Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 18, 2026
09:39
Characterizing Dissipative Elastic Metamaterials Produced by Additive Manufacturing
Published on: June 28, 2024
1.7K
Composite 3D-printed metastructures for low-frequency and broadband vibration absorption
Kathryn H Matlack1, Anton Bauhofer2, Sebastian Krödel2
1Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland; matlackk@ethz.ch.
Summary
New elastic metastructures enable wide, low-frequency band gaps for vibration and sound control. These architected materials offer enhanced performance with reduced mass, overcoming limitations of phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Acoustics
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Architected materials are crucial for controlling elastic wave propagation, essential for vibration mitigation and sound attenuation.
- Phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials utilize band-gap engineering but face limitations in low-frequency performance and operational bandwidth due to size and mass constraints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel class of elastic metastructures capable of forming wide, low-frequency band gaps.
- To achieve these desirable band gaps while simultaneously reducing the overall mass of the material.
Main Methods:
- Combining local resonances with the structural modes of a periodic architected lattice.
- Utilizing Bragg scattering mechanisms for band gap induction.
- Leveraging finite-element simulations to inform design and experimental validation through advanced additive manufacturing.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the formation of wide and low-frequency band gaps in elastic metastructures.
- Showcased that band gap size and frequency range can be controlled and broadened via local resonances tied to lattice geometry modifications.
- Successfully reduced the global mass of the metastructures while achieving desired wave propagation control.
Conclusions:
- Elastic metastructures offer a promising design strategy for overcoming limitations of existing phononic and acoustic materials.
- This approach enables tunable, broad, and low-frequency wave control with reduced mass.
- The design principles have wide-ranging applications in structural vibration, noise, and shock mitigation.
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