Computational Verification and Experimental Validation of the Vibration-Attenuation Properties of a Geometrically Nonlinear Metamaterial Design


Date

2022-05

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

Citations

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Data

Abstract

To prevent the severe effects of earthquake on built systems, structural engineering pursues attenuation of vibrations on structures. A recently surfaced means to structural vibration mitigation exploits the concept of metamaterials, i.e., of configurations able to control wave propagation in specific frequency ranges, termed band gaps. The current study harnesses the potency of a geometrically nonlinear unit-cell design, which can develop negative stiffness, and explores the vibration-attenuation capabilities of the resulting metamaterial device. An analytical approach is followed to calculate the expected attenuation zone, as well as for calculating the dependence on the amplitude of the input, a hallmark of the nonlinear behavior. For the purpose of validation of a proof-of-concept system, dynamic tests are performed on a scaled model assembled using LEGO® components. Besides showing that such a nonlinear system can be easily constructed, these tests illustrate the potential of this nonlinear design for vibration reduction within the targeted band-gap frequency zones and the protection that it can offer to a primary system. Finally, numerical analyses are used to verify the analytical calculations of the dispersion relation and are additionally compared to the experimental results, evaluating the incorporated modeling assumptions. The possibility to lower the band gap in the typical seismic engineering frequency range and to maintain a broadband attenuation at low frequency show that negative stiffness may enhance the performance of metamaterials for seismic protection.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

17 (5)

Pages / Article No.

54023

Publisher

American Physical Society

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

Acoustic metamaterials; Earthquakes; Nonlinear acoustics; Phononic crystals; 1-dimensional systems; Bragg structures; Acoustic techniques; Numerical techniques

Organisational unit

03890 - Chatzi, Eleni / Chatzi, Eleni check_circle

Notes

Funding

813424 - INNOVATIVE GROUND INTERFACE CONCEPTS FOR STRUCTURE PROTECTION (EC)
863179 - Bio-Inspired Hierarchical MetaMaterials (EC)
174009 - Structured materials for multiscale wave control (SNF)

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