Numerical analysis of wave propagation in composite structures needs large-scale computation which is not feasible in practice. This paper investigates the possibility of applying a wave finite element method (WFEM) to composite structure. The key feature of the WFEM is its capability of accurately analyzing the discontinuities in stress wavefront along with the discontinuities in velocities and strains. In addition, the numerical analysis of the WFEM is unconditionally stable and reduces numerical computation. This paper studies a periodically layered composite rod to analyze the dispersion and propagation of stress waves using the WFEM. The numerical results are compared with other numerical/analytical solutions, paying attention to the accuracy of computing the strong discontinuities in the stress wavefront as well as the dispersion of pulses in a heterogeneous elastic rod. It is shown that the WFEM can be used as an affordable tool for numerically solving wave propagation in composite structures.

中文翻译：

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用波有限元法分析周期性层状复合棒的弹性脉冲色散

复合结构中波传播的数值分析需要大规模计算，这在实践中是不可行的。本文研究了将波动有限元法 (WFEM) 应用于复合结构的可能性。WFEM 的主要特点是能够准确分析应力波前的不连续性以及速度和应变的不连续性。此外，WFEM的数值分析是无条件稳定的，减少了数值计算。本文研究了一种周期性分层复合杆，使用WFEM分析应力波的分散和传播。将数值结果与其他数值/解析解进行比较，注意计算应力波前的强不连续性以及异质弹性棒中脉冲的色散的准确性。结果表明，WFEM 可以用作一种经济实惠的工具，用于数值求解复合结构中的波传播。