Traveling fronts in dissipative granular chains and nonlinear lattices

We consider an infinite chain of particles with nonlinear elastic and dissipative nearest neighbors interactions. Assuming the existence of a traveling front between uniformly compressed (or stretched) states, we obtain jump conditions relating the wave speed and limiting particle velocities to the relative displacements at infinity. Using this result, we characterise compression fronts in chains of touching beads, for viscoelastic contact laws that include a nonlinear elastic force (generalised Hertz contact) and viscous dissipation. We compute compression fronts numerically for the generalised Kuwabara–Kono model in which the viscous contact force is proportional to the derivative of the elastic force, without precompression of the chain. Steady fronts are obtained both as the end result of the compression of one end of the chain and using a shooting method which provides numerically exact traveling waves. Depending on the magnitudes of contact damping and strain applied downstream, we obtain either overdamped (monotonic) or underdamped (oscillatory) compression fronts. To explain this transition and approximate the front profiles, we consider a continuum limit valid when the exponent of the contact nonlinearity is close to (and above) unity. Using multiscale expansions, we formally derive two different amplitude equations for long waves, a Burgers equation with logarithmic nonlinearity, and a logarithmic Korteweg–de Vries (KdV)–Burgers equation for small contact damping. Both models possess traveling front solutions that are in good agreement with the front profiles computed numerically in the granular chain. The analysis of the logarithmic KdV–Burgers equation allows one to approximate the critical damping corresponding to the transition from underdamped to overdamped fronts.