A nonlinear optimization shooting method for bifurcation tracking of nonlinear systems

A continuation method for bifurcation tracking is presented based on the proposed optimization problem formulation which is designed to locate the bifurcation periodic solution. The bifurcation detection problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem. The nonlinear constraints of the optimization problem are imposed on the shooting function and bifurcation conditions derived from the Floquet theory whereas the objective function associated with the pseudo-arclength correlation equation is devised to solution continuation. The proposed optimization formulation is integrated with the prediction–correction strategy to achieve bifurcation tracking. Two numerical examples about the Jeffcott rotor and the nonlinear tuned vibration absorber are illustrated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Numerical results have demonstrated that the proposed method offers a convenient scheme to follow bifurcation periodic solution.