Nonlinear dynamics of a flexible rod partially sliding in a rigid sleeve under the action of gravity and configurational force

We investigate various methods of analyzing systems with moving boundaries, using as an example a flexible rod sliding in an ideal frictionless sleeve in the field of gravity. Special attention is paid to the configurational force acting on the rod at the sleeve opening and thus determining the rod’s dynamics. The non-material kinematic description used in simulations is based on the re-parametrization of the Lagrangian arc length coordinate. The variational formulation uses the energy expressions written for the entire rod, comprising the free segment and the one inside the sleeve. A novel finite element scheme is efficient for highly flexible rods, which may undergo complete ejection. A simplified two degrees of freedom model, which accelerates simulations, shows a good agreement as the bending stiffness increases. An analytical study using Hamiltonian mechanics exploits the separation of variables into fast oscillations and slow axial motion. The adiabatic invariant approach leads to approximate closed-form solutions for the slow dynamics and yields the maximum injection depth of the rod into the sleeve.