This monograph presents an introduction to Harmonic Balance for nonlinear vibration problems, covering the theoretical basis, its application to mechanical systems, and its computational implementation. Harmonic Balance is an approximation method for the computation of periodic solutions of nonlinear ordinary and differential-algebraic equations. It outperforms numerical forward integration in terms of computational efficiency often by several orders of magnitude. The method is widely used in the analysis of nonlinear systems, including structures, fluids and electric circuits. The book includes solved exercises which illustrate the advantages of Harmonic Balance over alternative methods as well as its limitations. The target audience primarily comprises graduate and post-graduate students, but the book may also be beneficial for research experts and practitioners in industry.

This monograph presents an introduction to Harmonic Balance for nonlinear vibration problems, covering the theoretical basis, its application to mechanical systems, and its computational implementation. Harmonic Balance is an approximation method for the computation of periodic solutions of nonlinear ordinary and differential-algebraic equations. It outperforms numerical forward integration in terms of computational efficiency often by several orders of magnitude. The method is widely used in the analysis of nonlinear systems, including structures, fluids and electric circuits. The book includes solved exercises which illustrate the advantages of Harmonic Balance over alternative methods as well as its limitations. The target audience primarily comprises graduate and post-graduate students, but the book may also be beneficial for research experts and practitioners in industry.

The authors discuss the interrelationship of linear vibration theory for multi-degree-of-freedom systems; nonlinear dynamics and chaos; and nonlinear control. No other book covers these areas in the same way, so this is a new perspective on these topics.

This paper presents an analysis for the superharmonics of a forced nonlinear vibration problem involving small parameters, using a generalized harmonic balance method. A nonlinear ordinary differential equation with several nonlinear terms and a periodic forcing function is considered. For the case of superharmonic oscillations of order 2, the key equations for the obtaining the information on the superharmonics will be derived, including a new, nonlinear ordinary differential equation of a slow varying function compared with the original dependent variable. Using these equations, the steady state solution and its stability behavior can be calculated. Results for a special set of parameters are obtained, including a stable node for the steady state solution and the associated van del Pol plane.