An improved stochastic averaging method of the energy envelope is proposed, whose application sphere is extensive and whose implementation is convenient. An oscillating system with both nonlinear damping and stiffness is taken into account. Its averaged Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (FPK) equation in respect of the transition probability density function of the energy envelope is deduced by virtue of the method mentioned above. Under the initial and boundary conditions, the joint probability density function as to the displacement and velocity of the system is worked out in closed form after solving the averaged FPK equation by right of a technique based on the integral transformation. With the aid of the special functions, the transient solutions of the probabilistic characteristics of the system response are further derived analytically, including the probability density functions and the mean square values. A simple approach to generate the ideal white noise is drastically ameliorated in order to produce the stationary wide-band stochastic external excitation for the Monte Carlo simulating investigation of the nonlinear system. Both the theoretical solution and the numerical solution of the probabilistic properties of the system response are obtained, which are extremely coincident with each other. The numerical simulation and the theoretical computation all show that the time factor has a certain influence on the probability characteristics of the response. For example, the probabilistic distribution of the displacement tends to be scattered and the mean square displacement trends toward its steady-state value as time goes by. Of course the transient process to reach the steady-state value will obviously be shorter if the damping of the system is greater.
A comparative study of the stochastic averaging method and the path integration method for nonlinear ship roll motion in random beam seas
