Fig. 1.

(A) The system consists of a 1D series of bistable elements connected by soft coupling elements. (Scale bar, 5 mm.) (B) The coupling elements are designed to exhibit a linear mechanical response, whereas (C and D) the bistable elements possess two stable states. The bistability originates from lateral constraint (d) on a beam pair that is displaced (x) perpendicularly to the constraint. The mechanical response is fully determined by the aspect ratio (L divided by the thickness of the beam) and d. The two stable configurations of the bistable element correspond to the displacements $x=x^{s1}=0$ and $x=x^{s0}$. (Scale bars, 5 mm.) (E) In certain cases a stable nonlinear transition wave propagates through the system (with each bistable element undergoing a displacement from $x=x^{s0}$ to $x=x^{s1}$). The instability (${\widehat{S}}_i$) propagates with constant velocity and geometry, enabled by both (i) the balance of nonlinear and dispersive effects and ($ii$) the balance of dissipation and energy release. Here we show snapshots of the evolving state of the chain, with $t_1=0.128$ s, $t_2=0.194$ s, and $t_3=0.252$ s relative to the start of the experiment, in this case with $d=18.6$ mm.