Substructure synthesis method for a nonlinear structure with a sliding mode condition

The component mode synthesis (CMS) method is widely used to establish reduced dynamic models of complex structures so that iterative problems such as flutter analyses can be efficiently analyzed with reasonable cost and time. In the present study, a structural coupling method is developed for the dynamic analysis of a nonlinear structure consisting of substructures connected by nonlinear interfaces such as nonlinear hinge joints or sliding mode conditions. In order to verify the coupling method extended to consider the hinge joints, a numerical plate model consisting of two substructures and torsional springs is synthesized, and its modal parameters are compared with analysis data. The extended coupling method is further improved to consider the sliding mode condition. The improved coupling method is applied to a three-substructure-model with nonlinearity of sliding lines between the substructures. Finally, using the proposed coupling method, a dynamic model of a tilting structure consisting of two substructures with sliding line conditions is synthesized, and its dynamic characteristics are investigated. The analysis results show that the improved coupling method is effectively applicable to the dynamic analysis of a nonlinear structure with the sliding mode condition.