Bandgap of flexural wave in periodic bi-layer beam

A periodic bi-layer beam structure is proposed and the bandgap characteristic of flexural wave is studied in this paper. The single cell is made up of two bi-layer beams with four components. For the infinite structure, the flexural wave bandgap frequency algorithm is theoretically derived through Timoshenko beam theory, Hamilton principle, Bloch-Floquet theory and transfer matrix method. An analytical example is presented to illustrate the bandgap characteristic and FEA software simulation is conducted to demonstrate the validation of the algorithm. For the finite structure, the vibration transmission characteristic is studied with FEA software to show the flexural wave attenuation behavior of the periodic bi-layer beam. The results reveal that, the flexural wave is attenuated gradually in the stopband along the direction of wave propagation, while in the passband, it will propagate without attenuation. Comparisons with periodic single layer beam are studied to verify the convenience and flexibility of bi-layer beam. Finally, parametric influences on bandgaps are discussed, which will help the designers to make a better design for vibration reduction.