SUMMARY

Bistable elements, featuring two stable equilibria, hold significant promise across diverse applications, including energy absorption, sensing, and robotics. Recent interest has heightened their appeal, particularly for applications in low-energy switches with potential implications for quantum-level computing. This dissertation delves into the fundamental dynamics of bistable systems, complementing previous studies that predominantly focused on quasi-static or harmonic excitation. Notably, this study stands out as the first to characterize the dynamic response to a distinctive form of vibro-impact excitation involving collisions with a sinusoidally-moving shaker. Through a combination of experimental investigations and numerical analyses, this research unveils rich intrawell and interwell dynamics in both single-degree-of-freedom and continuous systems. These response types and stability are found to be dependent on excitation parameters. Additionally, this study examines the contributions of higher-order modes in a continuous bistable beam. This dissertation also introduces a system comprising a pair of pendulums with contactless coupling. Notably, this system exhibits strong amplitude-dependent nonreciprocity, which is critical for use as a mechanical diode. The application of impact excitation reveals the coupled system's capability for nonreciprocity under multiple types of excitation.