Introduction

Nonlinear phenomena exhibited by mechanical systems, as static bifurcations, external (primary, sub- and super-harmonic) resonances, parametric resonances and dynamic bifurcations are briefly sketched. The opportunity to tackle these problems by perturbation methods is discussed. Then, a sample model is formulated, consisting of a linear beam on nonlinear Winkler soil, which will be systematically used in the first part of the book as a thread, in order to describe general phenomena and perturbation algorithms. Finally, an overview of the matter discussed throughout the book is given.