Elastic Metamaterial Insulator for Broadband Low-Frequency Flexural Vibration Shielding

Abstract

Vibration shielding is a core concept in applications including precision manufacturing, vehicle design, and interfloor noise reduction in architecture. Blocking broad ranges of extremely low frequencies remains a challenging, unresolved problem. The authors present an elastic metamaterial based on the dual ideas of $r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n$ $s\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}f\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}g$ and $s\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}h\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r$ $s\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}f\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}f\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}g$, to shield against flexural waves from 235 to 4520 Hz, covering nearly the entire range of conventional frequencies. These small, lightweight, mass-beam-plate structures could provide many solutions in acoustic engineering.