Linear and nonlinear dynamics of a plate with acoustic black hole, geometric and contact nonlinearity for vibration mitigation

Abstract A rectangular plate with a wedge profile creating an Acoustic Black Hole (ABH) termination is studied numerically. A particular emphasis is put on combining two different types of nonlinearity in order to improve the passive damping capacity of the ABH by transferring energy to the high-frequency range where it is more efficient. First, the addition of contact points to create a vibro-impact black hole (VI-ABH) is taken into account, following a previous study on beams. The contact nonlinearity allows for a rapid and efficient transfer of energy. Second, the large-amplitude vibrations of the plate in the ABH region where small thickness is reached, is also considered. The geometric nonlinearity is incorporated using a von Karman plate model, and the regime of wave turbulence is shown to be triggered thus creating an energy flux from the low to the high frequencies. The linear characteristics of the ABH plate are first analyzed. Numerical results show the appearance of overdamped modes gathered in solution branches with constant number of half-waves in the transverse direction of the ABH, seen as a waveguide. The structure of the branches is shown to be more and more prominent when increasing the width of the plate, showing a transition from beam-like to full plate structure, with a fixed value for the fundamental cut-on frequency. The combination of both contact and geometric nonlinearities to improve the ABH effect is then reported. It is shown that the coexistence of both nonlinearities provides better passive damping efficacy.