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

In this paper, we investigate the coupled band gaps created by the locking phenomenon between the electric and flexural waves in piezoelectric composite plates. To do that, the distributed piezoelectric materials should be interconnected via a 'global' electric network rather than the respective 'local' impedance. Once the uncoupled electric wave has the same wavelength and opposite group velocity as the uncoupled flexural wave, the desired coupled band gap emerges. The Wave Finite Element Method (WFEM) is used to investigate the evolution of the coupled band gap with respect to propagation direction and electric parameters. Further, the bandwidth and directionality of the coupled band gap are compared with the LR and Bragg gaps. An indicator termed ratio of single wave (RSW) is proposed to determine the effective band gap for a given deformation (electric, flexural, etc.). The features of the coupled band gap are validated by a forced response analysis. We show that the coupled band gap, despite directional, can be much wider than the LR gap with the same overall inductance. This might lead to an alternative to adaptively create band gaps.