Dispersion and localization in structured Rayleigh beams

This paper brings a comparative analysis between dynamic models of couple-stress elastic materials and structured Rayleigh beams on a Winkler foundation. Although physical phenomena have different physical origins, the underlying equations appear to be similar, and hence mathematical models have a lot in common. In the present work, our main focus is on the analysis of dispersive waves, band-gaps and localized waveforms in structured Rayleigh beams. The Rayleigh beam theory includes the effects of rotational inertia which are neglected in the Euler--Bernoulli beam theory. This makes the approach applicable to higher frequency regimes. Special attention is given to waves in pre-stressed Rayleigh beams on elastic foundations.