Enhancing Nonlinear Solitary Wave Propagation Device using PLA Plate

– The following research complements the challenge of reducing plastic deformation when measuring the Young’s modulus with the nonlinear solitary wave propagation device. Enhancing the device performance of measuring on soft soils was possible by adding plastic polylactide (PLA) plate in between the last sphere and surveyed medium, designed to dissipate the stresses generated in the contact point. The methodology employed involves a finite element model that represents in an axis-symmetric format the contact between the last sphere of the device and the study surface. Adding to this interaction the plate with different materials and thickness to identify the optimal plate configuration that maximizes stress dispersion without compromising the device’s measurement capabilities. Upon selecting the PLA plate, extensive simulations were driven to evaluate the influence of the plate in the interaction. The outcomes for different soil configurations were unified into a coefficient, modifying the contact equation to represent the presence of the plate without adding extensive complexity to it. Results suggest that the alternative of incorporating a plate can significantly enhance the device ability to measure in soft soils, and reduce plastic deformations. The representation of the plate effect into a single coefficient within the contact equation allows this approach to further implemented in numerical and experimental validation on future works.