Structural design of a piezoelectric meta-structure with nonlinear electrical Bi-link networks for elastic wave control

This study reports a structural optimization work of a piezoelectric meta-structure with nonlinear electrical switched Bi-link electronic networks for adaptive wave propagation manipulation and vibration control applications. The investigated meta-structure consists in a periodic arrangement of elementary cells shaping the beam substructure, each of these comprising two piezoelectric elements with connected electrical terminals through semi-passive nonlinear electrical interface, which therefore forms the so-called Bi-link electrical connection. In order to optimize the investigated structure for wave propagation control, the effects of adjusting the geometric/material parameters and locations of the two piezoelectric elements in one periodic cell are analyzed and summarized in detail. Four kinds of structural optimization methods including eighteen structural optimization sub-methods for the open circuit condition and the SSDI Bi-link condition are concluded and discussed in this research. Results show that the performance of these new resonant-type band gaps can be manipulated to meet the targeted aim in terms of wave propagation characteristics in different frequency domains by proper tuning of the investigated parameters.