On the formation of envelope solitons with tube ended by spherical beads

In this paper it is suggested the possibility of using a simple device to explore the propagation of short transverse perturbations in specimens of three linearly aligned elements (bead, tube and bead). By using time signal analysis and frequency spectroscopy some properties of the transmitted wave packets are experimentally analyzed in the acoustic domain. It is clearly demonstrated that the shape and the velocity of propagation of the waves do not change with distance. The amplitude may vary depending on the dissipation effect. These properties allow us to identify the wave packets as “envelope solitons”. The influence of the elasticity of these materials composing the beads and the tube on the generation of envelope solitons is also investigated.

► The paper deals with a simple experimental device for generating envelope solitons.
► Experiments point out a criterion for selecting the pair of materials allowing to create soliton.
► Nonlinearity and dispersion phenomena are used for creation of envelope solitary type waves.
► The property of envelope solitons bearing on the shape and velocity of propagation versus distance is verified.