Strain solitary waves in lengthy waveguides

Abstract

During the last decade we have performed theoretical investigations and successful experimental research demonstrating the existence of bulk strain solitary waves in nonlinearly elastic solid wave guides. However in the previous experiments we were limited by relatively short wave guides (up to 150 mm long), that provoked some doubts in that the observed waves were really solitary waves. Here we demonstrate new experimental results on soliton behavior in a much longer wave guide (up to 570 mm long) made of polystyrene. It is shown that even at so long distances bulk solitons do not exhibit any decrease of amplitude or shape changes when propagating in an isotropic wave guide. On the contrary any of linear or shock waves in these material disappear completely at much shorter distances. The obvious physical applications of strain solitons are connected primarily with potential generation of such waves in elastic constructions, that was not considered before in calculations of their strength, plasticity and damage threshold. The possibility to record variations of strain soliton parameters in long wave guides gives an opportunity to obtain data on nonlinear wave dissipation in these materials.

On nonlinear wave dissipation in polymers

“…That gives the following values for α: 17 m -1 for PS and 25 m -1 for PMMA, therefore the wave amplitude decreases in e times at the distance of 6 cm in PS and 4 cm in PMMA respectively. The results we obtained for the initial shock wave decay in these materials [1] are in a good correspondence with these data.…”

“…In our recent paper [1] we reported our preliminary results on solitary wave evolution in lengthy wave guides. Evaluations we made in that paper were based on experiments on soliton prpagation in polystyrene (PS) bars.…”

Holographic approach to detection of delamination areas in layered polymeric waveguides by means of strain solitons

“…Being formed, the soliton propagates along the homogeneous wave guide with almost no change of amplitude, shape and velocity (see [8] for details). In inhomogeneous waveguides soliton parameters vary depending upon the nature and characteristics of inhomogeneities ( [9][10][11]). In the current paper we analyze the effect of delamination on the soliton behavior in layered waveguides.…”