Multistability and basin stability in coupled pendulum clocks

Basin stability for updating system uncertainties

In this paper, we propose an application of the basin stability tool which allows us to update the information on the system properties under parameter uncertainties. The concept is presented using a classical mechanical setup of coupled pendula, exchanging the energy via the supporting structure. Depending on the support parameters, the model can exhibit different types of coexisting synchronous patterns as well as remaining desynchronized. We calculate basin stability maps of particular behaviors and combine them with prior parameter distributions using Bayesian inference. The obtained posterior distributions, based on the attractor occurrence, update our knowledge on the system properties in the terms of probabilities. We also underline the problem of evaluating basin stability close to the existence borders, comparing the classical approach of fixed parameters with the one involving variations. The differences between the estimation methods can have a crucial meaning for the discussed application and should be considered carefully. The results presented in this paper uncover ways of applying the basin stability concept, which can be used to study the properties of complex dynamical systems from a probability perspective.

Piezoelectric energy harvesting and synchronization of excited and modified Huygens's pendulums

We consider a model of modified Huygens pendulums in order to be able to study the dynamics of such a system and carry out piezoelectric energy harvesting and the effects of phenomena encountered on this energy harvesting. The modifications made to the system here are the use of compound pendulums, a parametric force, and the addition of a piezoelectric transducer for energy harvesting. Thanks to the Lagrangian formalism, the governing equations were established and the numerical resolution was made using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta algorithm. We observed the presence of several types of synchronization (in-phase, anti-phase, quadrature-phase) and the existence of periodic, multi-periodic, or chaotic dynamics. Also, synchronization plays an important role in energy harvesting, in particular, in-phase synchronization, which promises much better performance than anti-phase synchronization. The effects of system parameters (amplitude and frequency of parametric force, stiffness coefficient, electromechanical coupling coefficient, etc.) are also studied on synchronization and energy harvesting. These results have applications in the manufacture of sensors and actuators, the power supply of electronic devices, and the manufacture of autonomous devices.

Review of sample-based methods used in an analysis of multistable dynamical systems

Sample-based methods are a useful tool in analyzing the global behavior of multi-stable systems originating from various branches of science. Classical methods, such as bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents, and basins of attraction, often fail to analyze complex systems with many coexisting attractors. Thus, we have to apply a different strategy to understand the dynamics of such systems. We can distinguish basin stability, extended basin stability, constrained basin stability, basin entropy, time dependent stability margin, and survivability among sample-based methods. Each method has specific properties and gives us important data about the behavior of the analyzed system. However, none of the methods provides complete information. Hence, to have a full overview of the dynamics, one has to collect data from two or more approaches. This study describes the sample-based methods and presents their advantages and disadvantages for the archetypal nonlinear oscillator with multiple coexisting attractors. Hence, we give helpful information in selecting the best method or methods for analyzing the dynamical system.