Investigation of elastic modes propagating in multi-wire helical waveguides

Elastic guided waves have some potential for non-destructive inspection of civil engineering multi-wire steel cables. However, wave propagation inside such structures is not yet fully understood. This paper investigates multi-wire helical waveguides with special attention to the common seven-wire strand configuration (one straight core surrounded by one layer of six helical wires). A helical coordinate system is first proposed. Though non-orthogonal, this system preserves translational invariance along the helix centreline to explicitly perform a spatial Fourier transform. Then, it is shown that for the analysis of multi-wire helical strands a twisting system—which is a special case of helical systems—is translationally invariant. A semi-analytical finite element method is developed reducing the problem on the cross-section only. A straightforward computation of energy velocity is proposed. Dispersion curves for a single straight wire and a helical wire are first computed to verify the adequacy of the twisting system. Finally the seven-wire strand is analysed using simplified contact conditions. Theoretical dispersion curves are compared to low-frequency magnetostrictive measurements. Good agreement is found for the first compressional-like mode and its associated veering central frequency (‘notch frequency’).     

一种水平变化波导中声传播问题的耦合模态法

针对介质参数及海底边界水平变化波导中的声传播问题,本文基于多模态导纳法提出一种能量守恒且便于数值稳定求解的耦合模态方法.将声压表示为一组正交完备的本地本征函数之和,对声压满足的Helmholtz方程在本地本征函数上作投影,推导出关于声压模态系数的二阶耦合模态方程组.耦合矩阵直观描述水平变化因素对模态耦合的贡献.为避免直接求解二阶耦合模态方程组可能遇到的数值发散问题,将其重构为两个耦合的一阶演化方程组,引入导纳矩阵并使用Magnus数值积分方法获得稳定的声场解.利用该耦合模态方法数值计算水平变化波导中的声场,并与COMSOL参考解比较,结果表明该耦合模态理论能够精确求解水平变化波导中的点源及分布源传播问题.     

The attenuation of the higher-order cross-section modes in a duct with a thin porous layer

A numerical method for sound propagation of higher-order cross-sectional modes in a duct of arbitrary cross-section and boundary conditions with nonzero, complex acoustic admittance has been considered. This method assumes that the cross-section of the duct is uniform and that the duct is of a considerable length so that the longitudinal modes can be neglected. The problem is reduced to a two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) solution, from which a set of cross-sectional eigen-values and eigen-functions are determined. This result is used to obtain the modal frequencies, velocities and the attenuation coefficients. The 2D FE solution is then extended to three-dimensional via the normal mode decomposition technique. The numerical solution is validated against experimental data for sound propagation in a pipe with inner walls partially covered by coarse sand or granulated rubber. The values of the eigen-frequencies calculated from the proposed numerical model are validated against those predicted by the standard analytical solution for both a circular and rectangular pipe with rigid walls. It is shown that the considered numerical method is useful for predicting the sound pressure distribution, attenuation, and eigen-frequencies in a duct with acoustically nonrigid boundary conditions. The purpose of this work is to pave the way for the development of an efficient inverse problem solution for the remote characterization of the acoustic boundary conditions in natural and artificial waveguides.     

Eigenmodes of index-modulated layers with lateral PMLs

Maxwell equations are solved in a layer comprising a finite number of homogeneous isotropic dielectric regions ended by anisotropic perfectly matched layers (PMLs). The boundary-value problem is solved and the dispersion relation inside the PML is derived. The general expression of the eigenvalues equation for an arbitrary number of regions in each layer is obtained, and both polarization modes are considered. The modal functions of a single layer ended by PMLs are found, and their orthogonality relation is derived. The present method is useful to simulate scattering problems from dielectric objects as well as propagation in planar slab waveguides. Its potential to deal with more complex problems such as the scattering from an object with arbitrary cross section in open space using the multilayer modal method is briefly discussed.     

A variational mode expansion mode solver

A variational approach for the semivectorial modal analysis of dielectric waveguides with arbitrary piecewise constant rectangular 2D cross-sections is developed. It is based on a representation of a mode profile as a superposition of modes of constituting slab waveguides times some unknown continuous coefficient functions, defined on the entire coordinate axis. The propagation constant and the lateral functions are found from a variational principle. It appears that this method with one or two modes in the expansion preserves the computational efficiency of the “standard” effective index method while providing more accurate estimates for propagation constants, and well-defined continuous approximations for mode profiles. By including a larger number of suitable trial fields, the present approach can also serve as a technique for rigorous semivectorial mode analysis.     

Single-mode condition for silicon rib waveguides with trapezoidal cross-section

Single-mode condition for silicon rib waveguides with trapezoidal cross-section was obtained using a numerical method based on imaginary-distance beam propagation method with non-uniform discretization. Both quasi-transverse-electric and quasi-transverse-magnetic modes were investigated. Simulated single-mode condition is given by a modified equation. Comparison with reported results shows that the Marcatili’s method is in a better agreement with our results.     

Spiral modes supported by circular dielectric tubes and tube segments

The modal properties of curved dielectric slab waveguides are investigated. We consider quasi-confined, attenuated modes that propagate at oblique angles with respect to the axis through the center of curvature. Our analytical model describes the transition from scalar 2-D TE/TM bend modes to lossless spiral waves at near-axis propagation angles, with a continuum of vectorial attenuated spiral modes in between. Modal solutions are characterized in terms of directional wavenumbers and attenuation constants. Examples for vectorial mode profiles illustrate the effects of oblique wave propagation along the curved slab segments. For the regime of lossless spiral waves, the relation with the guided modes of corresponding dielectric tubes is demonstrated.     

全矢量有限元模型及其在光波导中的应用

为了研究光波导和光子晶体光纤的模式特性和传输特性,从矢量波动方程出发,推导出了各向异性介质中场微分方程复数泛函表达式,利用棱边/节点混合元离散了该泛函,加入了各向异性介质匹配层边界条件,得到关于传播常量的广义特征值方程.以矩形波导为例,对各向异性介质匹配层边界条件的吸收特性进行了研究,得到了基模以及几个高阶模的场分布、色散曲线和损耗曲线.结果表明该方法可靠有效.对正六边形晶格光子晶体光纤进行了分析.数据表明：光纤有效折射率随空气孔直径或波长的增大而减小,但与空气孔圈数无关;光纤限制损耗(confinement loss)随波长增大近似成指数增大,而增加空气孔直径或者空气孔圈数则可使之显著降低.     

A semi-analytical finite element formulation for modeling stress wave propagation in axisymmetric damped waveguides

A semi-analytical finite element (SAFE) method is presented for analyzing the wave propagation in viscoelastic axisymmetric waveguides. The approach extends a recent study presented by the authors, in which the general SAFE method was extended to account for material damping. The formulation presented in this paper uses the cylindrical coordinates to reduce the finite element discretization over the waveguide cross-section to a mono-dimensional mesh. The algorithm is validated by comparing the dispersion results with viscoelastic cases for which a Superposition of Partial Bulk Waves solution is known. The formulation accurately predicts dispersion properties and does not show any missing root. Applications to viscoelastic axisymmetric waveguides with varying mechanical and geometrical properties are presented.     

Vibration modelling of helical springs with non-uniform ends

Helical springs constitute an integral part of many mechanical systems. Usually, a helical spring is modelled as a massless, frequency independent stiffness element. For a typical suspension spring, these assumptions are only valid in the quasi-static case or at low frequencies. At higher frequencies, the influence of the internal resonances of the spring grows and thus a detailed model is required. In some cases, such as when the spring is uniform, analytical models can be developed. However, in typical springs, only the central turns are uniform; the ends are often not (for example, having a varying helix angle or cross-section). Thus, obtaining analytical models in this case can be very difficult if at all possible. In this paper, the modelling of such non-uniform springs are considered. The uniform (central) part of helical springs is modelled using the wave and finite element (WFE) method since a helical spring can be regarded as a curved waveguide. The WFE model is obtained by post-processing the finite element (FE) model of a single straight or curved beam element using periodic structure theory. This yields the wave characteristics which can be used to find the dynamic stiffness matrix of the central turns of the spring. As for the non-uniform ends, they are modelled using the standard finite element (FE) method. The dynamic stiffness matrices of the ends and the central turns can be assembled as in standard FE yielding a FE/WFE model whose size is much smaller than a full FE model of the spring. This can be used to predict the stiffness of the spring and the force transmissibility. Numerical examples are presented.     

有损耗波导中非线性TE波的数值模拟

本文发展了一种以有限元技术为基础的数值方法,用它分析有损耗波导中的非线性TE模。在这种方法中,非线性有损耗波导中TE波与功率有关的复传播常数和局城电场分布,可从这种波导直接得到,没有任何近似。作为这种方法的应用,计算了非线性有损耗波导系统中TE0模的功率色散关系和电场分布。     

Mean field of a low-frequency sound wave propagating in a fluctuating ocean

Statistical characteristics of low-frequency sound waves propagating over long distances in a fluctuating ocean are important for many practical problems. In this paper, using the theory of multiple scattering, the mean field of a low-frequency sound wave was analytically calculated. In these calculations, the ratio of the sound wavelength and the scale of random inhomogeneities can be arbitrary. Furthermore, the correlation function of inhomogeneities is expressed in terms of a modal spectrum (e.g., internal waves modes). The obtained mean sound field is expressed as a sum of normal modes that attenuate exponentially. It is shown that the extinction coefficients of the modes are linearly related to the spectrum of random inhomogeneities in the ocean. Measurements of the extinction coefficients can therefore be used for retrieving this spectrum. The mean sound field is calculated for both 3D and 2D geometries of sound propagation. The results obtained can be used to study the range of applicability of the 2D propagation model.     

Modeling mode arrivals in the 1995 SWARM experiment acoustic transmissions

As part of the Shallow Water Acoustics in a Random Medium (SWARM) experiment, a 16 element WHOI vertical line array (WVLA) was moored in 70 m of water off the New Jersey coast. A 400-Hz acoustic tomography source was moored some 32-km shoreward of this array, such that an acoustic path was created that was anti-parallel to the primary propagation direction for shelf-generated internal wave solitons. The presence of these soliton internal waves in the acoustic waveguide causes significant coupling of energy between propagating acoustic modes, creating fluctuations in modal intensities and modal peak arrival times, as well as time spreading of the pulses. Two methods by which acoustic propagation and scattering in soliton-filled waveguides can be modeled are presented here in order to understand and explain the scattering observed in the SWARM field data. The first method utilizes the Preisig and Duda [IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 22, 256-269 (1997)] Sudden Interface Approximation (SIA) to represent the solitons. The second method, which is computationally slower, uses a finely meshed, "propagated" thermistor record to simulate the solitons in the SWARM experiment waveguide. Both numerical methods are found to generate scattering characteristics that are similar to the SWARM field data.     

Numerical investigation of elastic modes of propagation in helical waveguides

Steel multi-wire cables are widely employed in civil engineering. They are usually made of a straight core and one layer of helical wires. In order to detect material degradation, nondestructive evaluation methods based on ultrasonics are one of the most promising techniques. However, their use is complicated by the lack of accurate cable models. As a first step, the goal of this paper is to propose a numerical method for the study of elastic guided waves inside a single helical wire. A finite element (FE) technique is used based on the theory of wave propagation inside periodic structures. This method avoids the tedious writing of equilibrium equations in a curvilinear coordinate system yielding translational invariance along the helix centerline. Besides, no specific programming is needed inside a conventional FE code because it can be implemented as a postprocessing step of stiffness, mass and damping matrices. The convergence and accuracy of the proposed method are assessed by comparing FE results with Pochhammer-Chree solutions for the infinite isotropic cylinder. Dispersion curves for a typical helical waveguide are then obtained. In the low-frequency range, results are validated with a helical Timoshenko beam model. Some significant differences with the cylinder are observed.     

Full-vectorial analysis of optical waveguides by the finite difference method based on polynomial interpolation

Based on the polynomial interpolation, a new finite difference (FD) method in solving the full-vectorial guided-modes for step-index optical waveguides is proposed. The discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces are considered in the absence of the limitations of scalar and semivectorial approximation, and the present FD scheme can be applied to both uniform and non-uniform mesh grids. The modal propagation constants and field distributions for buried rectangular waveguides and optical rib waveguides are presented. The hybrid nature of the vectorial modes is demonstrated and the singular behaviours of the minor field components in the corners are observed. Moreover, solutions are in good agreement with those published early, which tests the validity of the present approach.     

Modelling of rib waveguide bends for sensor applications

Wave propagation through curved bends in integrated optical waveguides is governed by the evanescent field and the radiation loss of the eigenmodes. Since these parameters are influenced by the refractive index of the surrounding medium, circular bends in rib waveguides have been successfully employed as chemical sensors for liquids and gases. In this paper the electromagnetic field, the refractive index and the radiation loss of the eigenmodes are precisely determined by a fully vectorial approach based on the method of lines. An axial discretization and Bessel functions of complex order are employed for the rigorous computation of the evanescent field. The intensity distributions of the first modes in a rib waveguide are presented. The influence of the rib height on the sensitivity of the modal index to the refractive index of the surrounding medium is investigated. The results are useful for the optimization of the sensor design.     

ANALYSIS OF VIBRATIONS AND ENERGY FLOWS IN SANDWICH PLATES BEARING CONCENTRATED MASSES AND SPRING-LIKE INCLUSIONS IN HEAVY FLUID-LOADING CONDITIONS

Vibrations of and the energy propagation in an infinitely long fluid-loaded sandwich beam (a plate of the sandwich composition in one-dimensional cylindrical bending) bearing concentrated masses and supported by springs are described in the framework of the sixth order theory of multilayered plates coupled with the standard theory of linear acoustics. A sandwich plate is loaded by a layer of a compressible fluid which is bounded opposite to a plate side by a rigid baffle. The dispersion equation for a fluid-loaded sandwich plate is derived. The wave numbers (complex, pure real and pure imaginary) and relevant normal modes (both the travelling and the evanescent ones) are obtained. Their dependence on the parameter of a fluid's depth is studied. Then the Green matrix is constructed analytically as a linear combination of normal modes to describe the response of a plate and an acoustic medium to the point loading by a force or a moment. Continuity conditions at the loaded cross-section of a plate and in a fluid are formulated. Attention is focused at the selection of roots of the dispersion relation for the formulation of the continuity condition for a fluid at the loaded cross-section. The convergence rate of an approximate solution based on the modal composition of the Green matrix is estimated. The parametric study of the “structural” and the “fluid” energy flows in a fluid-loaded sandwich plate without inclusions is performed for various excitation conditions. Then the Green matrix method is applied to analyze the influence of a pair of identical inclusions on localization of vibrations (modal trapping) and energy flows. Conditions of localization of flexural waves at these inhomogeneities are explored.     

Numerical investigation of dispersion relations for helical waveguides using the Scaled Boundary Finite Element method

In this paper, the dispersion properties of elastic waves in helical waveguides are investigated. The formulation is based on the Scaled Boundary Finite Element method (SBEFM). With a set of orthogonal unit basis introduced as the contravariant basis, the helical coordinate is firstly considered, where components of tensor retain the dimension of original quantity. Based on the strain–displacement relation, the eigenvalue matrix is obtained about wavenumbers and frequencies. The cross section of the waveguides is discretized by using high-order spectral elements. Moreover, the formulated linear matrix is utilized to design efficient and accurate algorithms to compute the eigenvalues of helical waveguides. Compared with the Pochhammer–Chree curves, the convergence and accuracy of the SBFEM are discussed. Finally, we give some dispersion curves for a wide range of lay angles and analyze in detail properties of cut-off frequency, mode separation and mode transition for elastic wave propagation in the helical waveguides.     

Coordinate stretching for finite difference optical waveguide mode solvers

Numerical methods are necessary to calculate propagating modes in optical waveguides. The finite difference method is widely used because it is applicable to waveguides with arbitrary refractive index profiles and it is easy to implement. To improve the efficiency and to reduce the size of the resulting large sparse matrix, the finite difference method is often used with a variable grid size strategy. This is related to the technique of coordinate stretching. In this paper, we develop a technique for optimizing the coordinate stretching function based on discrete reflection coefficients. We demonstrate our method using a scalar model which is valid for weakly-guided optical waveguides.     

Wave reflection and transmission due to defects in infinite structural waveguides at high frequencies

In waveguide structures, waves may be partially reflected by local non-uniformities such as cracks and other defects. The reflection and transmission characteristics associated with the presence of a discontinuity may be used, in principle, to give some indication of both the location and size of the defect. A combined spectral element and finite element (SE/FE) method has been used previously to investigate the effects of local non-uniformities at relatively low frequencies. However, for analysis at higher frequencies, where complex deformation of the waveguide occurs, it is necessary to extend this approach. Such high frequency analysis is necessary if small defects are to be located within the waveguide cross-section. In order to investigate wave propagation at higher frequencies, a combined spectral super element and finite element (SSE/FE) method is presented. This method allows the transmission, reflection and wave conversion at discontinuities to be determined for complex waveguides. As an example of the use of this method, wave reflection and transmission in rails are estimated at frequencies between 20 and 40 kHz for various notional sawcut-like defects of progressively increasing size. This shows the feasibility of the approach for realistic waveguides. However, from these simulations it is shown that defects have to be quite large before they can be detected using a single transducer position on the rail cross-section using train-induced vibration.