Flexural wave motion in beam-type disordered periodic systems: Coincidence phenomenon and sound radiation

This paper deals with flexural wave motion in uniform beam-type periodic systems whose repeating units are identical finite beams with multiple beam-length disorders. A general expression derived for the propagation constants has been employed to study its variation with frequency for a beam system having 4-span disordered repeating units. This is helpful in understanding flexural wave motion in disordered periodic beams. Free flexural waves have been studied as wave groups consisting of a large number of harmonic components of different wavelengths, phase velocities and directions. Phase velocities have been computed and plotted for different frequencies in the propagation zones in which the free waves progress without attenuation. This has been found to be useful in understanding and predicting the coincidence phenomenon in disordered periodic beams under convected pressure field loading. The excitation of wave groups in disordered periodic beam-type systems by a slow (subsonic) convecting pressure field can include fast (supersonic) moving flexural wave components which can radiate sound. It has been pointed out that sound radiation from a disordered periodic beam (or plate) can be quite different as compared to that from a periodic beam under similar convected pressure field loading.     

A general theory of harmonic wave propagation in linear periodic systems with multiple coupling

A general theory is presented of harmonic wave propagation in one-dimensional periodic systems with multiple coupling between adjacent periodic elements. The motion of each element is expressed in terms of a finite number of displacement coordinates. The nature and number of different wave propagation constants at any frequency are discussed, and the energy flow associated with waves having real, complex or imaginary propagation constants is investigated. Kinetic and potential energy functions are derived for the propagating waves and a generalized Rayleigh's Quotient and Rayleigh's Principle for the complex wave motion have been found. This is extended to yield a generalized Rayleigh-Ritz method of finding approximate, yet accurate, relationships between the frequencies and propagation constants of the propagating waves. The effect of damping is also considered, and a special class of “damped forced waves” is postulated for hysteretically damped periodic systems. An energy definition for the loss factor of these waves is found. Briefly considered is the two-dimensional multi-coupled periodic system in which a simple wave motion analogous to a plane wave propagates across the whole system.     

A study of modal characteristics and the control mechanism of finite periodic and irregular ribbed plates

An analytical solution is presented in this paper to investigate the control mechanism and modal characteristics of finite periodic and irregular ribbed plates. Peak responses of a finite periodic ribbed plate were examined where they were grouped into two sets of propagation zones according to the coupling mechanism at beam/plate interfaces. Details of modal characteristics in pass bands of the periodic ribbed plate were elucidated and the control mechanism was discussed. Modes in each pass band that are governed by shear force couplings were characterized by one of the beam flexural modes whose modal responses could be represented approximately by those of the corresponding orthotropic plate modes. Modes in the second set of pass bands were found to retain the resonance frequencies of the corresponding modes of the unribbed base plate. Higher order orthotropic plate modes were also identified, which could not be grouped into any pass bands defined by the classical periodic theory. The control mechanism leading to vibration confinement in disordered and irregular ribbed plates was also discussed. It was found that beam spacing irregularity attributes to localization of the group of modes associated with flexural wave couplings but not the group of modes associated with moment couplings.     

Free vibration of thin circular rings on periodic radial supports

Natural frequencies and normal modes are obtained for in-plane, inextensional vibrations of a thin circular ring with equi-spaced, identical radial supports. A wave approach is used. Natural frequencies are determined from the propagation constants of the ring by considering it as an endless periodic structure. Normal modes are obtained by superposition of a pair of opposite-going free wave groups. Numerical results have been presented for both rigid and circumferentially guided supports. It has been shown that at certain frequencies two different natural modes can exist. This has been verified experimentally.     

Low-frequency band gaps in one-dimensional thin phononic crystal plate with periodic stubbed surface

Using supercell plane wave expansion method, the Lamb wave band structure of one-dimensional thin plate with periodic stubs is investigated. The numerical results show that flat bands will appear and band gap can exist in a low-frequency domain. The position of the flat bands and width of the low-frequency Lamb wave band gap can be tuned by the stub height, plate thickness and filling fraction. The band gap is obtained by opening the folding points of the same plate modes not the crossing point of different plate mode when the stub height is small.     

Localisation of elastic waves in two-dimensional randomly disordered solid phononic crystals

Combined with the supercell technique, the plane wave expansion method is used to calculate the band structures of the two-dimensional solid–solid phononic crystals with the random disorders in either radius or location of the scatterers. Phononic systems with plumbum scatterers embedded in an epoxy matrix are calculated in detail. The influences of the disorder degree on the band structures for both anti-plane and in-plane wave modes are investigated. It is found that, with increase of the disorder degree, the band gaps become narrower with more flat bands appearing in the gaps. Both displacement distribution and response spectra show that at the flat bands, elastic waves are localised due to the presence of the disorder. Wave localisation is more pronounced at the flat bands near the lower/upper edge for the radius/location disorder. Wave propagation and localisation in a randomly disordered system with a point defect is also studied. The influence of the disorder on the point-defect state is discussed. The results show that the disorder can tune the frequencies of the defect states. It is particularly noticed that the double degenerate mode appearing within the gap of the mixed in-plane waves is split up into two separated ones when the random disorder is introduced into the system. Generally, the influence of the disorder is more pronounced for the mixed in-plane modes than the anti-plane modes. The analysis of this paper is relevant to the assessment of the influences of manufacture errors on wave behaviours in phononic crystals as well as the possible control of wave propagation by intentionally introducing disorders into periodic systems.     

Coupled flexural-longitudinal wave motion in a periodic beam

Periodic structure theory is used to study the interactions between flexural and longitudinal wave motion in a beam (representing a plate) to which offset spring-mounted masses (representing stiffeners) are attached at regular intervals. An equation for the propagation constants of the coupled waves is derived. The response of a semi-infinite periodic beam to a harmonic force or moment at the finite end is analyzed in terms of the characteristic free waves corresponding to these propagation constants. Computer results are presented which show how the propagation constants are affected by the coupling, and how the forced response varies with distance from the excitation point. The spring-mounted masses can provide very high attenuation of both longitudinal and flexural waves when no coupling is present, but when coupling is introduced the two waves combine to give very low (or zero) attenuation of the longitudinal wave. The influence of different damping levels on spatial attenuation is also studied.     

Generalized thermoelastic extensional and flexural wave motions in homogenous isotropic plate by using asymptotic method

In this paper the asymptotic method has been applied to investigate propagation of generalized thermoelastic waves in an infinite homogenous isotropic plate. The governing equations for the extensional, transversal and flexural motions are derived from the system of three-dimensional dynamical equations of linear theories of generalized thermoelasticity. The asymptotic operator plate model for extensional and flexural free vibrations in a homogenous thermoelastic plate leads to sixth and fifth degree polynomial secular equations, respectively. These secular equations govern frequency and phase velocity of various possible modes of wave propagation at all wavelengths. The velocity dispersion equations for extensional and flexural wave motion are deduced from the three-dimensional analog of Rayleigh-Lamb frequency equation for thermoelastic plate. The approximation for long and short waves along with expression for group velocity has also been obtained. The Rayleigh-Lamb frequency equations for the considered plate are expanded in power series in order to obtain polynomial frequency and velocity dispersion relations and its equivalence established with that of asymptotic method. The numeric values for phase velocity, group velocity and attenuation coefficients has also been obtained using MATHCAD software and are shown graphically for extensional and flexural waves in generalized theories of thermoelastic plate for solid helium material.     

Analysis of wave propagation in a thin composite cylinder with periodic axial and ring stiffeners using periodic structure theory

Wave propagation characteristics of a thin composite cylinder stiffened by periodically spaced ring frames and axial stringers are investigated by an analytical method using periodic structure theory. It is used for calculating propagation constants in axial and circumferential directions of the cylindrical shell subject to a given circumferential mode or axial half-wave number. The propagation constants corresponding to several different circumferential modes and/or half-wave numbers are combined to determine the vibrational energy ratios between adjacent basic structural elements of the two-dimensional periodic structure. Vibration analyses to validate the theoretical development have been carried out on sufficiently detailed finite element model of the same dimension and configuration as the stiffened cylinder and very good agreement is obtained between the analytical and the dense finite element results. The effects of shell material properties and the length of each periodic element on the wave propagation characteristics are also examined based on the current analytical approach.     

Transient vibration analysis of a completely free plate using modes obtained by Gorman's superposition method

This paper shows that the transient response of a plate undergoing flexural vibration can be calculated accurately and efficiently using the natural frequencies and modes obtained from the superposition method. The response of a completely free plate is used to demonstrate this. The case considered is one where all supports of a simply supported thin rectangular plate under self weight are suddenly removed. The resulting motion consists of a combination of the natural modes of a completely free plate. The modal superposition method is used for determining the transient response, and the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the plates used are obtained by Gorman's superposition method. These are compared with corresponding results based on the modes using the Rayleigh-Ritz method using the ordinary and degenerated free-free beam functions. There is an excellent agreement between the results from both approaches but the superposition method has shown faster convergence and the results may serve as benchmarks for the transient response of completely free plates.     

Flexural and transversal wave motion in homogeneous isotropic thermoelastic plates by using asymptotic method

The present investigation is concerned with the flexural and transversal wave motion in an infinite, transversely isotropic, thermoelastic plate by asymptotic method. The governing equations for the flexural and transversal motions have been derived from the system of three-dimensional dynamical equations of linear theory of coupled thermoelasticity. The asymptotic operator plate model for free vibrations; both flexural and transversal, in a homogenous thermoelastic plate leads to fifth degree and cubic polynomial secular equations, respectively, that governs frequency and phase velocity of various possible modes of wave propagation at all wavelengths. All the coefficients of differential operator have been expressed as explicit functions of the material parameters. The velocity dispersion equations for the flexural and transversal wave motion have been deduced from the three-dimensional analog of Rayleigh-Lamb frequency equation for thermoelastic plate waves. The approximations for long and short waves and expression for group velocity have also been derived. The thermoelastic Rayleigh-Lamb frequency equations for the considered plate are expanded in power series in order to obtain polynomial frequency and velocity dispersion relations whose equivalence is established with that of asymptotic method. The dispersion curves for phase velocity, group velocity and attenuation coefficient of various flexural and transversal wave modes are shown graphically for aluminum-epoxy material elastic and thermoelastic plates.     

Diffraction of a Gaussian Beam by a Periodic Screen

Based on the plane wave analysis and the superposition of the plane waves, the diffraction of a Gaussian beam by a periodic screen with a dielectric plate is analyzed. The reflection power coefficient for different parameters of the beam and the screen is given. When the beam waist size is increased the results reaches that of the plane wave. It has been found that the power reflection coefficient is not sensitive to the beam waist size, however, it is sensitive to the period of the grating and polarization angle.     

Flexural vibrations of a rectangular plate for the lower normal modes

Theoretical and experimental results for flexural waves of a rectangular plate with free ends are obtained. Both the natural frequencies and mode shapes are analyzed for the lower normal modes. To take into account the boundary conditions, a plane wave expansion method is used to solve the thin plate theory also known as the 2D Kirchhoff-Love equation. The excitation and detection of the normal modes of the out-of-plane waves are performed using non-contact electromagnetic-acoustic transducers. We conclude that this experimental technique is highly reliable due to the good agreement between theory and experiment.     

Exact wave-based Bloch analysis procedure for investigating wave propagation in two-dimensional periodic lattices

This paper presents an exact, wave-based approach for determining Bloch waves in two-dimensional periodic lattices. This is in contrast to existing methods which employ approximate approaches (e.g., finite difference, Ritz, finite element, or plane wave expansion methods) to compute Bloch waves in general two-dimensional lattices. The analysis combines the recently introduced wave-based vibration analysis technique with specialized Bloch boundary conditions developed herein. Timoshenko beams with axial extension are used in modeling the lattice members. The Bloch boundary conditions incorporate a propagation constant capturing Bloch wave propagation in a single direction, but applied to all wave directions propagating in the lattice members. This results in a unique and properly posed Bloch analysis. Results are generated for the simple problem of a periodic bi-material beam, and then for the more complex examples of square, diamond, and hexagonal honeycomb lattices. The bi-material beam clearly introduces the concepts, but also allows the Bloch wave mode to be explored using insight from the technique. The square, diamond, and hexagonal honeycomb lattices illustrate application of the developed technique to two-dimensional periodic lattices, and allow comparison to a finite element approach. Differences are noted in the predicted dispersion curves, and therefore band gaps, which are attributed to the exact procedure more-faithfully modeling the finite nature of lattice connection points. The exact method also differs from approximate methods in that the same number of solution degrees of freedom is needed to resolve low frequency, and arbitrarily high frequency, dispersion branches. These advantageous features may make the method attractive to researchers studying dispersion characteristics, band gap behavior, and energy propagation in two-dimensional periodic lattices.     

Nonlinear rotary wave ion plasma

The nonlinearly coupled Vlasov-Maxwell ion-plasma field equations are solved exactly for a transversely uniform subgroup of rotational modes induced by a uniform axial magnetic field. The ion orbits in momentum space are bipolar doubly periodic eigenfunctions of ion proper time, obtained in closed form as the difference between two doubly quasi-periodic Weierstrass zeta functions. The ion orbits in position space are helical-spiral doubly quasi-periodic functions of ion proper time, expressible simply in terms of doubly quasi-periodic Weierstrass sigma functions. The complete ion distributions are flexible functions of six constants of the ion motion: wave-frame ion energy, transverse gyro center, an inner Hamiltonian correlating wave-frame ion momentum with wave-frame axial position, and both first and second axial integration constants. A rotary electromagnetic plane wave propagates along the axial magnetic field with complex cisoidal dependence upon wave-frame axial position. The eigenvalue determination intricately interrelates the wave propagation vector, the wave amplitude, the axial magnetic field, the double periods, and the bipole separation.     

Energy concentration at the center of large aspect ratio rectangular waveguides at high frequencies

Waveguides in non-destructive evaluation (NDE) applications are commonly of a regular geometry (e.g., circular and ring cross section) for which analytical solutions exist. In this paper, wave propagation in infinitely long strips of large rectangular aspect ratio is discussed. Due to the finite width of strips, a large number of modes exist within the structure. This complicates the analysis and usually discourages the use of strip waveguides in NDE sensors. However, it is shown that among the many modes of a strip, there are some with very desirable properties. This is highlighted by the example of two guided wave modes of a large aspect ratio rectangular strip whose dispersion characteristics approach those of the fundamental modes of an infinitely wide plate at high frequencies. The energy of these modes concentrates in the central region of the strip and decays toward the edges so that the strip waveguide can easily be mechanically attached to other components without influencing the wave propagation. Dispersion curves and mode shapes were derived by using a semianalytical finite element technique and are presented over a range of frequencies. It is shown that selective excitation of both modes is possible in practice and the experimental setup is described.     

Propagation of guided elastic waves in 2D phononic crystals

The phononic band structure of two-dimensional phononic guides is numerically studied. A plane wave expansion method is used to calculate the dispersion relations of guided elastic waves in these periodic media, including 2D phononic plates and thin layered periodic arrangements. We show that, for any guided elastic wave, Lamb or generalised Lamb modes, stop bands appear in the dispersion curves, displaying a phononic band structure in both cases.     

Field transformation approach to photonic band structure calculations

A field transformation method is introduced for the calculation of photonic band structures in periodic lattices of dielectrics. The method has the advantage of avoiding the complications due to matching boundary conditions at the interface of the constituents in a composite medium. The formalism is presented for propagation modes in which the electric field is parallel to the interfaces in both one-dimensional and two-dimensional periodic dielectric structures. Numerical calculations using the present formalism involve typically a matrix of size much smaller than that of using standard plane wave expansions.     

Wave propagation in layered piezoelectric rectangular bar: An extended orthogonal polynomial approach

Wave propagation in multilayered piezoelectric structures has received much attention in past forty years. But the research objects of previous research works are only for semi-infinite structures and one-dimensional structures, i.e., structures with a finite dimension in only one direction, such as horizontally infinite flat plates and axially infinite hollow cylinders. This paper proposes an extension of the orthogonal polynomial series approach to solve the wave propagation problem in a two-dimensional (2-D) piezoelectric structure, namely, a multilayered piezoelectric bar with a rectangular cross-section. Through numerical comparison with the available reference results for a purely elastic multilayered rectangular bar, the validity of the extended polynomial series approach is illustrated. The dispersion curves and electric potential distributions of various multilayered piezoelectric rectangular bars are calculated to reveal their wave propagation characteristics.     

Broadband locally resonant beams containing multiple periodic arrays of attached resonators

The plane wave expansion method is extended to study the flexural wave propagation in locally resonant beams with multiple periodic arrays of attached spring-mass resonators. Complex Bloch wave vectors are calculated to quantify the wave attenuation performance of band gaps. It is shown that a locally resonant beam with multiple arrays of damped resonators can achieve much broader band gaps, at frequencies both below and around the Bragg condition, than a locally resonant beam with only a single array of resonators, although the two systems have the same total resonator masses.