Publications

In this paper we investigate a nonholonomic system with parametric excitation, a Roller Racer with variable gyrostatic momentum. We examine in detail the problem of the existence of regimes with unbounded growth of energy (nonconservative Fermi acceleration). We find a criterion for the existence of trajectories for which one of the velocity components increases withound bound and has asymptotics $t^{1/3}$. In addition, we show that the problem under consideration reduces to analysis of a three-dimensional Poincaré map. This map exhibits both regular attractors (a fixed point, a limit cycle and a torus) and strange attractors.

In this paper, we study the plane-parallel motion of a circular foil interacting with two vortex pairs in an infinite volume of an ideal fluid. We assumed that the circulation of the velocity of the fluid around the foil was zero. We showed that the equations of motion possess an invariant submanifold such that the foil performed translational motion and the vortices were symmetric relative to the foil’s direction of motion. A qualitative analysis of the motion on this invariant submanifold was made. New relative equilibria were found, a bifurcation diagram was constructed, and a stability analysis is given. In addition, trajectories generalizing Helmholtz leapfrogging were found where the vortices passed alternately through each other, while remaining at a finite distance from the foil.

We investigate the dynamics of particles in a Kerr metric which describes the gravitational field in a neighborhood of a rotating black hole. After elimination of cyclic coordinates this problem reduces to investigating a Hamiltonian system with 2 degrees of freedom. This system possesses an additional Carter integral quadratic in momenta and hence is integrable by the Liouville-Arnold theorem. A bifurcation diagram is constructed and a classification of the types of trajectories of the system is carried out according to the values of first integrals. In particular, it is shown that there are seven different regions of values of first integrals which differ in the topological type of the integral submanifold. Pro-and-retrograde trajectories of particles are found.

A model governing the motion of an aquatic robot with a shell in the form of a symmetrical airfoil NACA0040 is considered. The motion is controlled by periodic oscillations of the rotor. It is numerically shown that for physically admissible values of the control parameters in the phase space of the system, there exists only one limit cycle. The limit cycle that occurs under symmetric control corresponds to the motion of the robot near a straight line. In the case of asymmetric controls, the robot moves near a circle. An algorithm for controlling the course of the robot motion is proposed. This algorithm uses determined limit cycles and transient processes between them.

The dynamics of a system governing the controlled motion of an unbalanced circular foil in the presence of point vortices is considered. The foil motion is controlled by periodically changing the position of the center of mass, the gyrostatic momentum, and the moment of inertia of the system. A derivation of the equations of motion based on Sedov's approach is proposed, the equations of motion are presented in the Hamiltonian form. A periodic perturbation of the known integrable case is considered.

This paper is concerned with the study of permanent rotations of a rigid body rolling without slipping on a horizontal plane (i. e., the velocity of the point of contact of the ellipsoid with the plane is zero). By permanent rotations we will mean motions of a rigid body on a horizontal plane such that the angular velocity of the body remains constant and the point of contact does not change its position. A more detailed analysis is made of permanent rotations of an omnirotational ellipsoid whose characteristic feature is the possibility of permanent rotations about any point of its surface.

This paper is concerned with the motion of an aquatic robot whose body has the form of a sharp-edged foil. The robot is propelled by rotating the internal rotor without shell deformation. The motion of the robot is described by a finite-dimensional mathematical model derived from physical considerations. This model takes into account the effect of added masses and viscous friction. The parameters of the model are calculated from comparison of experimental data and numerical solution to the equations of rigid body motion and the Navier–Stokes equations. The proposed mathematical model is used to define controls implementing straight-line motion, motion in a circle, and motion along a complex trajectory. Experiments for estimation of the efficiency of the model have been conducted.

This paper investigates the dynamics of a point vortex and a balanced circular foil in an ideal fluid. An explicit reduction to quadratures is performed. A bifurcation diagram is constructed and a classification of the types of integral manifolds is carried out. The stability of critical solutions is studied in which the foil and the vortex move in a circle or in a straight line.

In this paper we present a study of the dynamics of a mobile robot with omnidirectional wheels taking into account the reaction forces acting from the plane. The dynamical equations are obtained in the form of Newton – Euler equations. In the course of the study, we formulate structural restrictions on the position and orientation of the omnidirectional wheels and their rollers taking into account the possibility of implementing the omnidirectional motion. We obtain the dependence of reaction forces acting on the wheel from the supporting surface on the parameters defining the trajectory of motion: linear and angular velocities and accelerations, and the curvature of the trajectory of motion. A striking feature of the system considered is that the results obtained can be formulated in terms of elementary geometry.

This paper investigates nonholonomic systems (the Chaplygin sleigh and the Suslov system) with periodically varying mass distribution. In these examples, the behavior of velocities is described by a system of the form $$ \frac{dv}{d\tau}=f_2(\tau)u^2+f_1(\tau)u+f_0(\tau), \,\, \frac{du}{d\tau}=-uv+g(\tau), $$ where the coefficients are periodic functions of time $\tau$ with the same period. A detailed analysis is made of the problem of the existence of modes of motion for which the system speeds up indefinitely (an analog of Fermi’s acceleration). It is proved that, depending on the choice of coefficients, variable $v$ has the asymptotics $t^{1/k}, \,\, k=1,2,3$. In addition, we show regions of the phase space for which the system, when the trajectories are started from them, is observed to speed up. The proof uses normal forms and averaging in a slightly unusual form since unusual form averaging is performed over a variable that is not fast.
This paper continues a series of studies [1–5] of the dynamics of nonholonomic systems with vary- ing mass distribution due to the prescribed pe- riodic motion of some structural components (ro- tor, point masses etc.). Depending on the choice of the law of variation of mass distribution, such systems generally exhibit a large variety of be- havior, both regular and chaotic. In addition, it turns out that nonholonomic systems are one of the simplest mathematical models of mechan- ical systems exhibiting a phenomenon known as unbounded speedup, which is due to redistribu- tion of internal masses. In this paper, for a cer- tain class of nonholonomic systems (including the Chaplygin sleigh and the Suslov system) we find a criterion which must be satisfied by the periodic variation of mass distribution for the existence of speeding-up trajectories.

This paper addresses the problem of the motion of an unbalanced circular foil and point vortices in an ideal incompressible fluid. Using Bernoulli’s theorem for unsteady potential flow, the force due to the pressure from the fluid on the foil is obtained for an arbitrary vortex motion. A detailed analysis is made of the case of free vortex motion in which a Hamiltonian reduction by symmetries is performed. For the resulting system, relative equilibria corresponding to the motion of an unbalanced foil and a vortex in a circle or in a straight line are found and their stability is investigated. New examples of stationary configurations of a vortex and a foil are given. Using a Poincare map, it is also shown that in the general case of an unbalanced circular foil the reduced system exhibits chaotic trajectories.

In this paper, the object of study is a highly maneuverable mobile robot with omni wheels. The paper presents the investigation of the dynamics of omni wheels as part of a mobile platform. The design of a mobile platform with omni wheels is analyzed, taking into account the dynamics of an individual wheel as a part of a mobile platform. The equations of dynamics are presented in the form of Lagrange equations of the second kind with undetermined multipliers. As a result, several conditions of design constraints were identified, under which the omnidirectional motion of the mobile platform is impossible.

This paper describes the design of the underwater robot which is moved by rotating the internal rotor. The design of the robot is described. A finite-dimensional mathematical model describing the robot’s motion is presented. The study of the derived equations of motion is carried out, the influence of the parameters of the control action on the mode of the robot motion is considered.

We consider a nonholonomic system that describes the rolling without slipping of a spherical shell inside which a frame rotates with constant angular velocity (this system is one of the possible generalizations of the problem of the rolling of a Chaplygin sphere). After a suitable scale transformation of the radius of the shell or the mass of the system the equations of motion can be represented as a perturbation of the integrable Euler case in rigid body dynamics. Using this representation, we explicitly calculate a Melnikov integral, which contains an isolated zero under some restrictions on the system parameters. Thereby we prove the absence of an additional integral in this system and the existence of chaotic trajectories. We conclude by presenting numerical experiments that illustrate the system dynamics depending on the behavior of the Melnikov function.

In this paper we obtain equations of motion for a vortex pair and a circular foil with parametric excitation due to the periodic motion of a material point. Undoubtedly, such problems are, on the one hand, model problems and cannot be used for an exact quantitative description of real trajectories of the system. On the other hand, in many cases such 2D models provide a sufficiently accurate qualitative picture of the dynamics and, due to their simplicity, an estimate of the influence of different parameters. We describe relative equilibria that generalize F¨oppl solutions and collinear configurations when the material point does not move. We show that a stochastic layer forms in the neighborhood of relative equilibria in the case of periodic motion of the foil’s center of mass.

The motion of a spherical robot with periodically changing moments of inertia, internal rotors and a displaced center of mass is considered. It is shown that, under some restrictions on the displacement of the center of mass, the system of interest features chaotic dynamics due to separatrix splitting. A stability analysis is made of the upper equilibrium point of the ball and of the periodic solution arising in its neighborhood, in the case of periodic rotation of the rotors. It is shown that the lower equilibrium point can become unstable in the case of fixed rotors and periodically changing moments of inertia.

This paper examines the motion of a balanced spherical robot under the action of periodically changing moments of inertia and gyrostatic momentum. The system of equations of motion is constructed using the model of the rolling of a rubber body (without slipping and twisting) and is nonconservative. It is shown that in the absence of gyrostatic momentum the equations of motion admit three invariant submanifolds corresponding to plane-parallel motion of the sphere with rotation about the minor, middle and major axes of inertia. The abovementioned motions are quasi-periodic, and for the numerical estimate of their stability charts of the largest Lyapunov exponent and charts of stability are plotted versus the frequency and amplitude of the moments of inertia. It is shown that rotations about the minor and major axes of inertia can become unstable at sufficiently small amplitudes of the moments of inertia. In this case, the so-called “Arnol’d tongues” arise in the stability chart. Stabilization of the middle unstable axis of inertia turns out to be possible at sufficiently large amplitudes of the moments of inertia, when the middle axis of inertia becomes the minor axis for a part of a period. It is shown that the nonconservativeness of the system manifests itself in the occurrence of limit cycles, attracting tori and strange attractors in phase space. Numerical calculations show that strange attractors may arise through a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations or after a finite number of torus-doubling bifurcations.

This paper is concerned with the problem of a dynamically symmetric heavy ball rolling without slipping on a cone which rotates uniformly about its symmetry axis. The equations of motion of the system are obtained, partial periodic solutions are found, and their stability is analyzed.

This paper considers the plane-parallel motion of an elliptic foil in a fluid with a nonzero constant circulation under the action of external periodic forces and torque. The existence of the first integral is shown for the case in which there is no external torque and an external force acts along one of the principal axes of the foil. It is shown that, in the general case, in the absence of friction, an extensive stochastic layer is observed for the period advance map. When dissipation is added to the system, strange attractors can arise from the stochastic layer.

This paper is concerned with the study of a nonholonomic system with parametric excitation, the Suslov problem with variable gyrostatic momentum. A detailed analysis is made of the problem of the existence of regimes with unbounded growth of energy (an analog of Fermi’s acceleration). The existence of trajectories is shown for which the angular velocity of the rigid body increases indefinitely and has the asymptotics $t^{\frac{1}{2}}$

This paper addresses a conservative system describing the motion of a smooth body in an ideal fluid under the action of an external periodic torque with nonzero mean and of an external periodic force. It is shown that, in the case where the body is circular in shape, the angular velocity of the body increases indefinitely (linearly in time), and the projection of the phase trajectory onto the plane of translational velocities is attracted to a circle. Asymptotic orbital stability (or asymptotic stability with respect to part of variables) exists in the system. It is shown numerically that, in the case of an elliptic body, the projection of the phase trajectory onto the plane of translational velocities is attracted to an annular region.

This paper presents a review of papers devoted to the creation and investigation of spherical robots. Owing to their structural features, namely, geometric symmetry and resistance of actuating mechanisms and elements of the control system against aggressive environmental conditions, robotic systems of this type have a high potential of being used in problems of monitoring, reconnaissance, and transportation on Earth and other planets. A detailed description is given of the structures of prototypes of spherical robots which use different actuation principles: a spherical robot with an internal pendulum mechanism, a spherical robot with an internal omniwheel platform, a spherical robot with internal rotors, and a spherical robot of combined type. Experimental results are presented to give an estimate of the possibility and efficiency of controlled motion. The applied use of spherical robots depending on the type of the actuating mechanism is discussed.

This paper is devoted to investigations of the motion of the propellerless aquatic robots. There are two models of aquatic robots under consideration that move due to rotation of internal rotors. Mathematical models to describe the motion of the robots are proposed. Experiments with different control actions for fabricated prototypes to verify mathematical models have been conducted.

This paper presents the control algorithm of an omnidirectional mobile robot to implement motion along curvilinear trajectories. The trajectory is defined by the Bezier curves of the third order. An algorithm is proposed to generate control actions for the robot’s motion along a given curvilinear trajectory, taking into account the processes of acceleration and deceleration. The experimental results confirm the applicability of the proposed method.

The motion of a spherical robot with periodically changing moments of inertia and gyrostatic momentum is considered. Equations of motion are derived within the framework of the model of "rubber" rolling (without slipping and twisting). The stability of partial solutions of the system is studied numerically. It is shown that the system is nonconservative, and, as a consequence, limit cycles and strange attractors exist in the phase space of the system.

This paper addresses the problem of the motion of a circular foil and point vortices in an ideal fluid. A complete qualitative analysis of the motion of a balanced foil and one vortex is carried out. In particular, periodic solutions are found and their stability is investigated. Using a Poincaré map, it is shown that for an unbalanced foil a reduced system exhibits chaotic trajectories.

This paper is devoted to investigations of the motion of an aquatic propeller-less robot. The robot motion implemented by rotation of internal rotor. A simple finite-dimensional mathematical model to describe the motion of the robot is proposed. Experiments with control actions providing the motion along a straight line and a circle have been conducted.

This paper addresses the problem of the rolling of a spherical shell with a frame rotating inside, on which rotors are fastened. It is assumed that the center of mass of the entire system is at the geometric center of the shell.
For the rubber rolling model and the classical rolling model it is shown that, if the angular velocities of rotation of the frame and the rotors are constant, then there exists a noninertial coordinate system (attached to the frame) in which the equations of motion do not depend explicitly on time. The resulting equations of motion preserve an analog of the angular momentum vector and are similar in form to the equations for the Chaplygin ball. Thus, the problem reduces to investigating a two-dimensional Poincaré map.
The case of the rubber rolling model is analyzed in detail. Numerical investigation of its Poincaré map shows the existence of chaotic trajectories, including those associated with a strange attractor. In addition, an analysis is made of the case of motion from rest, in which the problem reduces to investigating the vector field on the sphere $S^2$.

This paper is a small review devoted to the dynamics of a point on a paraboloid. Specifically, it is concerned with the motion both under the action of a gravitational field and without it. It is assumed that the paraboloid can rotate about a vertical axis with constant angular velocity. The paper includes both well-known results and a number of new results.
We consider the two most widespread friction (resistance) models: dry (Coulomb) friction and viscous friction. It is shown that the addition of external damping (air drag) can lead to stability of equilibrium at the saddle point and hence to preservation of the region of bounded motion in a neighborhood of the saddle point. Analysis of three-dimensional Poincaré sections shows that limit cycles can arise in this case in the neighborhood of the saddle point.

In this paper, we address the free (uncontrolled) dynamics of a snakeboard consisting of two wheel pairs fastened to a platform. The snakeboard is one of the well-known sports vehicles on which the sportsman executes necessary body movements. From the theoretical point of view, this system is a direct generalization of the classical nonholonomic system of the Chaplygin sleigh. We carry out a topological and qualitative analysis of trajectories of this dynamical system. An important feature of the problem is that the common level set of first integrals is a compact two-dimensional surface of genus 5. We specify conditions under which the reaction forces infinitely increase during motion and the so-called phenomenon of nonholonomic jamming is observed. In this case, the nonholonomic model ceases to work and it is necessary to use more complex mechanical models incorporating sliding, elasticity, etc.

This paper is concerned with a nonholonomic system with parametric excitation—the Chaplygin sleigh with time-varying mass distribution. A detailed analysis is made of the problem of the existence of regimes with unbounded growth of energy (an analogue of Fermi’s acceleration) in the case where excitation is achieved by means of a rotor with variable angular momentum. The existence of trajectories for which the translational velocity of the sleigh increases indefinitely and has the asymptotics $\tau^{\frac{1}{3}}$ is proved. In addition, it is shown that, when viscous friction with a nondegenerate Rayleigh function is added, unbounded speed-up disappears and the trajectories of the reduced system asymptotically tend to a limit cycle.

This paper investigates the rolling without slipping of a homogeneous heavy ball on the surface of a rotating cone in two settings: without dissipation in a nonholonomic setting and with rolling friction torque which is proportional to the angular velocity of the ball. In the nonholonomic setting, the resulting system of five differential equations on the level set of first integrals is reduced to quadratures. A bifurcation analysis of the above system is carried out to determine the possible types of motion. In the second case, it is shown that there are not only trajectories emanating from the lower point of the cone (its vertex), but also trajectories to the vertex of the cone (fall). An analysis of the dependence of the type of terminal motion of the center of mass of the ball on initial conditions is carried out.

This paper discusses two approaches for deriving the equations of motion for a ball that rolls without slipping on the surface of a rotating hyperbolic paraboloid. We analyze two possible methods for defining the surface on which the ball rolls, and show the relationship between the two methods. We describe how the stability of the ball’s rotation at the saddle point depends on the radius of the ball, in the case where the stability analysis is made in dimensionless parameters.

This paper addresses the problem of the motion of a sleigh with a free rotor. It is shown that this system exhibits chaotic and regular motions. The case in which the system is balanced relative to the knife edge is of particular interest because it has an additional integral. In this case, the problem reduces to investigating a vector field on a torus and to classifying singular points on it.

A plane-parallel motion of a circular foil is considered in a fluid with a nonzero constant circulation under the action of external periodic force and torque. Various integrable cases are treated. Conditions for the existence of resonances of two types are found. In the case of resonances of the first type, the phase trajectory of the system and the trajectory of the foil are unbounded. In the case of resonances of the second type, the foil trajectory is unbounded, while the phase trajectory of the system remains bounded during the motion.

We consider the two-body problem on surfaces of constant nonzero curvature and classify the relative equilibria and their stability. On the hyperbolic plane, for each $q>0$ we show there are two relative equilibria where the masses are separated by a distance $q$. One of these is geometrically of elliptic type and the other of hyperbolic type. The hyperbolic ones are always unstable, while the elliptic ones are stable when sufficiently close, but unstable when far apart. On the sphere of positive curvature, if the masses are different, there is a unique relative equilibrium (RE) for every angular separation except $\pi/2$. When the angle is acute, the RE is elliptic, and when it is obtuse the RE can be either elliptic or linearly unstable. We show using a KAM argument that the acute ones are almost always nonlinearly stable. If the masses are equal, there are two families of relative equilibria: one where the masses are at equal angles with the axis of rotation (‘isosceles RE’) and the other when the two masses subtend a right angle at the centre of the sphere. The isosceles RE are elliptic if the angle subtended by the particles is acute and is unstable if it is obtuse. At $\pi/2$, the two families meet and a pitchfork bifurcation takes place. Right-angled RE are elliptic away from the bifurcation point. In each of the two geometric settings, we use a global reduction to eliminate the group of symmetries and analyse the resulting reduced equations which live on a five-dimensional phase space and possess one Casimir function.

This paper addresses the problem of the self-propulsion of a smooth body in a fluid by periodic oscillations of the internal rotor and circulation. In the case of zero dissipation and constant circulation, it is shown using methods of KAM theory that the kinetic energy of the system is a bounded function of time. In the case of constant nonzero circulation, the trajectories of the center of mass of the system lie in a bounded region of the plane. The method of expansion by a small parameter is used to approximately construct a solution corresponding to directed motion of a circular foil in the presence of dissipation and variable circulation. Analysis of this approximate solution has shown that a speed-up is possible in the system in the presence of variable circulation and in the absence of resistance to translational motion. It is shown that, in the case of an elliptic foil, directed motion is also possible. To explore the dynamics of the system in the general case, bifurcation diagrams, a chart of dynamical regimes and a chart of the largest Lyapunov exponent are plotted. It is shown that the transition to chaos occurs through a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations.

This paper addresses the problem of controlled motion of the Zhukovskii foil in a viscous fluid due to a periodically oscillating rotor. Equations of motion including the added mass effect, viscous friction and lift force due to circulation are derived. It is shown that only limit cycles corresponding to the direct motion or motion near a circle appear in the system at the standard parameter values. The chart of dynamical regimes, the chart of the largest Lyapunov exponent and a one-parameter bifurcation diagram are calculated. It is shown that strange attractors appear in the system due to a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations.

In this paper we consider the problem of the motion of the Roller Racer.We assume that the angle $\varphi (t)$ between the platforms is a prescribed function of time. We prove that in this case the acceleration of the Roller Racer is unbounded. In this case, as the Roller Racer accelerates, the increase in the constraint reaction forces is also unbounded. Physically this means that, from a certain instant onward, the conditions of the rolling motion of the wheels without slipping are violated. Thus, we consider a model in which, in addition to the nonholonomic constraints, viscous friction force acts at the points of contact of the wheels. For this case we prove that there is no constant acceleration and all trajectories of the reduced system asymptotically tend to a periodic solution.

This paper addresses the problem of an inhomogeneous disk rolling on a horizontal plane. This problem is considered within the framework of a nonholonomic model in which there is no slipping and no spinning at the point of contact (the projection of the angular velocity of the disk onto the normal to the plane is zero). The configuration space of the system of interest contains singular submanifolds which correspond to the fall of the disk and in which the equations of motion have a singularity. Using the theory of normal hyperbolic manifolds, it is proved that the measure of trajectories leading to the fall of the disk is zero.

This paper is concerned with the problem of three vortices on a sphere $S^2$ and the Lobachevsky plane $L^2$. After reduction, the problem reduces in both cases to investigating a Hamiltonian system with a degenerate quadratic Poisson bracket, which makes it possible to study it using the methods of Poisson geometry. This paper presents a topological classification of types of symplectic leaves depending on the values of Casimir functions and system parameters.

This paper addresses the problem of self-propulsion of a smooth profile in a medium with viscous dissipation and circulation by means of parametric excitation generated by oscillations of the moving internal mass. For the case of zero dissipation, using methods of KAM theory, it is shown that the kinetic energy of the system is a bounded function of time, and in the case of nonzero circulation the trajectories of the profile lie in a bounded region of the space. In the general case, using charts of dynamical regimes and charts of Lyapunov exponents, it is shown that the system can exhibit limit cycles (in particular, multistability), quasi-periodic regimes (attracting tori) and strange attractors. One-parameter bifurcation diagrams are constructed, and Neimark – Sacker bifurcations and period-doubling bifurcations are found. To analyze the efficiency of displacement of the profile depending on the circulation and parameters defining the motion of the internal mass, charts of values of displacement for a fixed number of periods are plotted. A hypothesis is formulated that, when nonzero circulation arises, the trajectories of the profile are compact. Using computer calculations, it is shown that in the case of anisotropic dissipation an unbounded growth of the kinetic energy of the system (Fermi-like acceleration) is possible.

In this paper, equations of motion for the problem of a ball rolling without slipping on a rotating hyperbolic paraboloid are obtained. Integrals of motions and an invariant measure are found. A detailed linear stability analysis of the ball’s rotations at the saddle point of the hyperbolic paraboloid is made. A three-dimensional Poincar´e map generated by the phase flow of the problem is numerically investigated and the existence of a region of bounded trajectories in a neighborhood of the saddle point of the paraboloid is demonstrated. It is shown that a similar problem of a ball rolling on a rotating paraboloid, considered within the framework of the rubber model, can be reduced to a Hamiltonian system which includes the Brower problem as a particular case.

This paper addresses the problem of plane-parallel motion of the Zhukovskii foil in a viscous fluid. Various motion regimes of the foil are simulated on the basis of a joint numerical solution of the equations of body motion and the Navier – Stokes equations. According to the results of simulation of longitudinal, transverse and rotational motions, the average drag coefficients and added masses are calculated. The values of added masses agree with the results published previously and obtained within the framework of the model of an ideal fluid. It is shown that between the value of circulation determined from numerical experiments, and that determined according to the model of and ideal fluid, there is a correlation with the coefficient $\mathcal{R} = 0.722$. Approximations for the lift force and the moment of the lift force are constructed depending on the translational and angular velocity of motion of the foil. The equations of motion of the Zhukovskii foil in a viscous fluid are written taking into account the found approximations and the drag coefficients. The calculation results based on the proposed mathematical model are in qualitative agreement with the results of joint numerical solution of the equations of body motion and the Navier – Stokes equations.

In this work we investigate the motion of a homogeneous ball rolling without slipping on uniformly rotating horizontal and inclined planes under the action of a constant external force supplemented with the moment of rolling friction, which depends linearly on the angular velocity of the ball. We systematise well-known results and supplement them with the stability analysis of partial solutions of the system. We also perform an experimental investigation whose results support the adequacy of the rolling friction model used. Comparison of numerical and experimental results has shown a good qualitative agreement.

This paper addresses the problem of the Chaplygin ball rolling on a horizontal plane which rotates with constant angular velocity. In this case, the equations of motion admit area integrals, an integral of squared angular momentum and the Jacobi integral, which is a generalization of the energy integral, and possess an invariant measure. After reduction the problem reduces to investigating a three-dimensional Poincaré map that preserves phase volume (with density defined by the invariant measure). We show that in the general case the system’s dynamics is chaotic.

This book provides an up-to-date overview of results in rigid body dynamics, including material concerned with the analysis of nonintegrability and chaotic behavior in various related problems. The wealth of topics covered makes it a practical reference for researchers and graduate students in mathematics, physics and mechanics.

In this paper, we show that the trajectories of a dynamical system with nonholonomic constraints can satisfy Hamilton’s principle. As the simplest illustration, we consider the problem of a homogeneous ball rolling without slipping on a plane. However, Hamilton’s principle is formulated either for a reduced system or for a system defined in an extended phase space. It is shown that the dynamics of a nonholonomic homogeneous ball can be embedded in a higher-dimensional Hamiltonian phase flow. We give two examples of such an embedding: embedding in the phase flow of a free system and embedding in the phase flow of the corresponding vakonomic system.

This is a survey of the main forms of equations of dynamical systems with non-integrable constraints, divided into two large groups. The first group contains systems arising in vakonomic mechanics and optimal control theory, with the equations of motion obtained from the variational principle, and the second contains systems in classical non-holonomic mechanics, when the constraints are ideal and therefore the D’Alembert–Lagrange principle holds.

This paper is concerned with a system of equations that describes the motion of two point vortices in a flow possessing constant uniform vorticity and perturbed by an acoustic wave. The system is shown to have both regular and chaotic regimes of motion. In addition, simple and chaotic attractors are found in the system. Attention is given to bifurcations of fixed points of a Poincar´e map which lead to the appearance of these regimes. It is shown that, in the case where the total vortex strength changes, the “reversible pitch-fork” bifurcation is a typical scenario of emergence of asymptotically stable fixed and periodic points. As a result of this bifurcation, a saddle point, a stable and an unstable point of the same period emerge from an elliptic point of some period. By constructing and analyzing charts of dynamical regimes and bifurcation diagrams we show that a cascade of period-doubling bifurcations is a typical scenario of transition to chaos in the system under consideration.

This paper is concerned with the Chaplygin sleigh with time-varying mass distribution (parametric excitation). The focus is on the case where excitation is induced by a material point that executes periodic oscillations in a direction transverse to the plane of the knife edge of the sleigh. In this case, the problem reduces to investigating a reduced system of two first-order equations with periodic coefficients, which is similar to various nonlinear parametric oscillators. Depending on the parameters in the reduced system, one can observe different types of motion, including those accompanied by strange attractors leading to a chaotic (diffusion) trajectory of the sleigh on the plane. The problem of unbounded acceleration (an analog of Fermi acceleration) of the sleigh is examined in detail. It is shown that such an acceleration arises due to the position of the moving point relative to the line of action of the nonholonomic constraint and the center of mass of the platform. Various special cases of existence of tensor invariants are found.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a system that is a generalization of the Chaplygin sleigh to the case of an inhomogeneous nonholonomic constraint. We perform an explicit integration and a sufficiently complete qualitative analysis of the dynamics.

This paper is concerned with the Hess case in the Euler–Poisson equations and with its generalization on the pencil of Poisson brackets. It is shown that in this case the problem reduces to investigating the vector field on a torus and that the graph showing the dependence of the rotation number on parameters has horizontal segments (limit cycles) only for integer values of the rotation number. In addition, an example of a Hamiltonian system is given which possesses an invariant submanifold (similar to the Hess case), but on which the dependence of the rotation number on parameters is a Cantor ladder.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a system that is a generalization of the Chaplygin sleigh to the case of an inhomogeneous nonholonomic constraint. We perform an explicit integration and a sufficiently complete qualitative analysis of the dynamics.

This paper is concerned with the Hess case in the Euler –Poisson equations and with its generalization on the pencil of Poisson brackets. It is shown that in this case the problem reduces to investigating the vector field on a torus and that the graph showing the dependence of the rotation number on parameters has horizontal segments (limit cycles) only for integer values of the rotation number. In addition, an example of a Hamiltonian system is given which possesses an invariant submanifold (similar to the Hess case), but on which the dependence of the rotation number on parameters is a Cantor ladder.

This paper is concerned with two systems from sub-Riemannian geometry. One of them is defined by a Carnot group with three generatrices and growth vector (3, 6, 14), the other is defined by two generatrices and growth vector (2, 3, 5, 8). Using a Poincaré map, the nonintegrability of the above systems in the general case is shown. In addition, particular cases are presented in which there exist additional first integrals.

The motion controlled by the rotation of three internal rotors of a body with helical symmetry in an ideal liquid is considered. The problem is to select controls that ensure the displacement of the body with minimum effort. The optimality of particular solutions found earlier is studied.

This paper provides a detailed description of various reduction schemes in rigid body dynamics. The analysis of one of such nontrivial reductions makes it possible to put the cases already found in order and to obtain new generalizations of the Kovalevskaya case to $e(3)$. Note that the indicated reduction allows one to obtain in a natural way some singular additive terms that were proposed earlier by D.N. Goryachev.

This paper is concerned with the nonholonomic Suslov problem and its generalization proposed by Chaplygin. The issue of the existence of an invariant measure with singular density (having singularities at some points of phase space) is discussed.

The dynamics of a Painlevé–Appell system consisting of two point masses joined by a weightless rigid rodis studied within two mechanical models, which describe different motion regimes. One of the massescan slide or can be supported at rest on a rough straight line. The boundaries of the region of definitionof each of the models are presented, and the transitions between them are analysed for various frictioncoefficients.

From analysis of time series obtained on the numerical solution of a plane problem on the motion of a body with an elliptic cross section under the action of gravity force in an incompressible viscous fluid, a system of ordinary differential equations approximately describing the dynamics of the body is reconstructed. To this end, coefficients responsible for the added mass, the force caused by the circulation of the velocity field, and the resisting force are found by the least square adjustment. The agreement between the finitedimensional description and the simulation on the basis of the Navier–Stokes equations is illustrated by images of attractors in regular and chaotic modes. The coefficients found make it possible to estimate the actual contribution of different effects to the dynamics of the body.

This paper is concerned with the motion of a helical body in an ideal fluid, which is controlled by rotating three internal rotors. It is proved that the motion of the body is always controllable by means of three rotors with noncoplanar axes of rotation. A condition whose satisfaction prevents controllability by means of two rotors is found. Control actions that allow the implementation of unbounded motion in an arbitrary direction are constructed. Conditions under which the motion of the body along an arbitrary smooth curve can be implemented by rotating the rotors are presented. For the optimal control problem, equations of sub-Riemannian geodesics on $SE(3)$ are obtained.

This paper is concerned with two systems from sub-Riemannian geometry. One of them is defined by a Carnot group with three generatrices and growth vector $(3, 6, 14)$, the other is defined by two generatrices and growth vector $(2, 3, 5, 8)$. Using a Poincaré map, the nonintegrability of the above systems in the general case is shown. In addition, particular cases are presented in which there exist additional first integrals.

In this paper, we consider in detail the 2-body problem in spaces of constant positive curvature $S^2$ and $S^3$. We perform a reduction (analogous to that in rigid body dynamics) after which the problem reduces to analysis of a two-degree-of-freedom system. In the general case, in canonical variables the Hamiltonian does not correspond to any natural mechanical system. In addition, in the general case, the absence of an analytic additional integral follows from the constructed Poincaré section. We also give a review of the historical development of celestial mechanics in spaces of constant curvature and formulate open problems.

In this historical review we describe in detail the main stages of the development of nonholonomic mechanics starting from the work of Earnshaw and Ferrers to the monograph of Yu.I. Neimark and N.A. Fufaev. In the appendix to this review we discuss the d’Alembert–Lagrange principle in nonholonomic mechanics and permutation relations.

This paper is concerned with the dynamics of vortex sources in a deformation flow. The case of two vortex sources is shown to be integrable by quadratures. In addition, the relative equilibria (of the reduced system) are examined in detail and it is shown that in this case the trajectory of vortex sources is an ellipse.

The onset of adiabatic chaos in rigid body dynamics is considered. A comparison of the analytically calculated diffusion coefficient describing probabilistic effects in the zone of chaos with a numerical experiment is made. An analysis of the splitting of asymptotic surfaces is performed and uncertainty curves are constructed in the Poincaré – Zhukovsky problem. The application of Hamiltonian methods to nonholonomic systems is discussed. New problem statements are given which are related to the destruction of an adiabatic invariant and to the acceleration of the system (Fermi’s acceleration).

This paper is concerned with the motion of the Chaplygin sleigh on the surface of a circular cylinder. In the case of inertial motion, the problem reduces to the study of the dynamical system on a (two-dimensional) torus and to the classification of singular points. Particular cases in which the system admits an invariant measure are found. In the case of a balanced and dynamically symmetric Chaplygin sleigh moving in a gravitational field it is shown that on the average the system has no drift along the vertical.

This paper is concerned with the motion of the Chaplygin sleigh on the surface of a circular cylinder. In the case of inertial motion, the problem reduces to the study of the dynamical system on a (two-dimensional) torus and to the classification of singular points. Particular cases in which the system admits an invariant measure are found. In the case of a balanced and dynamically symmetric Chaplygin sleigh moving in a gravitational field it is shown that on the average the system has no drift along the vertical.

In this historical review we describe in detail the main stages of the development of nonholonomic mechanics starting from the work of Earnshaw and Ferrers to the monograph of Yu.I. Neimark and N.A. Fufaev. In the appendix to this review we discuss the d’Alembert–Lagrange principle in nonholonomic mechanics and permutation relations.

In this paper, we develop the results obtained by J.Hadamard and G.Hamel concerning the possibility of substituting nonholonomic constraints into the Lagrangian of the system without changing the form of the equations of motion. We formulate the conditions for correctness of such a substitution for a particular case of nonholonomic systems in the simplest and universal form. These conditions are presented in terms of both generalized velocities and quasi-velocities. We also discuss the derivation and reduction of the equations of motion of an arbitrary wheeled vehicle. In particular, we prove the equivalence (up to additional quadratures) of problems of an arbitrary wheeled vehicle and an analogous vehicle whose wheels have been replaced with skates. As examples, we consider the problems of a one-wheeled vehicle and a wheeled vehicle with two rotating wheel pairs.

In this paper, using the Hojman construction, we give examples of various Poisson brackets which differ from those which are usually analyzed in Hamiltonian mechanics. They possess a nonmaximal rank, and in the general case an invariant measure and Casimir functions can be globally absent for them.

In this paper, we focus on the study of two-dimensional plate dynamics on the Lobachevskii plane $L^2$. First of all, we consider the free motion of such a plate, which is a pseudospherical analog of dynamics of the Euler top, and also present an analog of the Euler–Poisson equations enabling us to study the motion of the body in potential force fields having rotational symmetry. We present a series of integrable cases, having analogs in Euclidean space, for different fields. Moreover, in the paper, a partial qualitative analysis of the dynamics of free motion of a plate under arbitrary initial conditions is made and a number of computer illustrations are presented which show a substantial difference of the motion from the case of Euclidean space. The study undertaken in the present paper leads to interesting physical onsequences, which enable us to detect the influence of curvature on the body dynamics.

This paper is concerned with the problem of a rigid body (tripod) moving with three points in contact with a horizontal plane under the action of dry friction forces. It is shown that the regime of asymptotic motion (final dy- namics) of the tripod can be pure rotation, pure sliding, or sliding and rotation can cease simultaneously, which is determined by the position of the tripod’s supports relative to the radius of inertia. In addition, the dependence of the trajectory of the center of mass on the system parameters is investigated. A comparison is made with the well-known theoretical and experimental studies on the motion of bodies with a flat base

A new integrable problem of nonholonomic mechanics is considered and its mechanical realization is proposed. This problem is a generalization of the well-known problem of А. P. Veselov and L. E. Veselova concerning the rolling motion of the Chaplygin ball in a straight line. Particular cases are found in which integration can be reduced to explicit quadratures.

This is a reply to the comment by V.F. Zhuravlev (see Usp. Fiz. Nauk 185 1337 (2015) [Phys. Usp. 58 (12) (2015)]) on the inadequacy of the nonholonomic model when applied to the rolling of rigid bodies. The model of nonholonomic mechanics is discussed. Using recent results as examples, it is shown that the validity and potential of the nonholonomic model are not inferior to those of other dynamics and friction models.

This paper is concerned with the figures of equilibrium of a self-gravitating ideal fluid with a stratified density and a steady-state velocity field. As in the classical formulation of the problem, it is assumed that the figures, or their layers, uniformly rotate about an axis fixed in space. It is shown that the ellipsoid of revolution (spheroid) with confocal stratification, in which each layer rotates with a constant angular velocity, is at equilibrium. Expressions are obtained for the gravitational potential, change in the angular velocity and pressure, and the conclusion is drawn that the angular velocity on the outer surface is the same as that of the corresponding Maclaurin spheroid. We note that the solution found generalizes a previously known solution for piecewise constant density distribution. For comparison, we also present a solution, due to Chaplygin, for a homothetic density stratification. We conclude by considering a homogeneous spheroid in the space of constant positive curvature. We show that in this case the spheroid cannot rotate as a rigid body, since the angular velocity distribution of fluid particles depends on the distance to the symmetry axis.

This paper is an experimental investigation of a round uniform disk rolling on a horizontal surface. Two methods for experimentally determining the loss of contact of the rolling disk from the horizontal surface before its stop are proposed. Results of experiments for disks having different masses and manufactured from different materials are presented. Causes of “microlosses of contact” detected in the processes of motion are discussed.

This paper is concerned with the problem of the motion of a wheeled vehicle on a plane in the case where one of the wheel pairs is fixed. In addition, the motion of a wheeled vehicle on a plane in the case of two free wheel pairs is considered. A method for obtaining equations of motion for the vehicle with an arbitrary geometry is presented. Possible kinds of motion of the vehicle with a fixed wheel pair are determined.

In this paper, we develop the results obtained by J.Hadamard and G.Hamel concerning the possibility of substituting nonholonomic constraints into the Lagrangian of the system without changing the form of the equations of motion. We formulate the conditions for correctness of such a substitution for a particular case of nonholonomic systems in the simplest and universal form. These conditions are presented in terms of both generalized velocities and quasi-velocities. We also discuss the derivation and reduction of the equations of motion of an arbitrary wheeled vehicle. In particular, we prove the equivalence (up to additional quadratures) of problems of an arbitrary wheeled vehicle and an analogous vehicle whose wheels have been replaced with skates. As examples, we consider the problems of a one-wheeled vehicle and a wheeled vehicle with two rotating wheel pairs.

This paper is a review of the problem of the constructive reduction of nonholonomic systems with symmetries. The connection of reduction with the presence of the simplest tensor invariants (first integrals and symmetry fields) is shown. All theoretical constructions are illustrated by examples encountered in applications. In addition, the paper contains a short historical and critical sketch covering the contribution of various researchers to this problem.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a body with a flat base (cylinder) sliding on a horizontal rough plane. For analysis we use two approaches. In one of the approaches using a friction machine we determine the dependence of friction force on the velocity of motion of cylinders. In the other approach using a high-speed camera for video filming and the method of presentation of trajectories on a phase plane for analysis of results, we investigate the qualitative and quantitative behavior of the motion of cylinders on a horizontal plane. We compare the results obtained with theoretical and experimental results found earlier. In addition, we give a systematic review of the well-known experimental and theoretical results in this area.

In this paper we discuss conditions for the existence of the Jacobi integral (that generalizes energy) in systems with inhomogeneous and nonholonomic constraints. As an example, we consider in detail the problem of motion of the Chaplygin sleigh on a rotating plane and the motion of a dynamically symmetric ball on a uniformly rotating surface. In addition, we discuss illustrative mechanical models based on the motion of a homogeneous ball on a rotating table and on the Beltrami surface.

A nonholonomic model of the dynamics of an omniwheel vehicle on a plane and a sphere is considered. A derivation of equations is presented and the dynamics of a free system are investigated. An explicit motion control algorithm for the omniwheel vehicle moving along an arbitrary trajectory is obtained.

This paper is a review of the problem of the constructive reduction of nonholonomic systems with symmetries. The connection of reduction with the presence of the simplest tensor invariants (first integrals and symmetry fields) is shown. All theoretical constructions are illustrated by examples encountered in applications. In addition, the paper contains a short historical and critical sketch covering the contribution of various researchers to this problem.

This paper develops topological methods for qualitative analysis of the behavior of nonholonomic dynamical systems. Their application is illustrated by considering a new integrable system of nonholonomic mechanics, called a nonholonomic hinge. Although this system is nonholonomic, it can be represented in Hamiltonian form with a Lie –Poisson bracket of rank 2. This Lie – Poisson bracket is used to perform stability analysis of fixed points. In addition, all possible types of integral manifolds are found and a classification of trajectories on them is presented.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a body with a flat base (cylinder) sliding on a horizontal rough plane. For analysis we use two approaches. In one of the approaches using a friction machine we determine the dependence of friction force on the velocity of motion of cylinders. In the other approach using a high-speed camera for video filming and the method of presentation of trajectories on a phase plane for analysis of results, we investigate the qualitative and quantitative behavior of the motion of cylinders on a horizontal plane. We compare the results obtained with theoretical and experimental results found earlier. In addition, we give a systematic review of the well-known experimental and theoretical results in this area.

In this paper we discuss conditions for the existence of the Jacobi integral (that generalizes energy) in systems with inhomogeneous and nonholonomic constraints. As an example, we consider in detail the problem of motion of the Chaplygin sleigh on a rotating plane and the motion of a dynamically symmetric ball on a uniformly rotating surface. In addition, we discuss illustrative mechanical models based on the motion of a homogeneous ball on a rotating table and on the Beltrami surface.

We develop the reducing multiplier theory for a special class of nonholonomic dynamical systems and show that the non-linear Poisson brackets naturally obtained in the framework of this approach are all isomorphic to the Lie–Poisson $e$(3)-bracket. As two model examples, we consider the Chaplygin ball problem on the plane and the Veselova system. In particular, we obtain an integrable gyrostatic generalisation of the Veselova system.

This paper develops topological methods for qualitative analysis of the behavior of nonholonomic dynamical systems. Their application is illustrated by considering a new integrable system of nonholonomic mechanics, called a nonholonomic hinge. Although this system is nonholonomic, it can be represented in Hamiltonian form with a Lie–Poisson bracket of rank two. This Lie–Poisson bracket is used to perform stability analysis of fixed points. In addition, all possible types of integral manifolds are found and a classification of trajectories on them is presented.

In this paper, we develop the method of Chaplygin’s reducing multiplier; using this method, we obtain a conformally Hamiltonian representation for three nonholonomic systems, namely, for the nonholonomic oscillator, for the Heisenberg system, and for the Chaplygin sleigh. Furthermore, in the case of oscillator and nonholonomic Chaplygin sleigh, we show that the problem reduces to the study of motion of a mass point (in a potential field) on a plane and, in the case of Heisenberg system, on the sphere. Moreover, we consider an example of a nonholonomic system (suggested by Blackall) to which one cannot apply the method of reducing multiplier.

Nonholonomic systems describing the rolling of a rigid body on a plane and their relationship with various Poisson structures are considered. The notion of generalized conformally Hamiltonian representation of dynamical systems is introduced. In contrast to linear Poisson structures defined by Lie algebras and used in rigid-body dynamics, the Poisson structures of nonholonomic systems turn out to be nonlinear. They are also degenerate and the Casimir functions for them can be expressed in terms of complicated transcendental functions or not appear at all.

This is a survey of basic facts presently known about non-linear Poisson structures in the analysis of integrable systems in non-holonomic mechanics. It is shown that by using the theory of Poisson deformations it is possible to reduce various non-holonomic systems to dynamical systems on well-understood phase spaces equipped with linear Lie-Poisson brackets. As a result, not only can different non-holonomic systems be compared, but also fairly advanced methods of Poisson geometry and topology can be used for investigating them.

This paper reviews the results of stability analysis for polygonal configurations of a point vortex system in an annular region depending on the ratio of the inner and outer radii of the annulus. Conditions are found for linear stability of Thomsonʼs configurations for the case $N<7$. The paper also shows that a system of two vortices between parallel walls is a limiting case of a two-vortex system in an annular region, as the radii of the annulus tend to infinity.

In this paper, the integrability of the equations of a system of three vortex sources is shown. A reduced system describing, up to similarity, the evolution of the system’s configurations is obtained. Possible phase portraits and various relative equilibria of the system are presented.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a body with a flat base sliding on a horizontal and inclined rough plane under the assumption of linear pressure distribution of the body on the plane as the simplest dynamically consistent friction model. For analysis we use the descriptive function method similar to the methods used in the problems of Hamiltonian dynamics with one degree of freedom and allowing a qualitative analysis of the system to be made without explicit integration of equations of motion. In addition, we give a systematic review of the well-known experimental and theoretical results in this area.

In this paper we consider superintegrable systems which are an immediate generalization of the Kepler and Hook problems, both in two-dimensional spaces — the plane $\mathbb{R}^2$ and the sphere $S^2$ — and in three-dimensional spaces $\mathbb{R}^3$ and $S^3$. Using the central projection and the reduction procedure proposed in [21], we show an interrelation between the superintegrable systems found previously and show new ones. In all cases the superintegrals are presented in explicit form.

In this paper we investigate two systems consisting of a spherical shell rolling without slipping on a plane and a moving rigid body fixed inside the shell by means of two different mechanisms. In the former case the rigid body is attached to the center of the ball on a spherical hinge. We show an isomorphism between the equations of motion for the inner body with those for the ball moving on a smooth plane. In the latter case the rigid body is fixed by means of a nonholonomic hinge. Equations of motion for this system have been obtained and new integrable cases found. A special feature of the set of tensor invariants of this system is that it leads to the Euler–Jacobi–Lie theorem, which is a new integration mechanism in nonholonomic mechanics. We also consider the problem of free motion of a bundle of two bodies connected by means of a nonholonomic hinge. For this system, integrable cases and various tensor invariants are found.

In this paper we consider the dynamics of a rigid body with a sharp edge in contact with a rough plane. The body can move so that its contact point is fixed or slips or loses contact with the support. In this paper, the dynamics of the system is considered within three mechanical models which describe different regimes of motion. The boundaries of the domain of definition of each model are given, the possibility of transitions from one regime to another and their consistency with different coefficients of friction on the horizontal and inclined surfaces are discussed.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a body with a flat base sliding on a inclined plane under the assumption of linear pressure distribution of the body on the plane as the simplest dynamically consistent friction model. Computer-aided analysis of the system’s dynamics on the inclined plane using phase portraits has allowed us to reveal dynamical effects that have not been found earlier.

This paper discusses new unresolved problems of nonholonomic mechanics. Hypotheses of the possibility of Hamiltonization and the existence of an invariant measure for such systems are advanced.

In this paper, the integrability of the equations of a system of three vortex sources is shown. A reduced system describing, up to similarity, the evolution of the system’s configurations is obtained. Possible phase portraits and various relative equilibria of the system are presented.

This paper is concerned with the figures of equilibrium of a self-gravitating ideal fluid with density stratification and a steady-state velocity field. As in the classical setting, it is assumed that the figure or its layers uniformly rotate about an axis fixed in space. As is well known, when there is no rotation, only a ball can be a figure of equilibrium.

It is shown that the ellipsoid of revolution (spheroid) with confocal stratification, in which each layer rotates with inherent constant angular velocity, is at equilibrium. Expressions are obtained for the gravitational potential, change in the angular velocity and pressure, and the conclusion is drawn that the angular velocity on the outer surface is the same as that of the Maclaurin spheroid. We note that the solution found generalizes a previously known solution for piecewise constant density distribution. For comparison, we also present a solution, due to Chaplygin, for a homothetic density stratification.

We conclude by considering a homogeneous spheroid in the space of constant positive curvature. We show that in this case the spheroid cannot rotate as a rigid body, since the angular velocity distribution of fluid particles depends on the distance to the symmetry axis.

We consider the problem of motion of axisymmetric vortex rings in an ideal incompressible and viscous fluid. Using the numerical simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations, we confirm the existence of leapfrogging of three equal vortex rings and suggest the possibility of detecting it experimentally. We also confirm the existence of leapfrogging of two vortex rings with opposite-signed vorticities in a viscous fluid.

We investigate the motion of the point of contact (absolute dynamics) in the integrable problem of the Chaplygin ball rolling on a plane. Although the velocity of the point of contact is a given vector function of variables of the reduced system, it is impossible to apply standard methods of the theory of integrable Hamiltonian systems due to the absence of an appropriate conformally Hamiltonian representation for an unreduced system. For a complete analysis we apply the standard analytical approach, due to Bohl and Weyl, and develop topological methods of investigation. In this way we obtain conditions for boundedness and unboundedness of the trajectories of the contact point.

We consider the problem of rolling of a ball with an ellipsoidal cavity filled with an ideal fluid, which executes a uniform vortex motion, on an absolutely rough plane. We point out the case of existence of an invariant measure and show that there is a particular case of integrability under conditions of axial symmetry.

A new integrable system describing the rolling of a rigid body with a spherical cavity on a spherical base is considered. Previously the authors found the separation of variables for this system on the zero level set of a linear (in angular velocity) first integral, whereas in the general case it is not possible to separate the variables. In this paper we show that the foliation into invariant tori in this problem is equivalent to the corresponding foliation in the Clebsch integrable system in rigid body dynamics (for which no real separation of variables has been found either). In particular, a fixed point of focus type is possible for this system, which can serve as a topological obstacle to the real separation of variables.

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of systems describing the rolling without slipping and spinning (rubber rolling) of various rigid bodies on a plane and a sphere. It is shown that a hierarchy of possible types of dynamical behavior arises depending on the body’s surface geometry and mass distribution. New integrable cases and cases of existence of an invariant measure are found. In addition, these systems are used to illustrate that the existence of several nontrivial involutions in reversible dissipative systems leads to quasi-Hamiltonian behavior.

In our earlier paper [3] we examined the problem of control of a balanced dynamically nonsymmetric sphere with rotors with no-slip condition at the point of contact. In this paper we investigate the controllability of a ball in the presence of friction. We also study the problem of the existence and stability of singular dissipation-free periodic solutions for a free ball in the presence of friction forces. The issues of constructive realization of the proposed algorithms are discussed.

An investigation of the characteristics of motion of a rigid body with variable internal mass distribution in a viscous fluid is carried out on the basis of a joint numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations and equations of motion for a rigid body. A nonstationary three-dimensional solution to the problem is found. The motion of a sphere and a drop-shaped body in a viscous fluid in a gravitational field, which is caused by the motion of internal material points, is explored. The possibility of self-propulsion of a body in an arbitrary given direction is shown.

We consider the problem of motion of axisymmetric vortex rings in an ideal incompressible fluid. Using the topological approach, we present a method for complete qualitative analysis of the dynamics of a system of two vortex rings. In particular, we completely solve the problem of describing the conditions for the onset of leapfrogging motion of vortex rings. In addition, for the system of two vortex rings we find new families of motions where the relative distances remain finite (we call them pseudo-leapfrogging). We also find solutions for the problem of three vortex rings, which describe both the regular and chaotic leapfrogging motion of vortex rings.

We investigate the motion of the point of contact (absolute dynamics) in the integrable problem of the Chaplygin ball rolling on a plane. Although the velocity of the point of contact is a given vector function of variables of a reduced system, it is impossible to apply standard methods of the theory of integrable Hamiltonian systems due to the absence of an appropriate conformally Hamiltonian representation for an unreduced system. For a complete analysis we apply the standard analytical approach, due to Bohl and Weyl, and develop topological methods of investigation. In this way we obtain conditions for boundedness and unboundedness of the trajectories of the contact point.

This paper develops the theory of the reducing multiplier for a special class of nonholonomic dynamical systems, when the resulting nonlinear Poisson structure is reduced to the Lie–Poisson bracket of the algebra $e(3)$. As an illustration, the Chaplygin ball rolling problem and the Veselova system are considered. In addition, an integrable gyrostatic generalization of the Veselova system is obtained.

In this paper we consider the dynamics of rigid body whose sharp edge is in contact with a rough plane. The body can move so that its contact point does not move or slips or loses touch with the support. In this paper, the dynamics of the system is considered within three mechanical models that describe different modes of motion. The boundaries of definition range of each model are given, the possibility of transitions from one mode to another and their consistency with different coefficients of friction on the horizontal and inclined surfaces is discussed.

In this paper we investigate two systems consisting of a spherical shell rolling on a plane without slipping and a moving rigid body fixed inside the shell by means of two different mechanisms. In the former case the rigid body is fixed at the center of the ball on a spherical hinge. We show an isomorphism between the equations of motion for the inner body with those for the ball moving on a smooth plane. In the latter case the rigid body is fixed by means of the nonholonomic hinge. The equations of motion for this system have been obtained and new integrable cases found. A special feature of the set of tensor invariants of this system is that it leads to the Euler–Jacobi–Lie theorem, which is a new integration mechanism in nonholonomic mechanics.

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of a body with a flat base sliding on a horizontal plane under the assumption of linear pressure distribution of the body on the plane as the simplest dynamically consistent friction model.

For analysis we use the descriptive function method similar to the methods used in the problems of Hamiltonian dynamics with one degree of freedom and allowing a qualitative analysis of the system to be made without explicit integration of equations of motion. In addition, we give a systematic review of the well-known experimental and theoretical results in this area.

The paper presents experimental investigation of a homogeneous circular disk rolling on a horizontal plane. In this paper two methods of experimental determination of the loss of contact between the rolling disk and the horizontal surface before the abrupt halt are proposed. Experimental results for disks of different masses and different materials are presented. The reasons for “micro losses” of contact with surface revealed during the rolling are discussed.

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of systems describing the rolling without slipping and spinning (rubber rolling) of various rigid bodies on a plane and a sphere. It is shown that a hierarchy of possible types of dynamical behavior arises depending on the body’s surface geometry and mass distribution. New integrable cases and cases of existence of an invariant measure are found. In addition, these systems are used to illustrate that the existence of several nontrivial involutions in reversible dissipative systems leads to quasi-Hamiltonian behavior.

In our earlier paper [2] we examined the problem of control of a balanced dynamically nonsymmetric sphere with rotors with no-slip condition at the point of contact. In this paper we investigate the controllability of a ball in the presence of friction. We also study the problem of the existence and stability of singular dissipation-free periodic solutions for a free ball in the presence of friction forces. The issues of constructive realization of the proposed algorithms are discussed.

In this paper we investigate various kinematic properties of rolling of one rigid body on another both for the classical model of rolling without slipping (the velocities of bodies at the point of contact coincide) and for the model of rubber-rolling (with the additional condition that the spinning of the bodies relative to each other be excluded). Furthermore, in the case where both bodies are bounded by spherical surfaces and one of them is fixed, the equations of motion for a moving ball are represented in the form of the Chaplygin system. When the center of mass of the moving ball coincides with its geometric center, the equations of motion are represented in conformally Hamiltonian form, and in the case where the radii of the moving and fixed spheres coincides, they are written in Hamiltonian form.

In the paper we consider a system of a ball that rolls without slipping on a plane. The ball is assumed to be inhomogeneous and its center of mass does not necessarily coincide with its geometric center. We have proved that the governing equations can be recast into a system of six ODEs that admits four integrals of motion. Thus, the phase space of the system is foliated by invariant 2-tori; moreover, this foliation is equivalent to the Liouville foliation encountered in the case of Euler of the rigid body dynamics. However, the system cannot be solved in terms of quadratures because there is no invariant measure which we proved by finding limit cycles.

The paper is devoted to the bifurcation analysis and the Conley index in Hamiltonian dynamical systems. We discuss the phenomenon of appearance (disappearance) of equilibrium points under the change of the Morse index of a critical point of a Hamiltonian. As an application of these techniques we find new relative equilibria in the problem of the motion of three point vortices of equal intensity in a circular domain.

In the paper we study the control of a balanced dynamically non-symmetric sphere with rotors. The no-slip condition at the point of contact is assumed. The algebraic controllability is shown and the control inputs that steer the ball along a given trajectory on the plane are found. For some simple trajectories explicit tracking algorithms are proposed.

The paper considers two new integrable systems which go back to Chaplygin. The systems consist of a spherical shell that rolls on a plane; within the shell there is a ball or Lagrange’s gyroscope. All necessary first integrals and an invariant measure are found. The solutions are shown to be expressed in terms of quadratures.

We discuss explicit integration and bifurcation analysis of two non-holonomic problems. One of them is the Chaplygin’s problem on no-slip rolling of a balanced dynamically non-symmetric ball on a horizontal plane. The other, first posed by Yu.N.Fedorov, deals with the motion of a rigid body in a spherical support. For Chaplygin’s problem we consider in detail the transformation that Chaplygin used to integrate the equations when the constant of areas is zero. We revisit Chaplygin’s approach to clarify the geometry of this very important transformation, because in the original paper the transformation looks a cumbersome collection of highly non-transparent analytic manipulations. Understanding its geometry seriously facilitate the extension of the transformation to the case of a rigid body in a spherical support – the problem where almost no progress has been made since Yu.N. Fedorov posed it in 1988. In this paper we show that extending the transformation to the case of a spherical support allows us to integrate the equations of motion explicitly in terms of quadratures, detect mostly remarkable critical trajectories and study their stability, and perform an exhaustive qualitative analysis of motion. Some of the results may find their application in various technical devices and robot design. We also show that adding a gyrostat with constant angular momentum to the spherical-support system does not affect its integrability.

A new integrable system describing the rolling of a rigid body with a spherical cavity over a spherical base is considered. Previously the authors found the separation of variables for this system at the zero level of a linear (in angular velocity) first integral, whereas in the general case it is not possible to separate the variables. In this paper we show that the foliation into invariant tori in this problem is equivalent to the corresponding foliation in the Clebsch integrable system in rigid body dynamics (for which no real separation of variables has been found either). In particular, a fixed point of focus type is possible for this system, which can serve as a topological obstacle to the real separation of variables.