Model reduction of a nonlinear rotating beam through nonlinear normal modes

Equations of motion are developed for a rotating beam which is constrained to deform in the transverse (flapping) and axial directions. This process results in two coupled nonlinear partial differential equations which govern the attendant dynamics. These equations may be discretized through utilization of the classical normal modes of the nonrotating system in both the transverse and extensional directions. The resultant system may then be diagonalized to linear order and truncated to N nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Several methods are used to determine the model size necessary to ensure accuracy. Once the model size (N degrees of freedom) has been determined, nonlinear normal mode (NNM) theory is applied to reduce the system to a single equation, or a small set of equations, which accurately represent the dynamics of a mode, or set of modes, of interest. Results are presented which detail the convergence of the discretized model and compare its dynamics with those of the NNM-reduced model, as well as other reduced models. The results indicate a considerable improvement over other common reduction techniques, enabling the capture of many salient response features with the simulation of very few degrees of freedom.