Controlling chaos in a two-well oscillator

The chaotic dynamics of a nonlinear buckled elastic beam ale shown to be controllable in a periodic orbit using a digital occasional proportional feedback control circuit. The method is similar to that developed by Hunt [1991] and does not require a detailed knowledge of the underlying two-dimensional map. The control is effected by perturbing the potential wells synchronously with the forcing function. Experiments show that the system possesses both periodic orbits and strange attractors different than those of the uncontrolled system.