The aim of the paper is to show that splitting of a waveguide leads to fission of bulk solitons in solids. We study the dynamics of a longitudinal bulk solitary wave in a delaminated, symmetric layered elastic bar. First, we consider a two-layered bar and assume that there is a perfect interface when $x<0$ and complete debonding (splitting) when $x>0$, where the axis $Ox$ is directed along the bar. We derive the so-called doubly dispersive equation (DDE) for a long nonlinear longitudinal bulk wave propagating in an elastic bar of rectangular cross section. We formulate the problem for a delaminated two-layered bar in terms of the DDE with piecewise constant coefficients, subject to continuity of longitudinal displacement and normal stress across the “jump” at $x=0$. We find the weakly nonlinear solution to the problem and consider the case of an incident solitary wave. The solution describes both the reflected and transmitted waves in the far field, as well as the diffraction in the near field (in the vicinity of the jump). We generalize the solution to the case of a symmetric $n$-layered bar. We show that delamination can lead to the fission of an incident solitary wave, and obtain explicit formulas for the number, amplitudes, velocities, and positions of the secondary solitary waves propagating in each layer of the split waveguide. We establish that generally there is a higher-order reflected wave even when the leading order reflected wave is absent.

• Received 24 October 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.77.066603