Doubly nonlinear waveguides with self-switching functionality selection capabilities

Wave dispersion in a damped beam supported by cubic nonlinear springs: A multiscale freewave approach

Researchers are drawn to exploring wave dispersion in nonlinear systems because of the amplitude-dependent tunability of the band gap. This paper investigates the amplitude-dependent wave dispersion in continuous beam structures supported periodically by nonlinear springs. Additionally, it examines the influence of inherent beam damping on wave dispersion. The analytical framework consists of homogenization of the unit cell and the method of multiple scales with two distinct time scales to derive the wave dispersion equation. The proposed analytical approach for nonlinear wave propagation is validated through numerical finite element simulations. It is observed that the frequency shift is positive for hardening and negative for softening supports. Following this, the dispersion shift over time in the damped systems is examined by considering viscous and strain rate-dependent damping. The sensitivity of strain rate damping to propagation constant and the independence of viscous damping from propagation constant are thoroughly investigated. In a damped system, the frequency shift diminishes over time as the amplitude decreases reducing the effect of nonlinearity. This study opens up avenues for controlling or filtering vibrations through the tunable band gap of continuous nonlinear metamaterials.

Wavenumber-space band clipping in nonlinear periodic structures

In weakly nonlinear systems, the main effect of cubic nonlinearity on wave propagation is an amplitude-dependent correction of the dispersion relation. This phenomenon can manifest either as a frequency shift or as a wavenumber shift depending on whether the excitation is prescribed as an initial condition or as a boundary condition, respectively. Several models have been proposed to capture the frequency shifts observed when the system is subjected to harmonic initial excitations. However, these models are not compatible with harmonic boundary excitations, which represent the conditions encountered in most practical applications. To overcome this limitation, we present a multiple scales framework to analytically capture the wavenumber shift experienced by dispersion relation of nonlinear monatomic chains under harmonic boundary excitations. We demonstrate that the wavenumber shifts result in an unusual dispersion correction effect, which we term wavenumber-space band clipping. We then extend the framework to locally resonant periodic structures to explore the implications of this phenomenon on bandgap tunability. We show that the tuning capability is available if the cubic nonlinearity is deployed in the internal springs supporting the resonators.

Nonlinear harmonic generation in two-dimensional lattices of repulsive magnets

In this work, we provide experimental evidence of nonlinear wave propagation in a triangular lattice of repulsive magnets supported by an elastic foundation of thin pillars, and we interpret all the individual features of the nonlinear wave field through the lens of a phonon band calculation that precisely accounts for the interparticle repulsive forces. We confirm the coexistence of two spectrally distinct components (homogeneous and forced) in the wave response that is induced via second harmonic generation (SHG) as a result of the quadratic nonlinearity embedded in the magnetic interaction. The detection of the forced component, specifically, allows us to attribute unequivocally the generation of harmonics to the nonlinear mechanisms germane to the lattice. We show that the spatial characteristics of the second harmonic components are markedly different from those exhibited by the fundamental harmonic. This endows the lattice with a functionality enrichment capability, whereby additional modal characteristics and directivity patterns can be triggered and tuned by merely increasing the amplitude of excitation.

Foundations for Soft, Smart Matter by Active Mechanical Metamaterials

Emerging interest to synthesize active, engineered matter suggests a future where smart material systems and structures operate autonomously around people, serving diverse roles in engineering, medical, and scientific applications. Similar to biological organisms, a realization of active, engineered matter necessitates functionality culminating from a combination of sensory and control mechanisms in a versatile material frame. Recently, metamaterial platforms with integrated sensing and control have been exploited, so that outstanding non-natural material behaviors are empowered by synergistic microstructures and controlled by smart materials and systems. This emerging body of science around active mechanical metamaterials offers a first glimpse at future foundations for autonomous engineered systems referred to here as soft, smart matter. Using natural inspirations, synergy across disciplines, and exploiting multiple length scales as well as multiple physics, researchers are devising compelling exemplars of actively controlled metamaterials, inspiring concepts for autonomous engineered matter. While scientific breakthroughs multiply in these fields, future technical challenges remain to be overcome to fulfill the vision of soft, smart matter. This Review surveys the intrinsically multidisciplinary body of science targeted to realize soft, smart matter via innovations in active mechanical metamaterials and proposes ongoing research targets that may deliver the promise of autonomous, engineered matter to full fruition.