Frequency- and Amplitude-Dependent Transmission of Stress Waves in Curved One-Dimensional Granular Crystals Composed of Diatomic Particles

We study the stress wave propagation in curved chains of particles (granular crystals) confined by bent elastic guides. We report the frequency- and amplitude-dependent filtering of transmitted waves in relation to various impact conditions and geometrical configurations. The granular crystals studied consist of alternating cylindrical and spherical particles pre-compressed with variable static loads. First, we excite the granular crystals with small-amplitude, broadband perturbations using a piezoelectric actuator to generate oscillatory elastic waves. We find that the linear frequency spectrum of the transmitted waves creates pass- and stop-bands in agreement with the theoretical dispersion relation, demonstrating the frequency-dependent filtering of input excitations through the diatomic granular crystals. Next, we excite high-amplitude nonlinear pulses in the crystals using striker impacts. Experimental tests verify the formation and propagation of highly nonlinear solitary waves that exhibit amplitude-dependent attenuation. We show that the wave propagation can be easily tuned by manipulating the pre-compression imposed to the chain or by varying the initial curvature of the granular chains. We use a combined discrete element (DE) and finite element (FE) numerical model to simulate the propagation of both dispersive linear waves and compactly-supported highly nonlinear waves. We find that the tunable, frequency- and amplitude-dependent filtering of the incoming signals results from the close interplay between the granular particles and the soft elastic media. The findings in this study suggest that hybrid structures composed of granular particles and linear elastic media can be employed as new passive acoustic filtering materials that selectively transmit or mitigate excitations in a desired range of frequencies and amplitudes.     

Subharmonic Melnikov method of six-dimensional nonlinear systems and application to a laminated composite piezoelectric rectangular plate

In this paper, the bifurcations of subharmonic orbits are investigated for six-dimensional non-autonomous nonlinear systems using the improved subharmonic Melnikov method. The unperturbed system is composed of three independent planar Hamiltonian systems such that the unperturbed system has a family of periodic orbits. The key problem at hand is the determination of the sufficient conditions on some of the periodic orbits for the unperturbed system to generate the subharmonic orbits after the periodic perturbations. Using the periodic transformations and the Poincaré map, an improved subharmonic Melnikov method is presented. Two theorems are obtained and can be used to analyze the subharmonic dynamic responses of six-dimensional non-autonomous nonlinear systems. The subharmonic Melnikov method is directly utilized to investigate the subharmonic orbits of the six-dimensional non-autonomous nonlinear system for a laminated composite piezoelectric rectangular plate. Using the subharmonic Melnikov method, the bifurcation function of the subharmonic orbit is obtained. Numerical simulations are used to verify the analytical predictions. The results of the numerical simulation also indicate the existence of the subharmonic orbits for the laminated composite piezoelectric rectangular plate.     

Experimental Study of Nonlinear Resonances and Anti-Resonances in a Forced,Ordered Granular Chain

We experimentally study a one-dimensional uncompressed granular chain composed of a finite number of identical spherical elastic beads with Hertzian interactions. The chain is harmonically excited by an amplitude- and frequency-dependent boundary drive at its left end and has a fixed boundary at its right end. Such ordered granular media represent an interesting new class of nonlinear acoustic metamaterials, since they exhibit essentially nonlinear acoustics and have been designated as “sonic vacua” due to the fact that their corresponding speed of sound (as defined in classical acoustics) is zero. This paves the way for essentially nonlinear and energy-dependent acoustics with no counterparts in linear theory. We experimentally detect time-periodic, strongly nonlinear resonances whereby the particles (beads) of the granular chain respond at integer multiples of the excitation period, and which correspond to local peaks of the maximum transmitted force at the chain’s right, fixed end. In between these resonances we detect a local minimum of the maximum transmitted forces corresponding to an anti-resonance in the stationary-state dynamics. The experimental results of this work confirm previous theoretical predictions, and verify the existence of strongly nonlinear resonance responses in a system with a complete absence of any linear spectrum; as such, the experimentally detected nonlinear resonance spectrum is passively tunable with energy and sensitive to dissipative effects such as internal structural damping in the beads, and friction or plasticity effects. We compare the experimental results with direct numerical simulations of the granular network and deduce satisfactory agreement.     

A pseudo-stable structure in a completely invertible bouncer system

It is shown that a pseudo-stable structure of non-asymptotic convergence may exist in a completely invertible bouncing ball model. Visualization of the pattern of H-ranks helps to identify this structure. It appears that this structure is similar to the stable manifold of non-invertible nonlinear maps which govern the non-asymptotic convergence to unstable periodic orbits. But this convergence to the unstable repeller of the bouncing ball problem is only temporary since non-asymptotic convergence cannot exist in completely invertible maps. This nonlinear effect is exploited for temporary stabilization of unstable periodic orbits in completely reversible nonlinear maps.     

Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions of Strongly Nonlinear Periodic Orbits of the Forced Pendulum

We employ nonsmooth transformations of the independent coordinate to analytically construct families of strongly nonlinear periodic solutions of the harmonically forced nonlinear pendulum. Each family is parametrized by the period of oscillation, and the solutions are based on piecewise constant generating solutions. By examining the behavior of the constructed solutions for large periods, we find that the periodic orbits develop sensitive dependence on initial conditions. As a result, for small perturbations of the initial conditions the response of the system can jump from one periodic orbit to another and the dynamics become unpredictable. An analytical procedure is described which permits the study of the generation of periodic orbits as the period increases. The periodic solutions constructed in this work provide insight into the sensitive dependence on initial conditions of chaotic trajectories close to transverse intersections of invariant manifolds of saddle orbits of forced nonlinear oscillators.     

Bi-parametric topology of subharmonics of an asymmetric bubble oscillator at high dissipation rate

The subharmonic topology of a nonlinear, asymmetric bubble oscillator (Keller–Miksis equation) in glycerine is investigated in the parameter space of its external excitation (frequency and pressure amplitude). The bi-parametric investigation revealed that the exoskeleton of the topology can be described as the composition of U-shaped subharmonics of periodic orbits. The fine substructure (higher-order ultra-subharmonic resonances) usually appearing via the well-known period n-tupling phenomenon is completely missing due to the high dissipation rate of the viscous liquid. Moreover, a complex internal structure of the subharmonics has been found, which are composed by interconnected bifurcation blocks (in a zig-zag pattern) each describing the skeleton of a shrimp-shaped domain. The employed numerical techniques are the combination of an in-house initial value problem solver written in C++/CUDA C to harness the high processing power of professional graphics cards, and the boundary value problem solver AUTO to compute periodic orbits directly regardless of their stability.     

Interaction of highly nonlinear solitary waves with thin plates

We investigate the reflection of highly nonlinear solitary waves in one-dimensional granular crystals interacting with large plates. We observe significant changes in the reflected waves’ properties in terms of wave amplitude and time of flight in association with the intrinsic inelasticity of large plates, which are governed by the plate thickness and the size of the granular constituents. We also study the effects of fixed plate boundaries in the formation of reflected waves, and find the existence of a critical distance, within which the interaction between the granular chain and plate is strongly modified. We explain the effects of intrinsic inelasticity and of boundaries in the large plates by using plate theory and the contact mechanics between a plate and a spherical striker. We find that experimental results are in excellent agreement with the analytical predictions and numerical simulations based on the combined discrete element and spectral element models. The findings in this study can be useful for the nondestructive evaluation of plate structures using granular crystals, which can improve the resolution of in-situ, portable measurement instruments leveraging high acoustic energy and sensitivity of solitary waves.     

Revealing the evolution, the stability, and the escapes of families of resonant periodic orbits in Hamiltonian systems

We investigate the evolution of families of periodic orbits in a bisymmetrical potential made up of a two-dimensional harmonic oscillator with only one quartic perturbing term, in a number of resonant cases. Our main objective is to compute sufficiently and accurately the position and the period of the periodic orbits. For the derivation of the above quantities (position and period) we deploy in each resonance case semi-numerical methods. The comparison of our semi-numerical results with those obtained by numerical integration of the equations of motion indicates that in every case the relative error is always less than 1 %, and therefore, the agreement is more than sufficient. Thus, we claim that semi-numerical methods are very effective tools for computing periodic orbits. We also study in detail the case when the energy of the orbits is larger than the escape energy. In this case, the periodic orbits in almost all resonance families become unstable and eventually escape from the system. Our target is to calculate the escape period and the escape position of the periodic orbits and also to monitor their evolution with respect to the value of the energy.     

Two-dimensional model of a granular medium

A two-dimensional model of a granular medium is represented as a square lattice composed of elastically interacting round particles with translational and rotational degrees of freedom. In the long-wave approximation, we derive linear partial differential equations describing the propagation and interaction of waves of various types in such a medium. If microrotations of particles in the lattice and the related moment interactions are taken into account, then a microrotation wave (a spin wave) appears in the medium. We establish the one-to-one correspondence between the parameters of the microstructure and the elastic constants of second order. We analyze the dependence of the medium elasticity constants on the grain dimensions. In the continuum approximation, we compare the model proposed here with the model of two-dimensional Cosserat continuum.     

Periodic Orbits for Planar Piecewise Smooth Systems with a Line of Discontinuity

In this work we examine the existence of periodic orbits for planar piecewise smooth dynamical systems with a line of discontinuity. Unlike existing works, we consider the case where the line does not contain the equilibrium point. Most of the analysis is for a family of piecewise linear systems, and we discover new phenomena which produce the birth of periodic orbits, as well as new bifurcation phenomena of the periodic orbits themselves. A model nonlinear piecewise smooth systems is examined as well.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of dynamic heat transfer parameters in packed bed

Dynamic experiments in a nonadiabatic packed bed were carried out to evaluate the response to disturbances in wall temperature and inlet airflow rate and temperature. A two-dimensional, pseudo-homogeneous, axially dispersed plug-flow model was numerically solved and used to interpret the results. The model parameters were fitted in distinct stages: effective radial thermal conductivity (K _r) and wall heat transfer coefficient (h _w) were estimated from steady-state data and the characteristic packed bed time constant (τ) from transient data. A new correlation for the K _r in packed beds of cylindrical particles was proposed. It was experimentally proved that temperature measurements using radially inserted thermocouples and a ring-shaped sensor were not distorted by heat conduction across the thermocouple or by the thermal inertia effect of the temperature sensors.     

Primary pulse transmission in coupled steel granular chains embedded in PDMS matrix: Experiment and modeling

We present an experimental study of primary pulse transmission in coupled ordered steel granular chains embedded in poly-di-methyl-siloxane (PDMS) elastic matrix. Two granular one-dimensional chains are considered (an ‘excited’ and an ‘absorbing’ one), each composed of 11 identical steel beads of 9.5 mm diameter with the centerline of the chain spaced at fixed distances of 0.5, 1.5 or 2.5 mm apart. We directly force one of the chains (the excited one) by a transient pulse and measure, by means of laser vibrometry, the primary transmitted pulses at the end beads of both chains and at the first bead of the absorbing chain. It is well known that the dynamics of this type of ordered granular media is strongly nonlinear due, (i) to Hertzian interactions between adjacent beads, and (ii) to possible bead separations in the absence of compressive forces and ensuing collisions between neighboring beads. Accordingly, we develop a strongly nonlinear theoretical model that takes into account the coupling of the granular chains due to the PDMS matrix, with the aim to model primary pulse transmission in this system. After validating the model with experimental measurements, we employ it in a predictive fashion to estimate energy transfer between chains as a function of the interspatial distance between chains. Furthermore, based on this model we perform predictive matrix design to achieve maximum energy transfer from the excited to the absorbing chain, and provide a theoretical explanation of the nonlinear dynamics governing energy transfer (including energy equi-partition) in this system.     

Investigating the nature of motion in 3D perturbed elliptic oscillators displaying exact periodic orbits

We study the nature of motion in a 3D potential composed of perturbed elliptic oscillators. Our technique is to use the results obtained from the 2D potential in order to find the initial conditions generating regular or chaotic orbits in the 3D potential. Both 2D and 3D potentials display exact periodic orbits together with extended chaotic regions. Numerical experiments suggest that the degree of chaos increases rapidly as the energy of the test particle increases. About 97?% of the phase plane of the 2D system is covered by chaotic orbits for large energies. The regular or chaotic character of the 2D orbits is checked using the S(c) dynamical spectrum, while for the 3D potential we use the S(c) spectrum, along with the P(f) spectral method. Comparison with other dynamical indicators shows that the S(c) spectrum gives fast and reliable information about the character of motion.     

Dynamics of a mass–spring–pendulum system with vastly different frequencies

We investigate the dynamics of a simple pendulum coupled to a horizontal mass?Cspring system. The spring is assumed to have a very large stiffness value such that the natural frequency of the mass?Cspring oscillator, when uncoupled from the pendulum, is an order of magnitude larger than that of the oscillations of the pendulum. The leading order dynamics of the autonomous coupled system is studied using the method of Direct Partition of Motion (DPM), in conjunction with a rescaling of fast time in a manner that is inspired by the WKB method. We particularly study the motions in which the amplitude of the motion of the harmonic oscillator is an order of magnitude smaller than that of the pendulum. In this regime, a pitchfork bifurcation of periodic orbits is found to occur for energy values larger that a critical value. The bifurcation gives rise to nonlocal periodic and quasi-periodic orbits in which the pendulum oscillates about an angle between zero and ??/2 from the down right position. The bifurcating periodic orbits are nonlinear normal modes of the coupled system and correspond to fixed points of a Poincare map. An approximate expression for the value of the new fixed points of the map is obtained. These formal analytic results are confirmed by comparison with numerical integration.     

Dynamics of one-dimensional granular arrays with pre-compression

Nonlinear Dynamics - Bifurcations of periodic orbits and band zones of a one-dimensional granular array are numerically investigated in this study. A conservative two-bead system is first...     

Experimental Study of Strongly Nonlinear Resonances and Anti-Resonances in Granular Dimer Chains

Previous theoretical works considered the intrinsic dynamics of one-dimensional uncompressed granular dimer (diatomic) chains composed of pairs of dissimilar spherical elastic beads in Hertzian interaction. Such ordered granular media exhibit essentially nonlinear acoustics and have been characterized as ‘sonic vacua’ due to the fact that the speed of sound in these media (as defined in classical acoustics) is zero. Yet, depending on the mass ratios of the pairs of dissimilar beads of these dimers, it was proven that they may possess countable infinities of anti-resonances leading to solitary waves (this in spite of their high inhomogeneity), or countable infinities of strongly nonlinear resonances leading to passive strong attenuation of propagating pulses through energy radiation by means of excitation of traveling waves. The aim of this work is to experimentally verify the existence of these strongly nonlinear dynamics through a series of experiments involving granular dimer chains supported by flexures. By carefully designing the supporting flexures so that their dynamics is sufficiently ‘soft’ and thus separate from the ‘stiff’ dynamics governing the bead to bead interactions, we overcome a basic limitation for the experimental realization of such dimer systems, namely the construction of one-dimensional dimer chains with beads of different radii. Our results confirm experimentally the occurrence of nonlinear resonances and anti-resonances in dimer chains, and conclusively prove the capacity of appropriately designed granular dimers for passive strong attenuation of propagating pulses due to nonlinear resonance. Moreover, we validate the theoretical prediction that within the elastic range of bead to bead dynamical interactions the results are fully re-scalable with respect to energy. This work provides the first experimental evidence of strongly nonlinear resonances and anti-resonances in essentially nonlinear ordered granular media.     

Primary wave transmission in systems of elastic rods with granular interfaces

We study analytically and numerically primary pulse transmission in one dimensional systems of identical linearly elastic non-dispersive rods separated by identical homogeneous granular layers composed of n beads. The beads interact elastically through a strongly (essentially) nonlinear Hertzian contact law. The main challenge in studying pulse transmission in such strongly nonlinear media is to analyze the ‘basic problem’, namely, the dynamical response of a single intermediate granular layer, confined from both ends by barely touching linear elastic rods subject to impulsive excitation of the left rod. The analysis of the basic problem is carried out under two basic assumptions; namely, of sufficiently small duration of the shock excitation applied to the first layer of the system, and of sufficiently small mass of each bead in the granular interface compared to the mass of each rod. In fact, the smallness of the mass of the bead defines the small parameter in the asymptotic analysis of this problem. Both assumptions are reasonable from the point of view of practical applications. In the analysis we focus only in primary pulse propagation, by neglecting secondary pulse reflections caused by wave scattering at each granular interface and considering only the transmission of the main (primary) pulse across the interface to the neighboring elastic rod. Two types of shock excitations are considered. The first corresponds to fixed time duration (but still much smaller compared to the characteristic time of pulse propagation through the length of each rod), whereas the second type corresponds to a pulse duration that depends on the small parameter of the problem. The influence of the number of beads of the granular interface on the primary wave transmission is studied, and it is shown that at granular interfaces with a relatively low number of beads fast time scale oscillations are excited with increasing amplitudes with increasing number of beads. For a larger number of beads, primary pulse transmission is by means of solitary wave trains resulting from the dispersion of the original shock pulse; in that case fast oscillations result due to interference phenomena caused by the scattering of the main pulse at the boundary of the interface. Considering a periodic system of rods we demonstrate significant reduction of the primary pulse when transmitted through a sequence of granular interfaces. This result highlights the efficacy of applying granular interfaces for passive shock mitigation in layered elastic media.     

颗粒流动力学及其离散模型评述

颗粒流是由众多颗粒组成的具有内在相互作用的非经典介质流动. 自然界常见颗粒流都是密集流, 颗粒间接触形成力链, 诸多力链相互交接构成支撑整个颗粒流重量和外载荷的网络, 其局部构型及强度在外载荷下演化, 是颗粒流摩擦特性和接触应力的来源.本文介绍球形颗粒间无粘连作用时的Hertz法向接触理论和Mindlin-Deresiewicz切向接触理论. Campbell依据是否生成较为稳定的力链把颗粒流分为弹性流和惯性流两大类, 其中弹性-准静态流和惯性-碰撞流分别对应准静态流和快速流, 作为两种极端流动情况通常处理成连续体, 分别采用摩擦塑性模型和动理论予以描述, 但是表征接触力链的颗粒弹性参数并不出现这两个模型和理论框架中, 如何进一步考虑颗粒弹性参数将非常困难. 目前离散动力学方法逐渐成为复现其复杂颗粒流动现象、提取实验不可能获得的内部流动信息进而综合起来探索颗粒流问题的一种有效工具, 其真实性强于连续介质理论的描述. 软球模型对颗粒间接触力简化处理, 忽略了切向接触力对法向接触力及其加载历史的依赖, 带来了法向和切向刚度系数如何标度等更艰难的物理问题, 但由于计算强度小而广泛应用于工程问题中. 硬球模型不考虑颗粒接触变形, 因而不能描述颗粒流内在接触应变等物理机理, 仅适用于快速颗粒流, 这不仅仅是由于两体碰撞的限制. 因此基于颗粒接触力学的离散颗粒动力学模型是崭新的模型,适用于准静态流到快速流整个颗粒流态的模拟, 可以细致考虑接触形变及接触力的细节,建立更为合理的颗粒流本构关系, 进而有力的促进颗粒流这一非经典介质流动的研究.      

Complex dynamics and targeted energy transfer in linear oscillators coupled to multi-degree-of-freedom essentially nonlinear attachments

We study the dynamics of a system of coupled linear oscillators with a multi-DOF end attachment with essential (nonlinearizable) stiffness nonlinearities. We show numerically that the multi-DOF attachment can passively absorb broadband energy from the linear system in a one-way, irreversible fashion, acting in essence as nonlinear energy sink (NES). Strong passive targeted energy transfer from the linear to the nonlinear subsystem is possible over wide frequency and energy ranges. In an effort to study the dynamics of the coupled system of oscillators, we study numerically and analytically the periodic orbits of the corresponding undamped and unforced hamiltonian system with asymptotics and reduction. We prove the existence of a family of countable infinity of periodic orbits that result from combined parametric and external resonance interactions of the masses of the NES. We numerically demonstrate that the topological structure of the periodic orbits in the frequency–energy plane of the hamiltonian system greatly influences the strength of targeted energy transfer in the damped system and, to a great extent, governs the overall transient damped dynamics. This work may be regarded as a contribution towards proving the efficacy the utilizing essentially nonlinear attachments as passive broadband boundary controllers. PACS numbers: 05.45.Xt, 02.30.Hq     

The effect of oblateness in the perturbed restricted three-body problem

In this paper the restricted three-body problem is generalized in the sense that the effects of oblateness of the three participating bodies as well as the small perturbations in the Coriolis and centrifugal forces are considered. The existence of equilibrium points, their linear stability and the periodic orbits around these points are studied under these effects. It is found that the positions of the collinear points and y-coordinate of the triangular points are not affected by the small perturbations in the Coriolis force. While x-coordinate of the triangular points is neither affected by the small perturbations in the Coriolis force nor the oblateness of the third body. Furthermore, the critical mass value and the elements of periodic orbits around the equilibrium points such as the semi-major and the semi-minor axes, the angular frequencies and corresponding periods may change by all the parameters of oblateness as well as the small perturbations in the Coriolis and centrifugal forces. This model could be applicable to send satellite or place telescope in stable regions in space.