• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.397-416
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• 2000

The present study deals with the nonlinear dynamics and stability of autonomous dissipative either imperfect potential (limit point) systems or perfect (bifurcational) non-potential ones. Through a fully nonlinear dynamic analysis, performed on two simple 2-DOF models corresponding to the classes of systems mentioned above, and with the aid of basic definitions of the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems, new important phenomena are revealed. For the first class of systems a third possibility of postbuckling dynamic response is offered, associated with a point attractor on the prebuckling primary path, while for the second one the new findings are chaos-like (most likely chaotic) motions, consecutive regions of point and periodic attractors, series of global bifurcations and point attractor response of always existing complementary equilibrium configurations, regardless of the value of the nonconservativeness parameter.