Attenuation of seismic waves using resonant metasurfaces: A field study on an array of rubber oscillators

Resonant metasurfaces (RMS) have garnered increasing attention as a type of seismic metamaterial for attenuating seismic waves. To date, most research has been limited to numerical simulations with few experimental studies. Here, we first used Comsol Multiphysics to simulate and identify an RMS structure, which is a periodic array of rubber column oscillators, and then conducted a field experiment on a granular layer. The results indicate that our RMS can effectively attenuate seismic waves in both horizontal and vertical directions across an ultra-wide bandgap. Additionally, the RMS demonstrates greater efficiency in attenuating Love waves compared to Rayleigh waves. This observation is well-accounted for by the resonator model we developed. This work demonstrates that even a simple and cost-effective ground-based RMS is capable of mitigating seismic wave-induced vibrations.