Highly Nonlinear Wave Propagation in Elastic Woodpile Periodic Structures

E. Kim, F. Li, C. Chong, G. Theocharis, J. Yang, and P. G. Kevrekidis

Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 118002 – Published 17 March 2015

Abstract

In the present work, we experimentally implement, numerically compute with, and theoretically analyze a configuration in the form of a single column woodpile periodic structure. Our main finding is that a Hertzian, locally resonant, woodpile lattice offers a test bed for the formation of genuinely traveling waves composed of a strongly localized solitary wave on top of a small amplitude oscillatory tail. This type of wave, called a nanopteron, is not only motivated theoretically and numerically, but is also visualized experimentally by means of a laser Doppler vibrometer. This system can also be useful for manipulating stress waves at will, for example, to achieve strong attenuation and modulation of high-amplitude impacts without relying on damping in the system.

Received 30 April 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.118002

Authors & Affiliations

E. Kim¹, F. Li¹, C. Chong², G. Theocharis³, J. Yang^1,*, and P. G. Kevrekidis²

¹Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2400, USA
²Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-4515, USA
³Laboratoire d’ Acoustique de l’ Université du Maine, UMR-CNRS, 6613 Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085 Le Mans, France