Increasing Picavet stability by extending the off-string axis

Abstract

We examine the increased stability of a modified picavet that has a longer off-string axis compared to that of a traditional symmetric cross shape. This paper shows that extending the off-string axis increases the moment of inertia about the string, allowing the system to handle off-string oscillations. Qualitative results from field testing imply that the Picavet removes the oscillations on the on-string axis via string exchange. The results from testing under laboratory conditions imply that the increased moment of inertia reduces its angular displacement and the state plane analysis shows that smaller limit cycles with less angular velocity values are attained with increased moment, at the cost of reduced damping.