On the dynamics of locally resonant sonic composites

The sound attenuation in a sonic composite is studied using a new method that combines the features of the piezoceramic theory, cnoidal method and genetic algorithms. A sonic composite consists of an array of acoustic scatterers embedded in an epoxy matrix. Acoustic scatterers are piezoceramic hollow spheres made from functionally graded materials – the Reddy and cosine graded hollow spheres. We show that stable attenuation bands may coexist with different patterns of dynamics, including chaos. In order to extend the method towards a tool for analyzing the sound attenuation in sonic composites, the behavior of a real sonic composite is simulated. The results concerning the full band-gaps have been validated by experimental data.