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Researchers: Yasuhiro Miyazawa
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Collaborators: Prof. Christopher Chong [C. Chong] and Prof. Panayotis Kevrekidis [websites.umass.edu]
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Themes: Energy transfer in advanced structures
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The study of wave focusing in nonlinear mechanical metamaterials has transitioned from theoretical modelling to precise experimental validation, uncovering fundamental mechanisms of extreme energy localisation. Recent research has demonstrated the experimental formation of mechanical rogue waves through a precisely engineered one-dimensional lattice with strain-softening nonlinearity, facilitated by a bespoke electromagnetic release system that overcomes the limitations of conventional boundary excitation. This platform also enables the detailed exploration of rarefaction solitary wave interactions, revealing that collisions in these media are nearly elastic and result in measurable, amplitude-dependent phase shifts. By reconciling experimental observations with analytical models such as the Boussinesq approximation, these works provide a robust foundation for leveraging transient nonlinear wave phenomena in advanced engineering applications, including impact mitigation, energy harvesting, and solitonic computing.
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