Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society
Volume 2006 (2006), Article ID 25193, 22 pages
doi:10.1155/DDNS/2006/25193
Investigation of a spatial double pendulum: an engineering approach
Pearlstone Center for Aeronautical Engineering Studies, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
Received 24 May 2005; Accepted 4 July 2005
Copyright © 2006 S. Bendersky and B. Sandler. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The behavior of a spatial double pendulum (SDP), comprising two
pendulums that swing in different planes, was investigated.
Movement equations (i.e., mathematical model) were derived for
this SDP, and oscillations of the system were computed and
compared with experimental results. Matlab computer programs were
used for solving the nonlinear differential equations by the
Runge-Kutta method. Fourier transformation was used to obtain the
frequency spectra for analyses of the oscillations of the two
pendulums. Solutions for free oscillations of the pendulums and
graphic descriptions of changes in the frequency spectra were used
for the dynamic investigation of the pendulums for different
initial conditions of motion. The value of the friction constant
was estimated experimentally and incorporated into the equations
of motion of the pendulums. This step facilitated the comparison
between the computed and measured oscillations.