The Effect of a Fully Asymmetric Discontinuity in the Elastic Layer of a Geometrically Nonlinear Double-Beam Coupled Mechanical System

This paper presents the effect of an antisymmetric discontinuity in a Winkler nonlinear elastic layer and compares it with the case of a double Timoshenko beam system without discontinuities. The effects of geometric nonlinearity are considered, and the obtained results represent a time-domain analysis. A modified p-version finite element method is applied to analyse the vibrations of mechanical systems with discontinuities. The main contribution of this work is a comparative analysis of a double beam system without discontinuities and a double beam system with an antisymmetric discontinuity in the Winkler elastic layer. The study demonstrates significant deviations in the beam response under a concentrated periodic external force when an antisymmetric discontinuity is present. Its qualitative and quantitative characteristics are illustrated through time histories, showing amplitude variations in the steady-state oscillation regime. Forced vibrations in the time domain are analysed using the Newmark direct integration method. The cases of deviations in the antisymmetric model are explained, highlighting their potential applications in technical practice as well as in the field of deformable bodies and structures.