Acoustic metamaterial panels based on multi frequency vibration absorbers

Presented here is a new metamaterial panel based on multi-frequency vibration absorbers for broadband vibration absorption. The proposed metamaterial panel consists of a uniform isotropic panel and small two-mass spring-mass-damper subsystem many locations along the panel to act as multi-frequency vibration absorbers. The existence of two stopbands is demonstrated using a model based on averaging material properties over a cell length and a model based on finite element modeling and the Bloch-Floquet theory for periodic structures. For a finite metamaterial panel, because these two idealized models can not be used for finite panels and/or elastic waves having short wavelengths, a finite-element method is used for detailed modeling and analysis. The concepts of negative effective stiffness is explained in detail. For an incoming wave with a frequency in one of the two stopbands, the absorbers are excited to vibrate in their optical modes to create shear forces to straighten the panel and stop the wave propagation. For an incoming wave with a frequency outside of but between the two stopbands, it can be efficiently damped out by the damper with these mass of each absorber. Hence, the two stopbands are connected in to a wide stopband. Numerical examples validate the concept and show that the structures boundary conditions do not have significant influence on the absorption of high-frequency waves. However, for absorption of low-frequency waves, the structures boundary conditions and resonance frequencies and the location and spatial distribution of absorbers need to be considered in design, and it is better to use heavier masses for absorbers.