I. S. Jones

Transformation elastodynamics and cloaking for flexural waves

The paper addresses an important issue of cloaking transformations for fourth-order partial differential equations representing flexural waves in thin elastic plates. It is shown that, in contrast with the Helmholtz equation, the general form of the partial differential equation is not invariant with respect to the cloaking transformation. The significant result of this paper is the analysis of the transformed equation and its interpretation in the framework of the linear theory of pre-stressed plates. The paper provides a formal framework for transformation elastodynamics as applied to elastic plates. Furthermore, an algorithm is proposed for designing a broadband square cloak for flexural waves, which employs a regularised push-out transformation. Illustrative numerical examples show high accuracy and efficiency of the proposed cloaking algorithm. In particular, a physical configuration involving a perturbation of an interference pattern generated by two coherent sources is presented. It is demonstrated that the perturbation produced by a cloaked defect is negligibly small even for such a delicate interference pattern.

Reference stress intensity factors with application to weight functions for internal circumferential cracks in cylinders

Abstract Stress intensity factors from finite element analysis, are presented for internal circumferential cracks in cylindrical components subjected to a range of through wall stress distributions. Cylinders with ratios of internal to external radii in the range 0.1 to 0.9 have been considered for a full range of dimensionless crack depths from 0.02 to 0.95. A set of weight functions for each of the cylindrical geometries has been developed and the accuracy of these has been examined using the finite element results. General conclusions have been drawn concerning the merits of the various types of weight function.

Dispersion and localization of elastic waves in materials with microstructure

This paper considers the interaction of elastic waves with materials with microstructure. The paper presents a mathematical model of elastic waves within a lattice system incorporating rotational motions and interaction between different lattice elements through elastic links. The waves are dispersive and the lattice system itself is heterogeneous, i.e. the elastic stiffness and/or mass are non-uniformly distributed. For such systems, one can identify stop bands, representing the intervals of frequencies of waves, which become evanescent and cannot propagate through the structure. Filtering properties of such lattices are studied in this paper. Defect modes are created by removing a periodic array of elastic links, which leads to localization within a macro-cell. Special attention is given to the evaluation of the effective group velocities and to the study of standing waves within the system. Analytical estimates are accompanied by numerical simulations and analysis of dispersion surfaces. We also consider an example showing the focusing and the creation of an image point by a flat elastic ‘lens’ formed from a finite micropolar lattice system.

Making waves round a structured cloak: lattices, negative refraction and fringes

Using the framework of transformation optics, this paper presents a detailed analysis of a non-singular square cloak for acoustic, out-of-plane shear elastic and electromagnetic waves. Analysis of wave propagation through the cloak is presented and accompanied by numerical illustrations. The efficacy of the regularized cloak is demonstrated and an objective numerical measure of the quality of the cloaking effect is provided. It is demonstrated that the cloaking effect persists over a wide range of frequencies. As a demonstration of the effectiveness of the regularized cloak, a Youngs double slit experiment is presented. The stability of the interference pattern is examined when a cloaked and uncloaked obstacle are successively placed in front of one of the apertures. This novel link with a well-known quantum mechanical experiment provides an additional method through which the quality of cloaks may be examined. In the second half of the paper, it is shown that an approximate cloak may be constructed using a discrete lattice structure. The efficiency of the approximate lattice cloak is analysed and a series of illustrative simulations presented. It is demonstrated that effective cloaking may be obtained by using a relatively simple lattice structure, particularly, in the low-frequency regime.

Dynamic anisotropy and localization in elastic lattice systems

This paper presents an analytical study and numerical simulations concerning the dynamic anisotropy of lattice systems in vector problems of elasticity. Connections are made with models of optics involving interaction of light with a small aperture and aberration effects. Special attention is given to standing waves possessing directional localization of different kinds. We analyze a special class of waveforms corresponding to saddle points on the dispersion surfaces. Furthermore, a modeling algorithm is developed to design a structured slab of finite thickness, which possesses focusing properties for waves within a certain frequency range.

Phononic Band Gap Systems in Structural Mechanics: Finite Slender Elastic Structures and Infinite Periodic Waveguides

The paper presents a novel spectral approach, accompanied by an asymptotic model and numerical simulations for slender elastic systems such as long bridges or tall buildings. The focus is on asymptotic approximations of solutions by Bloch waves, which may propagate in a infinite periodic waveguide. Although the notion of passive mass dampers is conventional in the engineering literature, it is not obvious that an infinite waveguide problem is adequate for analysis of long but finite slender elastic systems. The formal mathematical treatment of a Bloch wave would reduce to a spectral analysis of equations of motion on an elementary cell of a periodic structure, with Bloch–Floquet quasi-periodicity conditions imposed on the boundary of the cell. Frequencies of some classes of standing waves can be estimated analytically. One of the applications discussed in the paper is the “dancing bridge” across the river Volga in Volgograd.

A wide range weight function for a single edge cracked geometry with clamped ends

A single edge cracked geometry with clamped ends is well suited for fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth testing of composites and thin materials. Stress intensity factors may be determined by the weight function method. A weight function for the single edge cracked geometry with clamped ends is developed and verified in this paper. It is based on analytical forms for the reference stress intensity factor and crack mouth opening displacement. The analytical forms are shown to be valid, by comparison with finite element results, over a wide range of crack depths and plate aspect ratios. Use of the analytical form enables the weight function to be calculated for any plate aspect ratio without the need for preliminary finite element analysis. Stress intensity factors and crack mouth opening displacements, predicted using this weight function, correlated well with finite element results for non-uniform crack surface stress distributions.

An impulse response model for the prediction of thermal striping damage

A model based on the impulse response method is presented for the calculation of thermal fatigue damage when a flat plate is subjected to thermal striping. For the case where one face of the plate contains a defect and is exposed to a random temperature time history, maximum crack tip stress intensity factors are calculated and crack growth times are estimated. Comparisons are made with alternative methods for the calculation of fatigue damage and the method is used to analyse the damage suffered by a typical component in the above core structure of a Fast Breeder Reactor.

Transformation cloaking and radial approximations for flexural waves in elastic plates

It is known that design of elastic cloaks is much more challenging than the design idea for acoustic cloaks, cloaks of electromagnetic waves or scalar problems of anti-plane shear. In this paper, we address fully the fourth-order problem and develop a model of a broadband invisibility cloak for channelling flexural waves in thin plates around finite inclusions. We also discuss an option to employ efficiently an elastic pre-stress and body forces to achieve such a result. An asymptotic derivation provides a rigorous link between the model in question and elastic wave propagation in thin solids. This is discussed in detail to show connection with non-symmetric formulations in vector elasticity studied in earlier work.

Vortex-type elastic structured media and dynamic shielding

The paper presents an approach to modelling a novel elastic metamaterial structure that possesses non-trivial dispersion features. A system of spinners has been embedded into a two-dimensional periodic lattice system. The analysis of the motion of the spinners is used to derive an expression for a ‘chiral term’ in the equations describing the dynamics of the lattice. Dispersion of elastic waves is shown to possess innovative filtering and polarization properties induced by the vortex-type nature of the structured media. The related effective behaviour in a continuous medium is implemented to build a shielding cloak around an obstacle. Analytical work is accompanied by numerical illustrations.