Multistable Architectures on Elastic Foundation for Tunable, Reversible Wave Propagation
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Abstract: Architected (meta)materials are remarkable for their extraordinary performance stemming from a cleverly designed, 3D-printed internal architecture. However, generally, once fabricated, there is little opportunity to adapt the internal architecture to changing requirements. In the context of elastic wave propagation, recent proposals have exploited instability and multistability within soft architectures to tune the dispersion characteristics, leading to one of two outcomes: (1) tuning is continuous and reversible, though reliant on the constant support of an external field or (2) tuning is among a finite number of discrete, stable configurations, though tuned states are energetically irreversible. In this presentation, we introduce a one-dimensional, spring-mass system representing a multistable architecture on elastic foundation with tunable wave propagation that is simultaneously stable (i.e., requiring no sustained external support) and reversible. Responding to the strain in the elastic substrate, the system switches among multiple stable configurations which locally alter the effective stiffness within the multistable architecture to tune the characteristic wave dynamics. This class of flexible, multistable metamaterial, inspired by the strain engineering in, e.g., ferroelectric thin films for tunable electronics, provides an attractive avenue for adapting dynamic performance to new requirements.
Citation: V. Ramakrishnan and M.J.Frazier, “Multistable Architectures on Elastic Foundation for Tunable, Reversible Wave Propagation”, at Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference 2019, Pasadena, CA, June 18 - 21, 2019.