Transverse-inertia-induced wave dispersion in plate–shell chains with a variable Poisson ratio.

One-dimensional shell chain structures can cause stress wave dispersion, and the dispersion ability is mainly affected by the apparent elastic Poisson ratio of the unit cell composing the chain. In this study, a novel plate–shell chain structure with a variable Poisson ratio is proposed by combining bent plates and arc shells (BPAS). The dispersive wave propagation features in the BPAS chains under striker impact are studied theoretically, numerically, and experimentally. An equivalent continuum model of the unit cell under compression in a linear-elastic deformation regime is established, which contains two material parameters, i.e., the apparent elastic modulus and the apparent elastic Poisson ratio. It is found that the unit cell can reach a relatively large Poisson ratio by adjusting its structural parameters. A continuum-based wave propagation model considering transverse inertia is developed, and an explicit analytical solution is obtained to represent the dispersion wave propagation behavior within a linear-elastic deformation regime. The model can reasonably predict the force and velocity evolution features of the chains and is verified by the numerical/experimental tests. The results show that the BPAS chain with a large Poisson ratio exhibits superior wave dispersion performances. The underlying mechanism is that more impact energy is dispersed by the transverse movement of the cells in the BPAS chain. Increasing the aspect ratio of the unit cell can improve the wave dispersion ability of the BPAS chains, achieving a high attenuation of the stress wave and is helpful for impact mitigation. • A plate–shell chain with a variable Poisson ratio is proposed for tuning wave propagation. • An equivalent continuum model of the unit cell composing the chain is established. • An analytical continuum-based wave model considering transverse inertia is developed. • The plate–shell chain can achieve strong wave dispersion due to its transverse inertia. • The wave dispersion ability of the plate–shell chain is superior to the hollow elliptical cylinder chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]