Experimental and theoretical evidence for the existence of absolute acoustic band gaps in two-dimensional solid phononic crystals

Experimental measurements of acoustic transmission through a solid-solid tw o-dimensional binary-composite medium constituted of a triangular array of parallel circular steel cylinders in an epoxy matrix are reported. Attentio n is restricted to propagation of elastic waves perpendicular to the cylind ers. Measured transmitted spectra demonstrate the existence of absolute sto p bands, i.e., band gaps independent of the direction of propagation in the plane perpendicular to the cylinders. Theoretical calculations of the band structure and transmission spectra using the plane wave expansion and the finite difference time domain methods support unambiguously the absolute na ture of the observed band gaps.