Exploring phononic crystal tunability using dielectric elastomers

Tunable phononic crystals give rise to interesting opportunities such as variable-frequency vibration filters. By using soft dielectric elastomers, which undergo large deformations when acted upon by an external electric field, the frequency ranges of these band gaps may be adjusted, or new band gaps may be created through electrical stimuli. In this talk, we will discuss our finite-element-based numerical simulation capability for designing electrically-tunable, soft phononic crystals. The key ingredients of our finite-element tools are (i) the incorporation of electro-mechanical coupling, (ii) large-deformation capability, and (iii) an accounting for inertial effects. We present a demonstration of our simulation capability to the design of phononic crystals consisting of both square and hexagonal arrays of circular-cross-section threads embedded in a dielectric elastomeric matrix. Finally, we will consider electro-mechanical instabilities as alternative route for enhanced tunability. [This work was currently funded through the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Research program.]