Transversal-rotational and zero group velocity modes in tunable magneto-granular phononic crystals

We report on the design and operation of a 1D magneto-granular phononic crystal composed of a chain of steel spherical beads on top of permanent magnets. The magnetic field of the permanent magnets induces forces in the granular structure. By changing its strength, we can tune the dynamic response of the granular structure. We present experimental results with evidence of coupled transversal-rotational modes, and zero group velocities modes. These observations are well supported by a proposed model taking into account the mechanical coupling between the beads and the magnets by linear stiffnesses and including all degrees of freedom in translations and rotations

Nonlinear Hysteretic Torsional Waves

We theoretically study and experimentally report the propagation of nonlinear hysteretic torsional pulses in a vertical granular chain made of cm-scale, self-hanged magnetic beads. As predicted by contact mechanics, the torsional coupling between two beads is found nonlinear hysteretic. This results in a nonlinear pulse distortion essentially different from the distortion predicted by classical nonlinearities, and in a complex dynamic response depending on the history of the wave particle angular velocity. Both are consistent with the predictions of purely hysteretic nonlinear elasticity and the Preisach-Mayergoyz hysteresis model, providing the opportunity to study the phenomenon of nonlinear dynamic hysteresis in the absence of other type of material nonlinearities. The proposed configuration reveals a plethora of interesting phenomena including giant amplitude-dependent attenuation, short term memory as well as dispersive properties. Thus, it could find interesting applications in nonlinear wave control devices such as strong amplitude-dependent filters

Characterization of segregation in bidispersed granular media by linear and nonlinear acoustic methods

AbstractThe segregation of size is studied by linear and nonlinear acoustic methods for an unconsolidated granular medium. By applying vertical vibrations we study the variation of the average compacity and the acoustic transfer function in order to follow the segregation process with an acoustic probing

Experimental evidence of ageing and slow restoration of the weak-contact configuration in tilted 3D granular packings

Granular packings slowly driven towards their instability threshold are studied using a digital imaging technique as well as a nonlinear acoustic method. The former method allows us to study grain rearrangements on the surface during the tilting and the latter enables to selectively probe the modifications of the weak-contact fraction in the material bulk. Gradual ageing of both the surface activity and the weak-contact reconfigurations is observed as a result of repeated tilt cycles up to a given angle smaller than the angle of avalanche. For an aged configuration reached after several consecutive tilt cycles, abrupt resumption of the on-surface activity and of the weak-contact rearrangements occurs when the packing is subsequently inclined beyond the previous maximal tilting angle. This behavior is compared with literature results from numerical simulations of inclined 2D packings. It is also found that the aged weak-contact configurations exhibit spontaneous restoration towards the initial state if the packing remains at rest for tens of minutes. When the packing is titled forth and back between zero and near-critical angles, instead of ageing, the weak-contact configuration exhibits "internal weak-contact avalanches" in the vicinity of both the near-critical and zero angles. By contrast, the stronger-contact skeleton remains stable

Acoustic Probing of the Jamming Transition in an Unconsolidated Granular Medium

Experiments with acoustic waves guided along the mechanically free surface of an unconsolidated granular packed structure provide information on the elasticity of granular media at very low pressures that are naturally controlled by the gravitational acceleration and the depth beneath the surface. Comparison of the determined dispersion relations for guided surface acoustic modes with a theoretical model reveals the dependencies of the elastic moduli of the granular medium on pressure. The experiments confirm recent theoretical predictions that relaxation of the disordered granular packing through non-affine motion leads to a peculiar scaling of shear rigidity with pressure near the jamming transition corresponding to zero pressure. Unexpectedly, and in disagreement with the most of the available theories, the bulk modulus depends on pressure in a very similar way to the shear modulus

Perfect and broadband acoustic absorption by critically coupled sub-wavelength resonators

International audiencePerfect absorption is an interdisciplinary topic with a large number of applications, the challenge of which consists of broadening its inherently narrow frequency-band performance. We experimentally and analytically report perfect and broadband absorption for audible sound, by the mechanism of critical coupling, with a sub-wavelength multi-resonant scatterer (SMRS) made of a plate-resonator/ closed waveguide structure. In order to introduce the role of the key parameters, we first present the case of a single resonant scatterer (SRS) made of a Helmholtz resonator/closed waveguide structure. In both cases the controlled balance between the energy leakage of the several resonances and the inherent losses of the system leads to perfect absorption peaks. In the case of the SMRS we show that systems with large inherent losses can be critically coupled using resonances with large leakage. In particular, we show that in the SMRS system, with a thickness of λ/12 and diameter of λ/7, several perfect absorption peaks overlap to produce absorption bigger than 93% for frequencies that extend over a factor of 2 in audible frequencies. The reported concepts and methodology provide guidelines for the design of broadband perfect absorbers which could contribute to solve the major issue of noise reduction