Simulation of solitary wave propagation in carbon fibre reinforced polymer

Abstract

The emergence and propagation of solitary waves is investigated for carbon fibre reinforced polymer using numerical simulations for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) purposes. The simulations are done with the Chebyshev collocation method. The simplest laminate model is used for the periodical structure of the material from which dispersion will arise. Classical and nonclassical nonlinearities are introduced in the constitutive equation. The balance of the dispersion and nonlinearity is analysed by studying the shape-changing effects of the medium on the initial input pulse and the possibility of solitary wave propagation is considered. Future applications of solitary waves for nonlinear medical imaging and NDT of materials are discussed.