Bloch oscillation of elastic waves in the graded lattice of 3D-printed hollow elliptical cylinders

Abstract

We study the Bloch oscillation of elastic waves in a chain composed of hollow elliptical cylinders (HECs). These HECs are 3D-printed in different wall thicknesses and are arranged to form a graded chain. We find that the frequency band structure of this lattice can be manipulated in a way to create a narrow strip of transmission range sandwiched between slanted stop bands. This results in the trapping of elastic waves at a specific location of the chain, which depends on the input frequency of the propagating elastic waves. This elastic Bloch oscillation in a tailorable 3D-printed system enables the control of energy localization in solids, potentially leading to engineering applications for vibration filtering, energy harvesting, and structural health monitoring.