On the coupling mechanism between nonlinear solitary waves and slender beams

This paper describes the coupling mechanism between highly nonlinear solitary waves propagating along a granular system and slender beams in contact with the granular medium. Nonlinear solitary waves are compact non-dispersive waves that can form and travel in nonlinear systems such as one-dimensional chains of particles, where they are conventionally generated by the mechanical impact of a striker. These waves have a constant spatial wavelength and their speed, amplitude, and duration can be tuned by modifying the particles’ material or size, or the velocity of the striker. In the study presented in this article we investigated numerically the interaction between solitary waves propagating along a chain of granular particles and a slender beam. Some of the numerical findings were validated experimentally. We found that the geometric and mechanical properties of the beam or thermal stress applied to the beam alter certain features of the solitary waves. In the future, these findings may be used to develop a novel sensing system for the nondestructive assessment of beams.