A periodically forced piecewise linear oscillator

International audienceA single-degree of freedom non-linear oscillator is considered. The non-linearity is in the restoring force and is piecewise linear with a single change in slope. Such oscillators provide models for mechanical systems in which components make intermittent contact. A limiting case in which one slope approaches infinity, an impact oscillator, is also considered. Harmonic, subharmonic, and chaotic motions are found to exist and the bifurcations leading to them are analyzed