Characterization by a time-frequency method of classical waves propagation in one-dimensional lattice : effects of the dispersion and localized nonlinearities

This paper presents an application of time-frequency methods to characterize the dispersion of acoustic waves travelling in a one-dimensional periodic or disordered lattice made up of Helmholtz resonators connected to a cylindrical tube. These methods allow (1) to evaluate the velocity of the wave energy when the input signal is an acoustic pulse ; (2) to display the evolution of the spectral content of the transient signal ; (3) to show the role of the localized nonlinearities on the propagation .i.e the emergence of higher harmonics. The main result of this paper is that the time-frequency methods point out how the nonlinearities break the localization of the waves and/or the filter effects of the lattice.