Duffing oscillator with parametric excitation: analytical and experimental investigation on a belt-pulley system

This paper is devoted to the theoretical and experimental investigation of a sample automotive belt-pulley system subjected to tension fluctuations. The equation of motion for transverse vibrations leads to a Duffing oscillator parametrically excited. The analysis is performed via the multiple scales approach for predicting the nonlinear response, considering longitudinal viscous damping. An experimental setup gives rise to nonlinear parametric instabilities and also exhibits more complex phenomena. The experimental investigation validates the assumptions made and the proposed model