In engineering and related fields, linearity or weak nonlinearity are typically assumed. These approaches require linear generating solutions for averaging or multi-scale asymptotics to be applied. Still, strong or even non-linearizable stiffness or damping nonlinearities occur often in engineering practice, e.g., due to clearances, impacts, friction, material composition, or geometry/kinematics, with nonlinear responses often having no analogs in linear or weakly nonlinear theory. Yet, ever-accelerating needs for lighter, faster, compact, robust, and high-performing engineering systems, set heavy demands for continuously expanding performance envelops under harsh, uncertain and poorly predictable environments. These needs cannot be addressed by current approaches, and this calls for a new paradigm-shifting concept based on the exploitation of strong nonlinearity to open new unprecedented paths for effective and robust design in ways heretofore unattainable in traditional settings.

In the last two decades exploitation of strong nonlinearity has been actively explored in fields such as energy absorption and harvesting, wave propagation, modulation and arrest, blast and seismic mitigation, micro- and nano-resonators, fluid-structure interactions, and acoustic metamaterial design. However, predictive analysis of strongly nonlinear systems is still a major challenge, as, apart from rare cases of integrability, exact or even approximate solutions are missing. Some methods exist for stationary solutions, e.g., nonlinear normal modes and discrete breathers, but nonstationary processes are more difficult to model and understand; yet, in many applications such processes are highly important. As such, the idea of exploiting strong nonlinearity in dynamical and acoustical systems has transitioned from a few early theoretical works to a diverse theoretical and experimental body of current research, and the field now seems mature enough to warrant an advanced CISM course. The need for such a course is further underscored by the fact that accounting for, understanding of, and designing with nonlinearities is becoming an emerging universal trend in engineering practice, and is predicted to be even more so in the future. Accordingly, the aim of this course is to provide the latest ideas and approaches in strongly nonlinear dynamical and acoustical systems, and discuss appropriate modelling tools and practical examples highlighting the non-standard and non-stationary aspects of this challenging, yet so promising area.

The course is structured along three main didactic themes: (i) Foundations – Basic notions, concepts, models and benchmark problems in strongly nonlinear systems (Gendelman, Rega, Vakakis); (ii) Methodology – Advanced analytical and numerical tools for exploiting the strongly nonlinear dynamics and acoustics (Cochelin , Gendelman, Kerschen, Rega, Vakakis); and, (iii) Applications – Addressing practical and diverse problems where the ideas and methods related to strong nonlinearity become necessary (Cochelin, Kerschen, Krack, Vakakis, Vestroni). The course is addressed to graduate students, interested faculty, researchers and professionals.