Design and characterization of tunable three-dimensional acoustic composite metamaterials

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to developing a kind of acoustic metamaterial with wide frequency band especially in low frequency region. At the same time, its the tunability of sound insulation frequency is achieved. Design/methodology/approach A three-dimensional (3D) acoustic metamaterial consisting of rigid frame, spherical attachment and thin film is proposed. The material parameters and the effect of the attachment hole on the forbidden band are investigated by finite element simulation. The sound insulation effect of the structure is validated by the combination of simulation and experiment. Findings The results show that the elastic modulus of the structural material determines the initial frequency of the forbidden band of the proposed 3D acoustic metamaterials. The lower the elastic modulus of the structural material, the lower the initial frequency of the forbidden band. The material parameters of the frame mainly affect the initial frequency of the first forbidden band, and the material parameters of the attachment will affect both the initial and termination frequency of the first forbidden band. Holes in the attachments reduce the band gap width. The characteristic curve moves down with the increase of subtracted mass. Research limitations/implications The findings may greatly benefit the application of the acoustic metamaterials in the fields of sound insulation and noise reduction. Originality/value This acoustic metamaterial structure has excellent sound insulation performance. At the same time, the single cell structure can be assembled into any shape. The structure can achieve sound selective filtering and combination control.