonetheless can exhibit
both neutrally stable and asymptotically stable, as well as linearly unstable relative equilibria. To carry out the stability analysis, we use a generalization of the energy-momentum method combined with the Lyapunov-Malkin theorem and the center manifold theorem. While this approach is consistent with the energy-momentum method for
holonomic systems, it extends it in substantial ways. The theory is illustrated with several examples, including the the rolling disk, the roller racer, and the rattleback top
Topological monodromy as an obstruction to Hamiltonization of nonholonomic systems: pro or contra?
The phenomenon of a topological monodromy in integrable Hamiltonian and
nonholonomic systems is discussed. An efficient method for computing and
visualizing the monodromy is developed. The comparative analysis of the
topological monodromy is given for the rolling ellipsoid of revolution problem
in two cases, namely, on a smooth and on a rough plane. The first of these
systems is Hamiltonian, the second is nonholonomic. We show that, from the
viewpoint of monodromy, there is no difference between the two systems, and
thus disprove the conjecture by Cushman and Duistermaat stating that the
topological monodromy gives a topological obstruction for Hamiltonization of
the rolling ellipsoid of revolution on a rough plane.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figure
A Generalization of Chetaev's Principle for a Class of Higher Order Non-holonomic Constraints
The constraint distribution in non-holonomic mechanics has a double role. On
one hand, it is a kinematic constraint, that is, it is a restriction on the
motion itself. On the other hand, it is also a restriction on the allowed
variations when using D'Alembert's Principle to derive the equations of motion.
We will show that many systems of physical interest where D'Alembert's
Principle does not apply can be conveniently modeled within the general idea of
the Principle of Virtual Work by the introduction of both kinematic constraints
and variational constraints as being independent entities. This includes, for
example, elastic rolling bodies and pneumatic tires. Also, D'Alembert's
Principle and Chetaev's Principle fall into this scheme. We emphasize the
geometric point of view, avoiding the use of local coordinates, which is the
appropriate setting for dealing with questions of global nature, like
reduction.Comment: 27 pages. Journal of Mathematical Physics (to zappear
Poisson structures for reduced non-holonomic systems
Borisov, Mamaev and Kilin have recently found certain Poisson structures with
respect to which the reduced and rescaled systems of certain non-holonomic
problems, involving rolling bodies without slipping, become Hamiltonian, the
Hamiltonian function being the reduced energy. We study further the algebraic
origin of these Poisson structures, showing that they are of rank two and
therefore the mentioned rescaling is not necessary. We show that they are
determined, up to a non-vanishing factor function, by the existence of a system
of first-order differential equations providing two integrals of motion. We
generalize the form of that Poisson structures and extend their domain of
definition. We apply the theory to the rolling disk, the Routh's sphere, the
ball rolling on a surface of revolution, and its special case of a ball rolling
inside a cylinder.Comment: 22 page
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