Localization of elastic waves in randomly disordered multi-coupled multi-span beams

Abstract

The wave localization in randomly disordered periodic multi-span continuous beams is studied. The transfer matrix method is used to deduce transfer matrices of two kinds of multi-span beams. To calculate the Lyapunov exponents in discrete dynamical systems, the algorithm for determining all the Lyapunov exponents in continuous dynamical systems presented by Wolf et al is employed. The smallest positive Lyapunov exponent of the corresponding discrete dynamical system is called the localization factor, which characterizes the average exponential rates of growth or decay of wave amplitudes along the randomly mistuned multi-span beams. For two kinds of disordered periodic multi-span beams, numerical results of localization factors are given. The effects of the disorder of span-length, the non-dimensional torsional spring stiffness and the non-dimensional linear spring stiffness on the wave localization are analysed and discussed. It can be observed that the localization factors increase with the increase of the coefficient of variation of random span-length and the degree of localization for wave amplitudes increases as the torsional spring stiffness and the linear spring stiffness increase.