Metamaterials
Metastructures, consisting of periodic arrangements of engineered unit cells offer the potential to control propagation of waves across different media.
This phenomenon can be effectuated across different wavelength scales, ranging from the nanoscale, for the control of thermal vibrations, up to the geophysical scale, for the attenuation of seismic vibrations. Macroscopic metastructures, composed of arrays of mechanical oscillators, can be used as structural shields (metabarriers) or as a new form of isolation for structures (metafoundation), thus offering protection from vibrations induced by anthropogenic, mechanical vibration or seismic effects.
The local resonances of these metastructures can open so-called bandgaps, i.e., frequency ranges where the wave propagation is hindered. The tuning of these bandgaps at different frequencies allows to affect the wave propagation, by either steering their direction or attenuating their amplitude.
How it works in brief
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