Experimental studies on surface-wave isolation by periodic wave barriers

Periodic structures often fabricated at the micro/nano-scale have opened new vistas in acoustic and electromagnetic wave manipulations due to band-gap properties. This study shows theoretically and experimentally that the propagation of destructive surface waves can also be controlled artificially using periodic wave barriers that modify the global properties of the background soil. To depict the attenuation property of surface waves, this study provides a complete dispersion analysis, the complex dispersion relation. Results show that, remarkably, the attenuation zone for surface waves includes not only the band gap but also other evanescent surface modes. This result agrees well with that in the experimental transmission spectra for both periodic trench barriers and periodic pile barriers. Due to their broadband attenuation performance, periodic wave barriers are expected to apply to vibration isolation in a wide range of systems.