Optimization of a type of elastic metamaterial for broadband wave suppression

The optimal design is studied for a type of one-dimensional dissipative metamaterial to achieve broadband wave attenuation at low-frequency ranges. The complex dispersion analysis is made on a super-cell consisting of multiple mass-in-mass unit cells. An optimization algorithm based on the sequential quadratic programming method is used to design the wave suppression of target frequencies by coupling multiple separate narrow bandgaps into a broad bandgap. A new objective function is proposed in the optimization process for a continuous bandgap. Then, the continuous frequency range with low-wave transmissibility is optimized to achieve the maximal width of bandgap. The stiffness optimization of super-cell gives the broad bandgap from 10 Hz to 22.9 Hz at low-frequency ranges. In addition, numerical simulations are conducted for a type of dissipative metamaterial composed of a finite number of periodicities. The level of vibration isolation can be tuned by adjusting a critical value in the optimization scheme. The wave suppression in the numerical simulation well coincides with the obtained bandgaps and verifies the optimization results.