Multistability, Basin Boundary Structure, and Chaotic Behavior in a Suspension Bridge Model

We consider the dynamics of the first vibrational mode of a suspension bridge, resulting from the coupling between its roadbed (elastic beam) and the hangers, supposed to be one-sided springs which respond only to stretching. The external forcing is due to time-periodic vortices produced by impinging wind on the bridge structure. We have studied some relevant dynamical phenomena in such a system, like periodic and quasiperiodic responses, chaotic motion, and boundary crises. In the weak dissipative limit the dynamics is mainly multistable, presenting a variety of coexisting attractors, both periodic and chaotic, with a highly involved basin of attraction structure.