Composite Poincaré mapping of double grazing in non-smooth dynamical systems: bifurcations and insights

This article investigates the phenomenon of bifurcation induced by double grazing in a piecewise-smooth oscillator with a play, which is a common occurrence in many non-smooth dynamical systems namely gear systems with approval, flange contact in wheel-rail systems, and spacecraft docking. The study is carried out using a composite Poincaré mapping with bilateral constraint, which extends the local normal form mapping of one discontinuity boundary to two discontinuity boundaries. The paper first derives the local discontinuous mapping at the unilateral grazing point using the normal form of discontinuity mapping and determines the type of 3/2 singularity of the zero-time discontinuous mapping with a continuous vector field at the discontinuity boundary. The composite Poincaré mapping is then used to obtain non-classical local bifurcations caused by double grazing, including bifurcation from period-1 motion to period-2 motion, bifurcation from period-1 motion to period-3 motion, and bifurcation from period-1 motion to chaos. The results of the study are consistent with those obtained via direct numerical simulations, demonstrating the efficacy of the composite Poincaré mapping of double grazing. The paper sheds light on the behavior of non-smooth dynamical systems and provides insights into the mechanisms underlying bifurcation induced by double grazing. The findings have potential applications in various fields including engineering, physics, and biology.