Universality of the frequency spectrum of laminates

We show that the frequency spectrum of two-component elastic laminates admits a universal structure, independent of the geometry of the periodic-cell and the specific physical properties. The compactness of the structure enables us to rigorously derive the maximal width, the expected width, and the density of the band-gaps - ranges of frequencies at which waves cannot propagate. In particular, we find that the density of these band-gaps is a universal property of classes of laminates. Rules for tailoring laminates according to desired spectrum properties thereby follow. We show that the frequency spectrum of various finitely deformed laminates are also endowed with the same compact structure. Finally, we explain how our results generalize for laminates with an arbitrary number of components, based on the form of their dispersion relation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.