A two-parameter multiple shooting method and its application to the natural vibrations of non-prismatic multi-segment beams

This paper presents an enhanced version of the standard shooting method that enables problems with two unknown parameters to be solved.A novel approach is applied to the analysis of the natural vibrations of Euler-Bernoulli beams.The proposed algorithm,named as two-parameter multiple shooting method,is a new powerful numerical tool for calculating the natural frequencies and modes of multi-segment prismatic and non-prismatic beams with different boundary conditions.The impact of the axial force and additional point masses is also taken into account.Due to the fact that the method is based directly on the fourth-order ordinary differential equation,the structures do not have to be divided into many small elements to obtain an accurate enough solution,even though the geometry is very complex.To verify the proposed method,three different examples are considered,i.e.,a three-segment non-prismatic beam,a prismatic column subject to non-uniformly distributed compressive loads,and a two-segment beam with an additional point mass.Numerical analyses are carried out with the software MATHEMATICA.The results are compared with the solutions computed by the commercial finite element program SOFiSTiK.Good agreement is achieved,which confirms the correctness and high effectiveness of the formulated algorithm.

Efficient Decomposition Shooting Method for Solving Third-Order Boundary Value Problems

The present paper proposes a mathematical method to numerically treat a class of third-order linear Boundary Value Problems (BVPs). This method is based on the combination of the Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM) and, the modified shooting method. A complete derivation of the proposed method has been provided, in addition to its numerical implementation and, validation via the utilization of the Runge-Kutta method and, other existing methods. The method has been applied to diverse test problems and turned out to perform remarkably. Lastly, the simulated numerical results have been graphically illustrated and, also supported by some absolute error comparison tables.

规范场论中自对偶磁单极子解的存在唯一性

Magnetic monopoles stand for the static solution arising from a(1 + 3)–dimensional theory describing the interaction between a real scalar triplet and non–Abelian gauge field. In this paper, we obtain a two–point boundary value problem of a first–order ordinary differential equations from the self–dual monopole model. Then we establish the existence and uniqueness theorem for the problem by using a dynamical shooting method, we also obtain sharp asymptotic estimates for the solutions at infinity.

Free vibration of functionally graded beams based on both classical and first-order shear deformation beam theories

The free vibration of functionally graded material （FGM） beams is studied based on both the classical and the first-order shear deformation beam theories. The equations of motion for the FGM beams are derived by considering the shear deforma- tion and the axial, transversal, rotational, and axial-rotational coupling inertia forces on the assumption that the material properties vary arbitrarily in the thickness direction. By using the numerical shooting method to solve the eigenvalue problem of the coupled ordinary differential equations with different boundary conditions, the natural frequen- cies of the FGM Timoshenko beams are obtained numerically. In a special case of the classical beam theory, a proportional transformation between the natural frequencies of the FGM and the reference homogenous beams is obtained by using the mathematical similarity between the mathematical formulations. This formula provides a simple and useful approach to evaluate the natural frequencies of the FGM beams without dealing with the tension-bending coupling problem. Approximately, this analogous transition can also be extended to predict the frequencies of the FGM Timoshenko beams. The numerical results obtained by the shooting method and those obtained by the analogous transformation are presented to show the effects of the material gradient, the slenderness ratio, and the boundary conditions on the natural frequencies in detail.

Bifurcation and buckling analysis of a unilaterally confined self-rotating cantilever beam

A nonlinear dynamic model of a simple nonholonomic system comprising a self-rotating cantilever beam subjected to a unilateral locked or unlocked constraint is established by employing the general Hamilton＇s Variational Principle. The critical values, at which the trivial equilibrium loses its stability or the unilateral constraint is activated or a saddle-node bifurcation occurs, and the equilibria are investigated by approximately analytical and numerical methods. The results indicate that both the buckled equilibria and the bifurcation mode of the beam are different depending on whether the distance of the clearance of unilateral constraint equals zero or not and whether the unilateral constraint is locked or not. The unidirectional snap-through phenomenon （i.e. catastrophe phenomenon） is destined to occur in the system no matter whether the constraint is lockable or not. The saddle-node bifurcation can occur only on the condition that the unilateral constraint is lockable and its clearance is nonzero. The results obtained by two methods are consistent.

Free vibration analysis of functionally graded material beams based on Levinson beam theory

Free vibration response of functionally graded material （FGM） beams is studied based on the Levinson beam theory （LBT）. Equations of motion of an FGM beam are derived by directly integrating the stress-form equations of elasticity along the beam depth with the inertial resultant forces related to the included coupling and higherorder shear strain. Assuming harmonic response, governing equations of the free vibration of the FGM beam are reduced to a standard system of second-order ordinary differential equations associated with boundary conditions in terms of shape functions related to axial and transverse displacements and the rotational angle. By a shooting method to solve the two-point boundary value problem of the three coupled ordinary differential equations, free vibration response of thick FGM beams is obtained numerically. Particularly, for a beam with simply supported edges, the natural frequency of an FGM Levinson beam is analytically derived in terms of the natural frequency of a corresponding homogenous Euler-Bernoulli beam. As the material properties are assumed to vary through the depth according to the power-law functions, the numerical results of frequencies are presented to examine the effects of the material gradient parameter, the length-to-depth ratio, and the boundary conditions on the vibration response.

A numerical method for solving the boundary layer equations of laminar natural convention about a vertical plate

An improved shooting method was presented for solving the natural convention boundary layer equations, with a coupling of the velocity field to the temperature field. The numerical results are consistent with the approximate solution obtained by former researchers.

Postbuckling of elastic beam subjected to a concentrated moment within the span length of beam

This paper aims to present the exact closed form solutions and postbuckling behavior of the beam under a concentrated moment within the span length of beam. Two approaches are used in this paper. The non-linear governing differential equations based on elastica theory are derived and solved analytically for the exact closed form solutions in terms of elliptic integral of the first and second kinds. The results are presented in graphical diagram of equilibrium paths, equilibrium configurations and critical loads. For validation of the results from the first approach, the shooting method is employed to solve a set of nonlinear differential equations with boundary conditions. The set of nonlinear governing differential equations are integrated by using Runge-Kutta method fifth order with adaptive step size scheme. The error norms of the end conditions are minimized within prescribed tolerance （10^-5）. The results from both approaches are in good agreement. From the results, it is found that the stability of this type of beam exhibits both stable and unstable configurations. The limit load point existed. The roller support can move through the hinged support in some cases of β and leads to the more complex of the configuration shapes of the beam.

Dual solutions in MHD stagnation-point flow of Prandtl fluid impinging on shrinking sheet

The present article investigates the dual nature of the solution of the magneto- hydrodynamic （MHD） stagnation-point flow of a Prandtl fluid model towards a shrinking surface. The self-similar nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically by the shooting： method. It is found that the dual solutions of the flow exist for cer- tain values of tile velocity ratio parameter. The special case of the first branch solutions （the classical Newtonian fluid model） is compared with the present numerical results of stretching flow. The results are found to be in good agreement. It is also shown that the boundary layer thickness for the second solution is thicker than that for the first solution.

ANALYSIS OF THERMAL POST-BUCKLING OF HEATED ELASTIC RODS

Based on the nonlinear geometric theory of extensible rods, an exact mathematical model of thermal post_buckling behavior of uniformly heated elastic rods with axially immovable ends is developed, in which the arc length s(x) of axial line and the longitudinal displacement u(x) are taken as the basic unknown functions. This is a two point boundary value problem of first order ordinary differential equations with strong non_linearity. By using shooting method and analytical continuation, the nonlinear boundary value problems are numerically solved. The thermal post_buckled states of the rods with transversely simply supported and clamped ends are obtained respectively and the corresponding numerical data tables and characteristic curves are also given.

Near-optimal cumulative longitude low-thrust orbit transfer

The indirect method for the continuous low-thrust near minimum cumulative longitude orbit transfer problem is addressed.The movement of the satellite is described by the Gauss equation using the modified equinoctial elements and replacing time as the system independent variable by the cumulative longitude.The maximum principle is adapted to design the optimal control in order to minimize the final cumulative longitude, and the twopoint-boundary-value problem is derived from the orbit transfer problem.The single shooting method is applied in a numerical experiment, and the simulations demonstrate that the orbit transfer mission is fulfilled and the product of the maximal thrust and the minimum cumulative longitude is near constant.

BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEM FOR DEGENERATE AND SINGULAR p-LAPLACIAN SYSTEMS

In this article, using the contraction mapping principle and the shooting method, the authors obtain the existence and uniqueness of the local solution and the global solution to a class of quasilinear elliptic systems with p-Laplacian as its principal. They also obtain the continuous dependence of the solutions on the boundary data.

THERMAL POST-BUCKLING OF FUNCTIONALLY GRADED MATERIAL TIMOSHENKO BEAMS

Analysis of thermal post-buckling of FGM （Functionally Graded Material） Timoshenko beams subjected to transversely non-uniform temperature rise is presented. By accurately considering the axial extension and transverse shear deformation in the sense of theory of Timoshenko beam, geometrical nonlinear governing equations including seven basic unknown functions for functionally graded beams subjected to mechanical and thermal loads were formulated. In the analysis, it was assumed that the material properties of the beam vary continuously as a power function of the thickness coordinate. By using a shooting method, the obtained nonlinear boundary value problem was numerically solved and thermal buckling and post-buckling response of transversely nonuniformly heated FGM Timoshenko beams with fixed-fixed edges were obtained. Characteristic curves of the buckling deformation of the beam varying with thermal load and the power law index are plotted. The effects of material gradient property on the buckling deformation and critical temperature of beam were discussed in details. The results show that there exists the tension-bend coupling deformation in the uniformly heated beam because of the transversely non-uniform characteristic of materials.

POST-BUCKLING OF A CANTILEVER ROD WITH VARIABLE CROSS_SECTIONS UNDER COMBINED LOAD

Based on the geometrically nonlinear theory of axially extensible elastic rods, the governing equations of post_buckling of a clamped_free rod with variable cross_sections, subjected to a combined load, a concentrated axial load P at the free end and a non_uniformly distributed axial load q, are established.By using shooting method, the strong nonlinear boundary value problems are numerically solved. The secondary equilibrium paths and the post_buckling configurations of the rod with linearly varied cross_sections are presented.

THERMAL POST-BUCKLING OF AN ELASTIC BEAMS SUBJECTED TO A TRANSVERSELY NON-UNIFORM TEMPERATURE RISING

Based on the nonlinear geometric theory of axially extensible beams and by using the shooting method, the thermal post-buckling responses of an elastic beams,with immovably simply supported ends and subjected to a transversely non-uniformly distributed temperature rising, were investigated. Especially, the influences of the transverse temperature change on the thermal post-buckling deformations were examined and the corresponding characteristic curves were plotted. The numerical results show that the equilibrium paths of the beam are similar to what of an initially deformed beam because of the thermal bending moment produced in the beam by the transverse temperature change.

Blasius flow and heat transfer of fourth-grade fluid with slip

This investigation deals with the effects of slip, magnetic field, and non- Newtonian flow parameters on the flow and heat transfer of an incompressible, electrically conducting fourth-grade fluid past an infinite porous plate. The heat transfer analysis is carried out for two heating processes. The system of highly non-linear differential equations is solved by the shooting method with the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method for moderate values of the parameters. The effective Broyden technique is adopted in order to improve the initial guesses and to satisfy the boundary conditions at infinity. An exceptional cross-over is obtained in the velocity profile in the presence of slip. The fourth-grade fluid parameter is found to increase the momentum boundary layer thickness, whereas the slip parameter substantially decreases it. Similarly, the non-Newtonian fluid parameters and the slip have opposite effects on the thermal boundary layer thickness.

A NOTE ON THE UNIQUENESS AND THE NON-DEGENERACY OF POSITIVE RADIAL SOLUTIONS FOR SEMILINEAR ELLIPTIC PROBLEMS AND ITS APPLICATION

In this paper, we are concerned with the uniqueness and the non-degeneracy of positive radial solutions for a class of semilinear elliptic equations. Using detailed ODE anal- ysis, we extend previous results to cases where nonlinear terms may have sublinear growth. As an application, we obtain the uniqueness and the non-degeneracy of ground states for modified SchrSdinger equations.

Thermal post-bunkling analyses of functionally graded material rod

The non-linear governing differential equations of immovably simply supported flanctionally graded material （FGM） rod subjected to thermal loads were derived. The thermal post-buckling behaviors of FGM rod made of ZrO2 and Ti-6Al-4Vwere anaiyzed by shooting method. Firstly, the thermal post-buckling equilibrium paths of the FGM rod with different gradient index in the uniform temperature field were plotted, and compared with the behaviors of the homogeneous rods made of ZrO2 and Ti-6Al-4V materials, respectively. For given value of end rotation angles, the influence of gradient index on the thermal post-buckling behaviors of FGM rod was discussed. Secondly, the thermal post-buckling characteristics of the FGM rod were analyzed when the temper- ature difference parameter is changed while the bottom temperature parameter remains constant, and when the bottom temperature parameter is changed while the temperature difference parameter remains constant, and compared with the characteristics of the two homogeneous material rods.

NON-LINEAR DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THERMOELASTIC CIRCULAR PLATE WITH VARYING THICKNESS SUBJECTED TO NONCONSERVATIVE LOADING

The non-linear dynamic behaviors of thermoelastic circular plate with varying thickness subjected to radially uniformly distributed follower forces are considered. Two coupled non-linear differential equations of motion for this problem are derived in terms of the transverse deflection and radial displacement component of the mid-plane of the plate. Using the Kantorovich averaging method, the differential equation of mode shape of the plate is derived, and the eigenvalue problem is solved by using shooting method. The eigencurves for frequencies and critical loads of the circular plate with unmovable simply supported edge and clamped edge are obtained. The effects of the variation of thickness and temperature on the frequencies and critical loads of the thermoelastic circular plate subjected to radially uniformly distributed follower forces are then discussed.

Optimal control of stretching process of flexible solar arrays on spacecraft based on a hybrid optimization strategy

The optimal control of multibody spacecraft during the stretching process of solar arrays is investigated,and a hybrid optimization strategy based on Gauss pseudospectral method（GPM） and direct shooting method（DSM） is presented. First, the elastic deformation of flexible solar arrays was described approximately by the assumed mode method, and a dynamic model was established by the second Lagrangian equation. Then, the nonholonomic motion planning problem is transformed into a nonlinear programming problem by using GPM. By giving fewer LG points, initial values of the state variables and control variables were obtained. A serial optimization framework was adopted to obtain the approximate optimal solution from a feasible solution. Finally, the control variables were discretized at LG points, and the precise optimal control inputs were obtained by DSM. The optimal trajectory of the system can be obtained through numerical integration. Through numerical simulation, the stretching process of solar arrays is stable with no detours, and the control inputs match the various constraints of actual conditions.The results indicate that the method is effective with good robustness.