Compact solitary waves in linearly elastic chains with non-smooth on-site potential (original) (raw)

On the Existence of Solitary Traveling Waves for Generalized Hertzian Chains

Journal of Nonlinear Science, 2012

We consider the question of existence of "bell-shaped" (i.e. non-increasing for x > 0 and non-decreasing for x < 0) traveling waves for the strain variable of the generalized Hertzian model describing, in the special case of a p = 3/2 exponent, the dynamics of a granular chain. The proof of existence of such waves is based on the English and Pego [Proceedings of the AMS 133, 1763 ] formulation of the problem. More specifically, we construct an appropriate energy functional, for which we show that the constrained minimization problem over bell-shaped entries has a solution. We also provide an alternative proof of the Friesecke-Wattis result [Comm. Math. Phys 161, 394 (1994)], by using the same approach (but where the minimization is not constrained over bell-shaped curves). We briefly discuss and illustrate numerically the implications on the doubly exponential decay properties of the waves, as well as touch upon the modifications of these properties in the presence of a finite precompression force in the model.

Solitary wave dynamics in generalized Hertz chains: An improved solution of the equation of motion

Physical Review E, 2001

The equation of motion for a bead in a chain of uncompressed elastic beads in contact that interact via the potential V(␦)ϳ␦ n , nϾ2, ␦ being overlap, supports solitary waves and does not accommodate sound propagation ͓V. Nesterenko, J. Appl. Mech. Tech. Phys. 5, 733 ͑1983͔͒. We present an iteratively exact solution to describe the solitary wave as a function of material parameters and a universal, infinite set of coefficients, which depend only on n. We compute any arbitrary number of coefficients to desired accuracy and show that only the first few coefficients of our solution significantly improves upon Nesterenko's solution. The improved solution is a necessary step to develop a theoretical understanding of the formation of secondary solitary waves ͓M. Manciu, et al., Phys. Rev. E 63, 011614 ͑2001͔͒.

Crossing of identical solitary waves in a chain of elastic beads

Physical Review E, 2000

We consider a chain of elastic beads subjected to vanishingly weak loading conditions, i.e., the beads are barely in contact. The grains repel upon contact via the Hertz-type potential, Vϰ␦ n , nϾ2, where ␦у0, ␦ being the grain-grain overlap. Our dynamical simulations build on several earlier studies by Nesterenko, Coste, and Sen and co-workers that have shown that an impulse propagates as a solitary wave of fixed spatial extent ͑dependent only upon n͒ through a chain of Hertzian beads and demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, that colliding solitary waves in the chain spawn a well-defined hierarchy of multiple secondary solitary waves, which is ϳ 0.5% of the energy of the original solitary waves. Our findings have interesting parallels with earlier observations by Rosenau and colleagues ͓P.

Highly nonlinear solitary waves in chains of ellipsoidal particles

Physical Review E, 2011

We study the dynamic response of a one-dimensional chain of ellipsoidal particles excited by a single compressive impulse. We detail the Hertzian contact theory describing the interaction between two ellipsoidal particles under compression, and use it to model the dynamic response of the system. We observe the formation of highly nonlinear solitary wave in the chain, and we also study their propagation properties. We measure experimentally the traveling pulse amplitude (force), the solitary wave speed and the solitary wave width. We compare these results with theoretical predictions in the long wavelength approximation, and with numerical results obtained with a discrete particle model and with finite element simulations. We also study the propagation of highly nonlinear solitary waves in the chain with particles arranged in different configurations to show the effects of the particle's geometry on the wave propagation characteristics and dissipation. We find very good agreement between experiment, theory and simulations for all the ranges of impact velocity and particles' arrangement investigated.

Solitary waves on nonlinear elastic rods. I

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1984

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Solitary waves in a granular chain of elastic spheres: Multiple solitary solutions and their stabilities

Physical Review E, 2019

A granular chain of elastic spheres via Hertzian contact incorporates a classical nonlinear force model describing dynamical elastic solitary wave propagation. In this paper, the multiple solitary waves and their dynamic behaviors and stability in such a system are considered. An approximate KdV equation with the standard form is derived under the long-wavelength approximation and small deformation. The closed-form analytical single-and multiple-soliton solutions are obtained. The construction of the multiple-soliton solutions is analyzed by using the functional analysis. It is found that the multiple-soliton solution can be excited by the single-soliton solutions. This result is confirmed by the numerical analysis. Based on the soliton solutions of the KdV equation, the analytic solutions of multiple dark solitary waves are obtained from the original dynamic equation of the granular chain in the long-wavelength approximation. The stability of the single and multiple dark solitary wave solutions are numerically analyzed by using both split-step Fourier transform method and Runge-Kutta method. The results show that the single dark solitary wave solution is stable, and the multiple dark solitary waves are unstable.

Highly nonlinear solitary waves in chains of cylindrical particles

Granular Matter, 2011

We study the dynamic response of uniform granular chains composed of short cylindrical particles excited by an impulse. The particles in the chains are arranged with their axes orthogonal to the chain's axis, and the particles maintain a constant relative orientation angle. We study the formation and propagation of solitary waves in the chains varying the orientation angle (α) between particles, and show tunability of the stress transfer as a function of α. We use the general Hertzian contact theory to model the interaction between particles. We compare experimental findings with theoretical predictions based on the long wavelength approximation, and with numerical predictions based on a one-dimensional discrete particle model, and on a three-dimensional finite element approach, finding good agreement.

Solitary waves in the granular chain

Physics Reports, 2008

Solitary waves are lumps of energy. We consider the study of dynamical solitary waves, meaning cases where the energy lumps are moving, as opposed to topological solitary waves where the lumps may be static. Solitary waves have been studied in some form or the other for nearly 450 years. Subsequently, there have been many authoritative works on solitary waves. Nevertheless, some of the most recent studies reveal that these peculiar objects are far more complex than what we might have given them credit for. In this review, we introduce the physics of solitary waves in alignments of elastic beads, such as glass beads or stainless steel beads. We show that any impulse propagates as a new kind of highly interactive solitary wave through such an alignment and that the existence of these waves seems to present a need to reexamine the very definition of the concept of equilibrium. We further discuss the possibility of exploiting nonlinear properties of granular alignments to develop exciting technological applications.

Experimental evidence of solitary wave interaction in Hertzian chains

Physical Review E, 2011

We study experimentally the interaction between two solitary waves that approach one to another in a linear chain of spheres interacting via the Hertz potential. When these counter propagating waves collide, they cross each other and a phase shift respect to the noninteracting waves is introduced, as a result of the nonlinear interaction potential. This observation is well reproduced by our numerical simulations and it is shown to be independent of viscoelastic dissipation at the beads contact. In addition, when the collision of equal amplitude and synchronized counter propagating waves takes place, we observe that two secondary solitary waves emerge from the interacting region. The amplitude of secondary solitary waves is proportional to the amplitude of incident waves. However, secondary solitary waves are stronger when the collision occurs at the middle contact in chains with even number of beads. Although numerical simulations correctly predict the existence of these waves, experiments show that their respective amplitude are significantly larger than predicted. We attribute this discrepancy to the rolling friction at the beads contacts during solitary wave propagation. PACS numbers: 43.25.+y 45.70.-n