Wave propagation control in active acoustic metamaterials

Focus is on the design of an innovative class of tunable periodic metamaterials, conceived for the realization of high performance acoustic metafilters with settable real-time capabilities. In this framework the tunability is due to the presence of a piezoelectric phase shunted by a suitable electrical circuit with adjustable impedance/admittance. It follows that the acoustic properties of the metamaterial can be properly modified in an adaptive way, opening up new possibilities for the control of pass- and stop-bands.

Effect of disconnection of deformable units on the mobility and stiffness of 3D prismatic modular origami structures using angular kinematics

Architected modular origami structures show potential for future robotic matter owing to their reconfigurability with multiple mobilities. Similar to modular robots, the units of modular origami structures do not need to be assembled in a fully packed fashion; in fact, disconnection can provide more freedom for the design of mobility and functionality. Despite the potential of expanded design freedom, the effect of the disconnection of units on the mobility and physical properties has not yet been explored in modular origami structures. Determining the mobility and weak spots of modular origami structures is significant to enable transformation with minimum energy. Herein, we investigate the effect of the disconnection of units on the mobility and stiffness of architected modular origami structures with deformable units using angular kinematics of geometry and topology of units and closed loops. Angular kinematics provides a valuable tool for investigating the complex mobility of architected modular origami structures with the disconnection of loops. The mobility of the network structure is a function not only of the number of disconnections but also of the topology of the loop. In contrast to the conventional negative perception of defects or disconnection in these materials, the disconnection can potentially be used to expand the design space of mobility for future robotic matter. Our findings can be used to develop powerful design guidelines for topologically reconfigurable structures for soft modular robots, active architected materials, implanted modular devices, deployable structures, thermal metamaterials, and active acoustic metamaterials.

Sharkskin-Inspired Magnetoactive Reconfigurable Acoustic Metamaterials

Most of the existing acoustic metamaterials rely on architected structures with fixed configurations, and thus, their properties cannot be modulated once the structures are fabricated. Emerging active acoustic metamaterials highlight a promising opportunity to on-demand switch property states; however, they typically require tethered loads, such as mechanical compression or pneumatic actuation. Using untethered physical stimuli to actively switch property states of acoustic metamaterials remains largely unexplored. Here, inspired by the sharkskin denticles, we present a class of active acoustic metamaterials whose configurations can be on-demand switched via untethered magnetic fields, thus enabling active switching of acoustic transmission, wave guiding, logic operation, and reciprocity. The key mechanism relies on magnetically deformable Mie resonator pillar (MRP) arrays that can be tuned between vertical and bent states corresponding to the acoustic forbidding and conducting, respectively. The MRPs are made of a magnetoactive elastomer and feature wavy air channels to enable an artificial Mie resonance within a designed frequency regime. The Mie resonance induces an acoustic bandgap, which is closed when pillars are selectively bent by a sufficiently large magnetic field. These magnetoactive MRPs are further harnessed to design stimuli-controlled reconfigurable acoustic switches, logic gates, and diodes. Capable of creating the first generation of untethered-stimuli-induced active acoustic metadevices, the present paradigm may find broad engineering applications, ranging from noise control and audio modulation to sonic camouflage.

Recent Advances in Active Acoustic Metamaterials

Since its first demonstration of an acoustic metamaterial in the early 21st century, it is widely used for sound wave manipulation purposes in many applications such as aerospace, automotive, defense, marine, etc. However, the traditional acoustic metamaterials display acoustic characteristics for restricted use because of their fixed structures. For real-world applications, the active sound wave manipulation is desirable. In recent years, active acoustic metamaterials (AAMs) have garnered attention owing to their unique design and material characteristics, which result in various dynamic responses against the incoming sound wave. This paper aims to provide an overview of the fundamental concept of active metamaterials, describing the multiple tuning mechanisms and design strategies, and highlighting their potential applications. The current fabrication challenges and future outlook in this promising field are also discussed.

Active Acoustic Metamaterials With Programmable Densities Using an H-∞ Controller

Various types of acoustic metamaterials have been developed to control the flow of acoustical energy through these materials. Most of these metamaterials are passive in nature with pre-tuned and fixed material properties. In this paper, the emphasis is placed on the development of a class of one-dimensional acoustic metamaterials with programmable densities in order to enable the control the acoustic wave propagation in these media. With such unique capabilities, the proposed active acoustic metamaterials (AAMM) can be utilized to physically realize, for example, acoustic cloaks, wave shifters and focusers, tunable acoustic absorbers and reflectors, as well as non-reciprocal acoustic media. The theoretical analysis of this class of AAMM with programmable effective dynamical densities is presented for an array of cavities separated by piezoelectric boundaries. These boundaries provide means for controlling the stiffness of the individual cavity and, in turn, its dynamical densities. In this regard, a disturbance rejection strategy is considered which is based on an H-∞ robust controller. The time and frequency response characteristics of a unit cell of the AAMM are investigated for various parameters of the controller in an attempt to optimize the performance characteristics. Extension of this study to include active control capabilities of the bulk modulus of the metamaterials would enable the development of wide classes of AAMM that are only limited by our imagination.