Transmission Loss and Dynamic Response of Hierarchical Membrane-Type Acoustic Metamaterials

Abstract

A deployment-scale array of locally resonant membrane-type acoustic metamaterials (MAMs) is fabricated. The acoustic performance of the array is measured in a transmission loss chamber, and a complex interaction between the individual cell and the array length scales is shown to exist. Transmission behavior of both the membrane and the array are independently studied using analytical models, and a method for estimating transmission loss through the structure that combines vibroacoustic predictions from both length scales is presented and shown to agree with measurements. Degradation of transmission loss performance often associated with scaling individual MAM cells into arrays is explained using analytical tools and verified using laser vibrometry. A novel design for hierarchical locally resonant acoustic metamaterials is introduced, and experimental and analytical data confirm this approach offers an effective strategy for minimizing or eliminating the efficiency losses associated with scaling MAM structures.