Typically, materials are either stiff or good at absorbing vibrations, but rarely both. However, the University of Amsterdam has discovered a way to create materials that are both stiff and good at absorbing vibrations, with a wide range of potential applications from nanoscale design to aerospace engineering.
The researchers found that using materials that buckle, like thin metal sheets, can create constructions that are great absorbers of vibrations while preserving the stiffness of the material. These lab-made materials have a wide range of potential applications, from microscopes to aerospace and automotive designs.
Lead author David Dykstra explains, “Moreover, the sheets do not need to be very thick, and so the material can be kept relatively light.”
The researchers thoroughly investigated the properties of these buckled materials and found that they all showed the desired combination of stiffness and ability to dissipate vibrations. As known materials do not have this combination of properties, the new lab-made materials (or metamaterials) have a wide range of potential applications at various scales.
2023-06-03 07:00:04
Post from phys.org