Asymmetric propagation of low-frequency acoustic waves in a granular chain using asymmetric intruders

Abstract

This paper investigates the asymmetric propagation of acoustic waves in a one-dimensional chain of spherical particles coupled with asymmetric intruders. The chain passes acoustic waves along one direction (forward configuration) whereas partially blocks the acoustic energy propagating along the opposite direction (reverse configuration). A numerical analysis is conducted to investigate this asymmetric propagation by simulating a statically compressed chain of particles interacting via Hertzian contact and subjected to small amplitude periodic displacements at one end. The amount of acoustic energy transmitted through the chain in both configurations is studied and quantified in terms of the acoustic energy transfer ratio, defined as the ratio of the acoustic power at the last particle to the acoustic power at the first particle. The effect of the applied frequency and number of particles in the chain on the transfer ratio is investigated. In addition, a parametric study is performed to evaluate the effects of geometric and material properties on the efficiency of asymmetric acoustic wave propagation in the proposed system. The results show that the proposed design supports asymmetric propagation of low frequency acoustic waves.