Optimal design of composite granular protectors
Abstract
We employ an evolutionary algorithm to investigate the optimal design of composite protectors using one-dimensional granular chains composed of beads of various sizes, masses, and stiffnesses. We define a fitness function using the maximum force transmitted from the protector to a "wall" that represents the body to be protected and accordingly optimize the {topology} (arrangement), {size}, and {material} of the chain. We obtain optimally randomized granular protectors characterized by high-energy equipartition and the transformation of incident waves into interacting solitary pulses. We consistently observe that the pulses traveling to the wall combine to form an extended (long-wavelength), small-amplitude pulse.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0802.1451,
title = {Optimal design of composite granular protectors},
author = {Fernando Fraternali and Mason A. Porter and Chiara Daraio},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0802.1451},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
13 pages, 23 figures (many with multiple parts), to appear in Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures