Synchronization of coupled self-excited elastic beams

Abstract

The behavior of four coupled self-excited elastic beams is numerically studied using the finite-difference method. Self-excitation is modeled by adding a van der Pol damping term. Coupling based on shared boundary conditions at the roots of the beams is proposed, and the influence of the coupling on the dynamics is analyzed. Time and space correlation coefficients are employed to measure the degree of synchronization among beams. Through the power spectral density, multiple frequencies of the beam tip time series are determined, unveiling the complex nature of the beam motions. Finally, the robustness of the proposed behavior to changes in fluid-structure interaction and the mass of the beams is determined. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.