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1. Elastic Metasurfaces for Full Wavefront Control and Low-Frequency Energy Harvesting

   https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050275  

   Lin, Zhenkun; Tol, Serife (December 2021, Journal of Vibration and Acoustics)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Controlling and manipulating elastic/acoustic waves via artificially structured metamaterials, phononic crystals, and metasurfaces have gained an increasing research interest in the last decades. Unlike others, a metasurface is a single layer in the host medium with an array of subwavelength-scaled patterns introducing an abrupt phase shift in the wave propagation path. In this study, an elastic metasurface composed of an array of slender beam resonators is proposed to control the elastic wavefront of low-frequency flexural waves. The phase gradient based on Snell’s law is achieved by tailoring the thickness of thin beam resonators connecting two elastic host media. Through analytical and numerical models, the phase-modulated metasurfaces are designed and verified to accomplish three dynamic wave functions, namely, deflection, non-paraxial propagation, and focusing. An oblique incident wave is also demonstrated to show the versatility of the proposed design for focusing of wave energy incident from multiple directions. Experimentally measured focusing metasurface has nearly three times wave amplification at the designed focal point which validates the design and theoretical models. Furthermore, the focusing metasurface is exploited for low-frequency energy harvesting and the piezoelectric harvester is improved by almost nine times in terms of the harvested power output as compared to the baseline harvester on the pure plate without metasurface. 

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2. Broadband Frequency and Spatial On-Demand Tailoring of Topological Wave Propagation Harnessing Piezoelectric Metamaterials

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmats.2020.602996  

   Dorin, Patrick; Wang, K. W. (January 2021, Frontiers in Materials)

   null (Ed.)

   Many engineering applications leverage metamaterials to achieve elastic wave control. To enhance the performance and expand the functionalities of elastic waveguides, the concepts of electronic transport in topological insulators have been applied to elastic metamaterials. Initial studies showed that topologically protected elastic wave transmission in mechanical metamaterials could be realized that is immune to backscattering and undesired localization in the presence of defects or disorder. Recent studies have developed tunable topological elastic metamaterials to maximize performance in the presence of varying external conditions, adapt to changing operating requirements, and enable new functionalities such as a programmable wave path. However, a challenge remains to achieve a tunable topological metamaterial that is comprehensively adaptable in both the frequency and spatial domains and is effective over a broad frequency bandwidth that includes a subwavelength regime. To advance the state of the art, this research presents a piezoelectric metamaterial with the capability to concurrently tailor the frequency, path, and mode shape of topological waves using resonant circuitry. In the research presented in this manuscript, the plane wave expansion method is used to detect a frequency tunable subwavelength Dirac point in the band structure of the periodic unit cell and discover an operating region over which topological wave propagation can exist. Dispersion analyses for a finite strip illuminate how circuit parameters can be utilized to adjust mode shapes corresponding to topological edge states. A further evaluation provides insight into how increased electromechanical coupling and lattice reconfiguration can be exploited to enhance the frequency range for topological wave propagation, increase achievable mode localization, and attain additional edge states. Topological guided wave propagation that is subwavelength in nature and adaptive in path, localization, and frequency is illustrated in numerical simulations of thin plate structures. Outcomes from the presented work indicate that the easily integrable and comprehensively tunable proposed metamaterial could be employed in applications requiring a multitude of functions over a broad frequency bandwidth. 

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3. Experimental realization of a reconfigurable electroacoustic topological insulator

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920549117  

   Darabi, Amir; Collet, Manuel; Leamy, Michael J. (July 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   A substantial challenge in guiding elastic waves is the presence of reflection and scattering at sharp edges, defects, and disorder. Recently, mechanical topological insulators have sought to overcome this challenge by supporting back-scattering resistant wave transmission. In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a reconfigurable electroacoustic topological insulator exhibiting an analog to the quantum valley Hall effect (QVHE). Using programmable switches, this phononic structure allows for rapid reconfiguration of domain walls and thus the ability to control back-scattering resistant wave propagation along dynamic interfaces for phonons lying in static and finite-frequency regimes. Accordingly, a graphene-like polyactic acid (PLA) layer serves as the host medium, equipped with periodically arranged and bonded piezoelectric (PZT) patches, resulting in two Dirac cones at the K points. The PZT patches are then connected to negative capacitance external circuits to break inversion symmetry and create nontrivial topologically protected bandgaps. As such, topologically protected interface waves are demonstrated numerically and validated experimentally for different predefined trajectories over a broad frequency range. 

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4. Non-reciprocal acoustic transmission through a dissipative phononic crystal with asymmetric scatterers (Conference Presentation)

   https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2295997  

   Krokhin, Arkadii; Neogi, Arup; Walker, Ezekiel; Bozhko, Andrey; Kundu, Tribikram (April 2018, Proceedings Volume 10600, Health Monitoring of Structural and Biological Systems XII; 1060026 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2295997)

   The existing concepts of non-reciprocity in propagation of acoustic or elastic waves are based either on nonlinear effects, or on local circulation of linear elastic fluid that leads to red or blue Doppler shift, depending on the direction of sound wave. The same concepts exist for electromagnetic non-reciprocity, where external magnetic field may produce the effect similar to local rotation of the medium. These two concepts originate from two known methods of breaking a time-reversal symmetry (T-symmetry), that is necessary for observation of nonreciprocal wave propagation. Both concepts require additional electrical or mechanical devices to be installed with their own power sources. Here we propose to explore viscosity of fluid as a natural factor of the T-symmetry breaking through energy dissipation. We report experimental observation of the nonreciprocal transmission of ultrasound through a water-submerged phononic crystals consisting of several layers of aluminum rods arranged in a square lattice. While viscous losses break the T-symmetry, making the wave propagation thermodynamically irreversible, the transmission remains reciprocal if the scatterers are symmetrical. To generate different energy losses for opposite directions of propagation, the P-symmetry of the crystal is broken by using asymmetric scatterers. Due to asymmetry, two sound waves propagating in the opposite directions produce different distributions of velocity and pressure that leads to different local absorption. Dissipation of acoustic energy occurs mostly near the surface of the scatterers and it strongly depends on surface roughnesses. Using two phononic crystal with smooth and rough aluminum rods we demonstrate low (2-5 dB) and high (10-15 dB) level of non-reciprocity within a wide range of frequencies, 300-600 kHz. Experimental results are in agreement with numerical simulations based on the Navier-Stokes equation. This nonreciprocal linear device is very cheap, robust and does not require energy source. 

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5. Simulations of modulated plane waves using weakly compressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-023-01894-9  

   Chakraborty, S; Ide, K; Balachandran, B (June 2024, Engineering with Computers)

   Extreme waves, also known as ‘rogue waves’, have posed considerable challenges to maritime traffic over some time. Efforts have been directed at investigating the mechanisms governing these extreme energy localizations in oceanic environments. Modulational instability, also known as sideband instability, is one such mechanism that has been proposed to explain the occurrence of such phenomena in the framework of non-linear theory. The current work is aimed at better understanding the effects of sideband modulations on the propagation of unidirectional waves. To achieve this, a numerical wave tank (NWT) has been constructed using Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) to investigate the different parameters associated with the generation and propagation of plane, modulated waves. General Process Graphics Computing Unit (GPGPU) computing has been utilized to accelerate the computational process and improve the computational efficiency. The chosen numerical scheme has been validated by carrying out irregular waves focusing simulations to compare with available experimental data. Additionally, a Peregrine-type breather experiment has also been performed as part of the validation studies to look at energy localization within the NWT. The effects of the different parameters associated with the modulations to a plane propagating wave have been investigated using a blend of surface elevation data, eigenvalue, and frequency spectra. The effect of water depth on the perturbations to plane waves has been also investigated. The observations from these experiments can help shed light into the effects of modulations in the propagation of plane waves and help in the study of oceanic energy localization studies in future. 

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