“Eclipse” Bifurcation in a Twinkling Oscillator

This work regards the use of cubic springs with intervals of negative stiffness, in other words, “snap-through” elements, in order to convert low-frequency ambient vibrations into high-frequency oscillations, referred to as “twinkling.” The focus of this paper is on the bifurcation of a two-mass chain that, in the symmetric system, involves infinitely many equilibria at the bifurcation point. The structure of this “eclipse bifurcation” is uncovered, and perturbations of the bifurcation are studied. The energies associated with the equilibria are examined.