Interaction of highly nonlinear solitary waves with thin plates

We investigate the reflection of highly nonlinear solitary waves in one-dimensional granular crystals interacting with large plates. We observe significant changes in the reflected waves’ properties in terms of wave amplitude and time of flight in association with the intrinsic inelasticity of large plates, which are governed by the plate thickness and the size of the granular constituents. We also study the effects of fixed plate boundaries in the formation of reflected waves, and find the existence of a critical distance, within which the interaction between the granular chain and plate is strongly modified. We explain the effects of intrinsic inelasticity and of boundaries in the large plates by using plate theory and the contact mechanics between a plate and a spherical striker. We find that experimental results are in excellent agreement with the analytical predictions and numerical simulations based on the combined discrete element and spectral element models. The findings in this study can be useful for the nondestructive evaluation of plate structures using granular crystals, which can improve the resolution of in-situ, portable measurement instruments leveraging high acoustic energy and sensitivity of solitary waves.