Stability of motion of non-conservative mechanical systems

The stability of equilibrium of mechanical systems driven by dissipative, gyroscopic, conservative and non-conservative positional forces is investigated. Proofs are presented of several general theorems of an asymptotic nature, which state whether the systems in question are stable for sufficiently large values of the appropriate parameter. It is sometimes possible to specify bounds on the parameters that guarantee asymptotic stability or instability of equilibrium. An example is presented.