Nonlinear dynamics of a taut string with material nonlinearities

A spatial string model incorporating a nonlinear (and nonconservative) mate rial law is proposed using finite deformation continuum mechanics. The resu lting model is shown to reduce to the classical nonlinear string when a lin ens material law is used. The influence of material nonlinearities on the s tring's dynamic response to excitation near a transverse natural frequency is shown to be small due to their appearance at high orders only. Material nonlinearities appear at low Order in the equations for excitation near a l ongitudinal natural frequency. and a solution for this case is developed by applying a second order multiple scales method directly to the partial dif ferential equations. The material nonlinearities are found to influence bot h the degree of nonlinearity in the response and its softening Or hardening nature.