Boundary element method for band gap calculations of two-dimensional solid phononic crystals

A boundary element method (BEM) is developed to calculate the elastic band gaps of two-dimensional (2D) phononic crystals which are composed of square or triangular lattices of solid cylinders in a solid matrix. In a unit cell, the boundary integral equations of the matrix and the scatterer are derived, the former of which involves integrals over the boundary of the scatterer and the periodic boundary of the matrix, while the latter only involves the boundary of the scatterer. Constant boundary elements are adopted to discretize the boundary integral equations. Substituting the periodic boundary conditions and the interface conditions, a linear eigenvalue equation dependent on the Bloch wave vector is derived. Some numerical examples are illustrated to discuss the accuracy, efficiency, convergence and the computing speed of the presented method. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.