Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps

Phononic metamaterials are capable of manipulating mechanical wave propagation in applications ranging from nanoscale heat transfer to noise and vibration mitigation. The design of phononic metamaterials to control low-frequency vibrations, such as those induced by ground transportation and low-ampl...

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Main Authors: Yanyu Chen, Feng Qian, Fabrizio Scarpa, Lei Zuo, Xiaoying Zhuang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-08-01
Series:Materials & Design
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127519302503
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author Yanyu Chen
Feng Qian
Fabrizio Scarpa
Lei Zuo
Xiaoying Zhuang
author_facet Yanyu Chen
Feng Qian
Fabrizio Scarpa
Lei Zuo
Xiaoying Zhuang
author_sort Yanyu Chen
collection DOAJ
description Phononic metamaterials are capable of manipulating mechanical wave propagation in applications ranging from nanoscale heat transfer to noise and vibration mitigation. The design of phononic metamaterials to control low-frequency vibrations, such as those induced by ground transportation and low-amplitude seismic waves, however, remains a challenge. Here we propose a new design methodology to generate seismic metamaterials that can attenuate surface waves below 10 Hz. Our design concept evolves around the engineering of the multi-layered soil, the use of conventional construction materials, and operational construction constraints. The proposed seismic metamaterials are constructed by periodically varying concrete piles in the host multi-layered soil. We first validate the design concept and the numerical models by performing a lab-scale experiment on the low-amplitude surface wave propagation in a finite-size seismic metamaterial. To the best of the Authors' knowledge, this is one of the few attempts made to date to experimentally understand the vibration mitigation capability of seismic metamaterials. We then numerically demonstrate that the multi-layered seismic metamaterials can attenuate surface waves over a wide frequency range, with the incident wave energy being confined within the softest layer of the shallow layered seismic metamaterials. In addition to the localized wave energy distribution, deep layered seismic metamaterials exhibit broadband cut-off band gaps up to 7.2 Hz due to the strongly imposed constraint between piles and surrounding soil. Furthermore, these cut-off band gaps strongly depend on the constraint between the piles and the bottom layer of the soil and hence can be tuned by tailoring the foundation stiffness. We also evidence the possibility to create constant wave band gaps by introducing hollow concrete piles with pile volume fraction <10% in the deep layered seismic metamaterials. The findings reported here open new avenues to protect engineering structures from low-frequency seismic vibrations. Keywords: Seismic metamaterial, Vibration, Multilayered soil, Wave propagation, Phononic, Band gaps
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spelling doaj.art-ac53ac72922e4d8cb5d039b4db62525c2022-12-22T02:32:12ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752019-08-01175Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gapsYanyu Chen0Feng Qian1Fabrizio Scarpa2Lei Zuo3Xiaoying Zhuang4Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USABristol Composites Institute (ACCIS) and Dynamics and Control Research Group (DCRG), University of Bristol, BS8 1TR Bristol, UKDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Corresponding author.Department of Geotechnical Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Correspondence to: X. Zhuang, Department of Geotechnical Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China.Phononic metamaterials are capable of manipulating mechanical wave propagation in applications ranging from nanoscale heat transfer to noise and vibration mitigation. The design of phononic metamaterials to control low-frequency vibrations, such as those induced by ground transportation and low-amplitude seismic waves, however, remains a challenge. Here we propose a new design methodology to generate seismic metamaterials that can attenuate surface waves below 10 Hz. Our design concept evolves around the engineering of the multi-layered soil, the use of conventional construction materials, and operational construction constraints. The proposed seismic metamaterials are constructed by periodically varying concrete piles in the host multi-layered soil. We first validate the design concept and the numerical models by performing a lab-scale experiment on the low-amplitude surface wave propagation in a finite-size seismic metamaterial. To the best of the Authors' knowledge, this is one of the few attempts made to date to experimentally understand the vibration mitigation capability of seismic metamaterials. We then numerically demonstrate that the multi-layered seismic metamaterials can attenuate surface waves over a wide frequency range, with the incident wave energy being confined within the softest layer of the shallow layered seismic metamaterials. In addition to the localized wave energy distribution, deep layered seismic metamaterials exhibit broadband cut-off band gaps up to 7.2 Hz due to the strongly imposed constraint between piles and surrounding soil. Furthermore, these cut-off band gaps strongly depend on the constraint between the piles and the bottom layer of the soil and hence can be tuned by tailoring the foundation stiffness. We also evidence the possibility to create constant wave band gaps by introducing hollow concrete piles with pile volume fraction <10% in the deep layered seismic metamaterials. The findings reported here open new avenues to protect engineering structures from low-frequency seismic vibrations. Keywords: Seismic metamaterial, Vibration, Multilayered soil, Wave propagation, Phononic, Band gapshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127519302503
spellingShingle Yanyu Chen
Feng Qian
Fabrizio Scarpa
Lei Zuo
Xiaoying Zhuang
Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
Materials & Design
title Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
title_full Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
title_fullStr Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
title_full_unstemmed Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
title_short Harnessing multi-layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
title_sort harnessing multi layered soil to design seismic metamaterials with ultralow frequency band gaps
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127519302503
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AT fabrizioscarpa harnessingmultilayeredsoiltodesignseismicmetamaterialswithultralowfrequencybandgaps
AT leizuo harnessingmultilayeredsoiltodesignseismicmetamaterialswithultralowfrequencybandgaps
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