Acoustic properties of porous microlattices from effective medium to scattering dominated regimes

Microlattices are architected materials that allow for an unprecedented control of mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness, density, and Poisson's coefficient). In contrast to their quasi-static mechanical properties, the acoustic properties of microlattices remain largely unexplored. This paper analyzes the acoustic response of periodic millimeter-sized microlattices immersed in water using experiments and numerical simulations. Microlattices are fabricated using high-precision stereolithographic three-dimensional printing in a large variety of porosities and lattice topologies. This paper shows that the acoustic propagation undergoes a frequency dependent transition from a classic poroelastic behaviour that can be described by Biot's theory to a regime that is dominated by scattering effects. Biot's acoustic parameters are derived from direct simulations of the microstructure using coupled fluid and solid finite elements. The wave speeds predicted with Biot's theory agree well with the experimental measures. Within the scattering regime, the signals show a strong attenuation and dispersion, which is characterized by a cut-off frequency. The strong dispersion results in a frequency dependent group velocity. A simplified model of an elastic cylindrical scatterer allows predicting the signal attenuation and dispersion observed experimentally. The results in this paper pave the way for the creation of microlattice materials for the control of ultrasonic waves across a wide range of frequencies

Microlattice Metamaterials for Tailoring Ultrasonic Transmission with Elastoacoustic Hybridization

Materials with designed microscale architectures, like microlattices, can achieve extreme mechanical properties. Most studies of microlattices focus on their quasistatic response, but their structural dimensions naturally prime them for ultrasonic applications. Here we report that microlattices constitute a class of acoustic metamaterials that exploit elastoacoustic hybridization to tailor ultrasonic wave propagation. Selecting the microlattice geometry allows the formation of hybridization band gaps that effectively attenuate (by >2 orders of magnitude) acoustic signals. The hybridization gaps stem from the interaction of pressure waves in a surrounding medium (e.g., water) with localized bending modes of the trusses in the microlattice. Outside these band gaps, the microlattices are highly transmissive (>80%) because their acoustic impedance is close to that of water. Our work can have important implications in the design of acoustic metamaterial applications in biomedical imaging, cell-based assay technology, and acoustic isolators in microelectromechanical systems

Engineered metabarrier as shield from seismic surface waves

Resonant metamaterials have been proposed to reflect or redirect elastic waves at different length scales, ranging from thermal vibrations to seismic excitation. However, for seismic excitation, where energy is mostly carried by surface waves, energy reflection and redirection might lead to harming surrounding regions. Here, we propose a seismic metabarrier able to convert seismic Rayleigh waves into shear bulk waves that propagate away from the soil surface. The metabarrier is realized by burying sub-wavelength resonant structures under the soil surface. Each resonant structure consists of a cylindrical mass suspended by elastomeric springs within a concrete case and can be tuned to the resonance frequency of interest. The design allows controlling seismic waves with wavelengths from 10-to-100 m with meter-sized resonant structures. We develop an analytical model based on effective medium theory able to capture the mode conversion mechanism. The model is used to guide the design of metabarriers for varying soil conditions and validated using finite-element simulations. We investigate the shielding performance of a metabarrier in a scaled experimental model and demonstrate that surface ground motion can be reduced up to 50% in frequency regions below 10 Hz, relevant for the protection of buildings and civil infrastructures

Extreme mechanical resilience of self-assembled nanolabyrinthine materials

Low-density materials with tailorable properties have attracted attention for decades, yet stiff materials that can resiliently tolerate extreme forces and deformation while being manufactured at large scales have remained a rare find. Designs inspired by nature, such as hierarchical composites and atomic lattice-mimicking architectures, have achieved optimal combinations of mechanical properties but suffer from limited mechanical tunability, limited long-term stability, and low-throughput volumes that stem from limitations in additive manufacturing techniques. Based on natural self-assembly of polymeric emulsions via spinodal decomposition, here we demonstrate a concept for the scalable fabrication of nonperiodic, shell-based ceramic materials with ultralow densities, possessing features on the order of tens of nanometers and sample volumes on the order of cubic centimeters. Guided by simulations of separation processes, we numerically show that the curvature of self-assembled shells can produce close to optimal stiffness scaling with density, and we experimentally demonstrate that a carefully chosen combination of topology, geometry, and base material results in superior mechanical resilience in the architected product. Our approach provides a pathway to harnessing self-assembly methods in the design and scalable fabrication of beyond-periodic and nonbeam-based nano-architected materials with simultaneous directional tunability, high stiffness, and unsurpassed recoverability with marginal deterioration

Composite 3D-printed metastructures for low-frequency and broadband vibration absorption

Architected material used to control elastic wave propagation has thus far relied on two mechanisms for forming band gaps, or frequency ranges that cannot propagate: (i) Phononic crystals rely on their structural periodicity to form Bragg band gaps, but are limited in the low-frequency ranges because their unit cell size scales with wavelength; and (ii) Metamaterials overcome this size dependence because they rely on local resonances, but the resulting band gaps are very narrow. Here, we introduce a class of materials, elastic metastructures, that exploit resonating elements to broaden and lower Bragg gaps while reducing the mass of the system. This approach to band-gap engineering can be used for low-frequency vibration absorption and wave guiding across length scales

Acoustic properties of porous microlattices from effective medium to scattering dominated regimes

Microlattices are architected materials that allow for an unprecedented control of mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness, density, and Poisson's coefficient). In contrast to their quasi-static mechanical properties, the acoustic properties of microlattices remain largely unexplored. This paper analyzes the acoustic response of periodic millimeter-sized microlattices immersed in water using experiments and numerical simulations. Microlattices are fabricated using high-precision stereolithographic three-dimensional printing in a large variety of porosities and lattice topologies. This paper shows that the acoustic propagation undergoes a frequency dependent transition from a classic poroelastic behaviour that can be described by Biot's theory to a regime that is dominated by scattering effects. Biot's acoustic parameters are derived from direct simulations of the microstructure using coupled fluid and solid finite elements. The wave speeds predicted with Biot's theory agree well with the experimental measures. Within the scattering regime, the signals show a strong attenuation and dispersion, which is characterized by a cut-off frequency. The strong dispersion results in a frequency dependent group velocity. A simplified model of an elastic cylindrical scatterer allows predicting the signal attenuation and dispersion observed experimentally. The results in this paper pave the way for the creation of microlattice materials for the control of ultrasonic waves across a wide range of frequencies

Engineered metabarrier as shield from seismic surface waves

Resonant metamaterials have been proposed to reflect or redirect elastic waves at different length scales, ranging from thermal vibrations to seismic excitation. However, for seismic excitation, where energy is mostly carried by surface waves, energy reflection and redirection might lead to harming surrounding regions. Here, we propose a seismic metabarrier able to convert seismic Rayleigh waves into shear bulk waves that propagate away from the soil surface. The metabarrier is realized by burying sub-wavelength resonant structures under the soil surface. Each resonant structure consists of a cylindrical mass suspended by elastomeric springs within a concrete case and can be tuned to the resonance frequency of interest. The design allows controlling seismic waves with wavelengths from 10-to-100 m with meter-sized resonant structures. We develop an analytical model based on effective medium theory able to capture the mode conversion mechanism. The model is used to guide the design of metabarriers for varying soil conditions and validated using finite-element simulations. We investigate the shielding performance of a metabarrier in a scaled experimental model and demonstrate that surface ground motion can be reduced up to 50% in frequency regions below 10 Hz, relevant for the protection of buildings and civil infrastructures

Hybridization of Guided Surface Acoustic Modes in Unconsolidated Granular Media by a Resonant Metasurface

We investigate the interaction of guided surface acoustic modes (GSAMs) in unconsolidated granular media with a metasurface, consisting of an array of vertical oscillators. We experimentally observe the hybridization of the lowest-order GSAM at the metasurface resonance, and note the absence of mode delocalization found in homogeneous media. Our numerical studies reveal how the stiffness gradient induced by gravity in granular media causes a down-conversion of all the higher-order GSAMs, which preserves the acoustic energy confinement. We anticipate these findings to have implications in the design of seismic-wave protection devices in stratified soils

Hybridization of Guided Surface Acoustic Modes in Unconsolidated Granular Media by a Resonant Metasurface

We investigate the interaction of guided surface acoustic modes (GSAMs) in unconsolidated granular media with a metasurface, consisting of an array of vertical oscillators. We experimentally observe the hybridization of the lowest-order GSAM at the metasurface resonance, and note the absence of mode delocalization found in homogeneous media. Our numerical studies reveal how the stiffness gradient induced by gravity in granular media causes a down-conversion of all the higher-order GSAMs, which preserves the acoustic energy confinement. We anticipate these findings to have implications in the design of seismic-wave protection devices in stratified soils

Mechanics Of Architected Microlattices Across Time And Length Scales

The mechanical properties of a material are governed by its atomic- and microstructure: The arrangement of atoms in a perfect crystal defines the macroscopic stiffness and the grain size in a metal determines the fracture resistance. Rapid developments in microfabrication allow to fabricate artificial microstructures at unprecedented sub-micrometer resolution. A key technology to architect fully 3D microstructures is direct laser writing using two-photon polymerisation. This breakthrough in fabrication led to the emergence of microlattice materials, which are composed of periodically arranged microscale truss elements. By adjusting the geometry and topology of the unit cell, it is possible to realise microlattices with effective mechanical properties that exceed the performance of any available engineering material. These properties include extreme strength and stiffness, lightweight or negative Poisson’s ratio. Until now, most of the work on microlattices was focused on understanding the mechanical response of single material microlattices at quasi-static timescales. However, many of the suggested applications for microlattices, such as energy absorption or wave control, require knowledge of their dynamic response. Moreover, the ability to create microlattices from nanocomposites is a promising approach: Mechanically reinforced polymers would allow to overcome current fabrication and application limitations that stem from failure of the weak base polymer. In addition, nanocomposites microlattices can be designed to express additional functionality such as electrical conductivity based on the filler properties. This work extends the current knowledge on microlattices to the mechanical behavior of composite microlattices and dynamic timescales. The first part of this thesis describes how the mechanical properties of microlattices are impacted by reinforcing the base polymer with carbon nanotubes. In the studied composite microlattices, the confinement of carbon nanotubes along the truss axis, which is driven by physical mechanisms during fabrication, yields a tremendous increase in mechanical stability and static mechanical properties. We observe a size effect for decreasing truss thickness when the carbon nanotubes size scales become comparable to the truss size. To answer fundamental questions about the time-dependent properties we study the mechanics of single material microlattices at low frequencies. We characterise the dynamic stress relaxation in polymeric microlattices with varying density and topology. Stress relaxation is the footprint of viscoelasticity and therefore crucial for potential applications that rely on viscous absorption and dissipation of mechanical vibration energy. In our study, we show that the damping loss factor of microlattices can be controlled over a wide range and independently from the static properties. Furthermore, the microlattices are shown to outperform the dissipation of a bulk polymer. Then we turn to high frequencies and describe the interaction of megahertz ultrasonic waves with fluid saturated polymeric microlattices. It is shown that in the long-wavelength limit, wave propagation in microlattices can be described by Biot’s theory of porous media. However, at short wavelengths microlattices constitute a strongly scattering media with frequency dependent group velocity and high signal attenuation. Finally, we show that truss resonances can be exploited to filter ultrasonic waves in frequency ranges that are central to high resolution biomedical imaging applications. The frequency position of the obtained filtering properties can be deliberately controlled by tailoring the truss geometry. The designed microlattices show a high transmission of ultrasound over a large frequency range, while still effectively attenuating the signal when resonance occurs