Creating the Coupled Band Gaps in Piezoelectric Composite Plates by Interconnected Electric Impedance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid Mechanics
• Wave Physics

Background:

• Piezoelectric composite plates exhibit complex wave phenomena.
• Controlling wave propagation is crucial for advanced material applications.
• Existing methods for band gap creation have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate coupled band gaps formed by electric and flexural wave locking in piezoelectric composite plates.
• To explore the influence of global electric network interconnection on band gap formation.
• To compare the characteristics of coupled band gaps with existing band gap types.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the Wave Finite Element Method (WFEM) to analyze wave propagation.
• Investigating the evolution of coupled band gaps based on direction and electrical parameters.
• Employing forced response analysis to validate findings.

Main Results:

• A coupled band gap emerges when uncoupled electric and flexural waves have matching wavelengths and opposite group velocities.
• The coupled band gap's bandwidth and directionality were analyzed and compared to LR and Bragg gaps.
• A novel indicator, the ratio of single wave (RSW), was proposed to assess effective band gaps.
• Coupled band gaps can be significantly wider than LR gaps for equivalent inductance.

Conclusions:

• Global interconnection of piezoelectric materials enables the creation of coupled band gaps.
• The coupled band gap offers a promising, adaptive alternative for wave control in composite structures.
• This research provides a new avenue for designing materials with tunable wave propagation characteristics.