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Topological phononic crystals (PCs) offer a novel approach to control the behavior of acoustic or elastic waves. In this paper, we design the gradient PC structures with coupled interfaces to realize topological rainbow trapping and broadband acoustic energy harvesting. Based on the geometric symmetry of PC unit cells, we construct the coupled topological interfaces by amalgamating two PCs with distinct topological phases. Also, the gradient modulation of structural parameters along the coupled interfaces is employed for the generation of rainbow trapping. Subsequently, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film is mounted along the coupled interfaces of the gradient PC structures, facilitating the conversion of acoustic energy into electrical energy. The numerical and experimental results show that the acoustic waves at different frequencies stop and are amplified at different positions of the coupled interfaces. Compared with the harvester in a bare structure, the topological PC energy harvester significantly enhances the output power at different excited frequencies. In the experiments, the maximum amplification ratio of the output power reaches 91. Besides, it is demonstrated that the topological rainbow trapping of acoustic waves exhibits robustness against random structural disorders. Notably, the coupled interfaces have broadband and multi-mode features, which are promising for other applications such as selective filtering and sensing enhancement.

In this study, we design the 3D-printed phononic crystal (PnC) beam with the topological interface state for harvesting the mechanical energy of flexural waves. The PnC beam is formed by arranging periodic grooves on its surface. The PnC beam with either topologically trivial or non-trivial phase can be achieved via changing the distance between the grooves. The topological interface state is then generated by combining two PnCs with distinct topological phases. The existence of the interface state of the PnC beam is verified both numerically and experimentally. To convert the mechanical energy into the electricity, a piezoelectric disc is attached at the interface of the proposed PnC beam. Compared to the reference beam harvester, the measured output power is significantly amplified by the PnC harvester at the frequency corresponding to the interface state. Furthermore, the PnC beam energy harvester based on the topological state exhibits robustness against geometrical disorders.

In this paper, a novel design concept for active self-adaptive metamaterial (ASAMM) plates is proposed based on an active self-adaptive (ASA) control strategy guided by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. The ASAMM plates consist of an elastic base plate and two periodic arrays of piezoelectric patches. The periodic piezoelectric patches place on the bottom plate surface act as sensors, while the other ones attached on the top plate surfaces act as actuators. A simplified plate model is established by the Hamilton principle. By assuming a uniform or constant plate thickness, the plane wave expansion (PWE) method is adopted to calculate the band structures. The finite element method (FEM) using 2D plate and 3D solid elements is also used to calculate the band structures and the transmission spectra or frequency responses. The conventional displacement, velocity and acceleration feedback control methods are introduced and analyzed. Then, a novel ASA control strategy based on combining the displacement and acceleration feedback control methods and guided by the PSO technique is developed. Numerical results will be presented and discussed to show that the proposed ASAMM plates can automatically and intelligently evolve different feedback control schemes to adapt to different stimulations on demand. Compared to the conventional metamaterial (MM) plates, the proposed ASAMM plates exhibit improved and enhanced band-gap characteristics and suppression performance for flexural waves at frequencies outside the band-gaps

Thermal wave crystals based on the dual-phase-lag model are investigated in this paper by both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation to control the non-Fourier heat conduction process. The transfer matrix method is used to calculate the complex dispersion curves. The temperature field is calculated by the finite difference time domain method. The results show that thermal band-gaps exist due to the Bragg-scattering. The key parameters characterizing the band-gaps are analyzed. The thermal wave impedance and mid-gap frequencies are introduced to predict band-gaps theoretically. Our results show that the larger the difference in the thermal wave impedances is, the wider of the thermal band-gaps will be. This study demonstrates a type of the thermal metamaterials which have potential innovative applications such as thermal imagining, thermal diodes and thermal waveguides for energy transmission.

Non-Fourier heat conduction models assume wave-like behavior does exist in the heat conduction process. Based on this wave-like behavior, thermal conduction controlled in a one-dimensional periodical structure, named thermal wave crystal, has been demonstrated through both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation based on the Cattaneo-Vernotte (CV) heat-conduction model. The transfer matrix method and Bloch analysis have been applied to calculate the band structure of thermal wave propagating in thermal wave crystals. And the temperature responses are obtained by using the FDTD method, which is also used to verify the correctness of the band structure. The results show that band gaps do exist due to the Bragg scattering. Then, a calculation method to predict the mid-gap frequency of band gaps for the thermal wave crystal has been introduced in this Letter. And key parameters determining the band gaps have been discussed. This study shows the potential applications of this novel mechanism, such as thermal imagining, thermal diodes and thermal waveguides.