Mechanical Chaotic Duffing System with Magnetic Springs

Mechanical systems with inherent chaotic behavior are of notable practical interest due to their applicability in many fields of technology, from industrial mills and concrete mixers to microscopic micromechanical random bit generators. One of the most generic mathematical models for designing chaotic mechanical systems is the Duffing oscillator, which demonstrates chaotic motion under periodic excitation. The mechanical implementation of Duffing oscillator requires nonlinear springs, which can be implemented using different physical principles. In the current study, we propose the mechanical Duffing oscillator with magnetic springs as a low-wear, robust and easy-to-implement solution. We show by simulation and experimentation that the developed mechanical system performs chaotic oscillations in a wide range of parameters. The proposed design can be revised in a problem-specific manner and achieve many practical applications.