Investigation of co-travelling solitary wave collisions in a granular chain

We present investigations into the collision of co-travelling solitary waves in a granular chain. Impulses are injected into the system by means of a piezo stack and the results are compared to a numerical model of discrete masses connected by non-linear springs. Similar to other solitary wave-carrying systems, a phase shift in both interacting solitary waves is observed due to their collision. Additionally, the formation of small secondary waves is observed in both numerical and experimental results. Insight into solitary wave interactions will be important for high-frequency excitation of a granular crystal, which may allow for improved Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) methods.