arXiv subjects

Raffaele Ardito

Publications and source records attributed to Raffaele Ardito.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

EMetaNode: Electromechanical Metamaterial Node for Broadband Vibration Attenuation and Self-powered Sensing

Recent advances in mechanical metamaterials and piezoelectric energy harvesting provide exciting opportunities to guide and convert the mechanical energy in electromechanical systems for autonomous sensing and vibration control. However, practical realizations remain rare due to the lack of advanced modeling methods and interdisciplinary barriers. By integrating mechanical metamaterials with power electronics-based interface circuits, this paper makes a breakthrough with an electromechanical friction-induced metamaterial node, which realizes self-powered sensing and broadband vibration attenuation in the same time. A reduced-order modeling-based numerical harmonic balance method has been established for general nonlinear metamaterials with local nonlinearities, significantly enhancing computational efficiency. The electromechanical friction induced by synchronized switching interface circuits has been revealed for the first time, leading to energy harvesting abilities and the broader nonlinear bandgap and higher harmonics induced vibration attenuation. Experimentally, an electromechanical metamaterial node is realized for self-powered sensing of temperature and acceleration data, highlighting its potential for structural health monitoring and Internet of Things applications. This study provides a practical path to digitalizing structures and systems for autonomous sensing and vibration control by combining advanced interface circuits with mechanical metamaterials.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Localized Topological States beyond Fano Resonances via Counter-Propagating Wave Mode Conversion in Piezoelectric Microelectromechanical Devices

A variety of scientific fields like proteomics and spintronics have created a new demand for on-chip devices capable of sensing parameters localized within a few tens of micrometers. Nano and microelectromechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS) are extensively employed for monitoring parameters that exert uniform forces over hundreds of micrometers or more, such as acceleration, pressure, and magnetic fields. However, they can show significantly degraded sensing performance when targeting more localized parameters, like the mass of a single cell. To address this challenge, we present a new MEMS device that leverages the destructive interference of two topological radiofrequency (RF) counter-propagating wave modes along a piezoelectric Aluminum Scandium Nitride (AlScN) Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) interface. The reported MEMS device opens up opportunities for further purposes, including achieving more stable frequency sources for communication and timing applications.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Edge-selective reconfiguration in polarized lattices with magnet-enabled bistability

The signature topological feature of Maxwell lattices is their polarization, which manifests as an unbalance in stiffness between opposite edges of a finite domain. The manifestation of this asymmetry is especially dramatic in the case of soft lattices undergoing large nonlinear deformation under concentrated loads, where the excess of softness at the soft edge can result in the activation of sharp indentations. This study explores how this mechanical dichotomy between edges can be tuned and possibly extremized by working with soft magneto-mechanical metamaterials. The magneto-mechanical coupling is obtained by endowing the lattice sites with permanent magnets, which activate a network of magnetic forces that can interact with (either augmenting or competing with) the elasticity of the material. Specifically, under sufficiently large deformation that macroscopically alters the equilibrium positions of the sites, the attractive forces between the magnets can trigger bistable reconfiguration mechanisms. The strength of such mechanisms depends on the landscapes of elastic reaction forces exhibited by the edges, which are different due to the polarization, and is therefore inherently edge-selective. We show that, on the soft edge, the addition of magnets simply enhances the softness of the edge. In contrast, on the stiff edge, the magnets activate snapping mechanisms that locally reconfigure the cells and produce a lattice response reminiscent of plasticity, characterized by residual deformation that persists upon unloading.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Phononic graded meta-MEMS for elastic wave amplification and filtering

Inspired by recent graded metamaterials designs, we create phononic arrays of micro-resonators for frequency signal amplification and wave filtering. Leveraging suspended waveguides on a thick silicon substrate, we hybridize surface Rayleigh and Lamb flexural waves to effectively achieve phononic signal control along predefined channels. The guided waves are then spatially controlled using a suitable grading of the micro-resonators, which provide high signal-to-noise ratio and simultaneously create phononic delay-lines. The proposed device can be used for sensing, wave filtering or energy harvesting.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2023

Tailored Topological Edge Waves via Chiral Hierarchical Metamaterials

Precise manipulation of the direction and re-direction of vibrational wave energy is a key demand in wave physics and engineering. We consider the paradigm of a finite frame-like structure and the requirement to channel energy away from critical regions, leaving them vibration-free, and redirect energy along edges towards energy concentrators for damping or energy harvesting. We design an exemplar frame metamaterial, combining two distinct areas of wave physics. Firstly, topological edge states taking an unconventional tetrachiral lattice. We control these highly localised protected edge states leveraging a hierarchy of scales through the addition of micro-resonators that impose tuneable symmetry breaking and reconfigurable mass. This allows us to achieve precise positional control in the macro-scale frame lattice, thereby opening opportunities for robust signal transport and vibration control. Experiments, theory, simulation are all utilised to provide a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the physics.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2023

Bandgap widening and resonating mass reduction through wave locking

Elastic metamaterials made from locally resonant arrays have been developed as effective ways to create band gaps for elastic or acoustic travelling waves. They work by implementing stationary states in the structure that localise and partially reflect waves. A different, simpler, way of obtaining band gaps is using phononic crystals, where the generated band gaps come from the periodic reflection and phase cancellation of travelling waves. In this work a different metamaterial structure that generates band gaps by means of coupling two contra-propagating modes is reported. This metamaterial, as it will be shown numerically and experimentally, generates larger band gaps with lower added mass, providing benefits for lighter structures.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2023

Optimised graded metamaterials for mechanical energy confinement and amplification via reinforcement learning

A reinforcement learning approach to design optimised graded metamaterials for mechanical energy confinement and amplification is described. Through the proximal policy optimisation algorithm, the reinforcement agent is trained to optimally set the lengths and the spacing of an array of resonators. The design optimisation problem is formalised in a Markov decision problem by splitting the optimisation procedure into a discrete number of decisions. Being the physics of graded metamaterials governed by the spatial distribution of local resonances, the space of possible configurations is constrained by using a continuous function for the resonators arrangement. A preliminary analytical investigation has been performed to characterise the dispersive properties of the analysed system by treating it as a locally resonant system. The outcomes of the optimisation procedure confirms the results of previous investigations, highlighting both the validity of the proposed approach and the robustness of the systems of graded resonators when employed for mechanical energy confinement and amplification. The role of the resonator spacing is shown to be secondary with respect to the resonator lengths or, in other words, with respect to the oscillation frequencies of the resonators. However, it is also demonstrated that reducing the number of resonators can be advantageous. The outcomes related to the joint optimisation of the resonator lengths and spacing, thanks also to the adaptive control of the analysis duration, overcome significantly the performance of previously known systems by working almost uniquely on enlarging the time in which the harvester oscillations take place without amplifying these oscillations. The proposed procedure is suitable to be applied to a wide range of design optimisation problems in which the effect of the design choices can be assessed through numerical simulations.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2022

Roton-like dispersion via polarisation change for elastic wave energy control in graded delay-lines

While roton dispersion relations had been restricted to correlated quantum systems at low temperature, recent works show the possibility of obtaining this unusual dispersion in acoustic and elastic metamaterials. Such phenomenon has been demonstrated in periodic structures by means of beyond-nearest-neighbor interactions, following the formulation firstly developed by Brillouin in the $'50s$. In this paper, we demonstrate both numerically and experimentally that beyond-nearest-neighbor connections are not a necessary condition to obtain this unusual dispersion relation in elasticity. Leveraging the intrinsic complexity of elastic systems supporting different types of waves, we demonstrate that mode locking can be applied to obtain roton dispersion, without the need of elastic or magnetic interactions between non nearest neighbors. Moreover, the combination of roton dispersion and rainbow physics enables spatial separation of the energy fluxes with positive and negative group velocity.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2021

Elastic three-dimensional metaframe for selective wave filtering and polarization control

We experimentally achieve selective wave filtering and polarization control in a three-dimensional elastic frame embedding local resonators. By connecting multi-resonating elements to a frame structure, a complete low-frequency, subwavelength bandgap with strong selective filtering properties is obtained. Theory and experiments demonstrate the metaframe capability to selectively stop transverse waves while allowing longitudinal wave propagation, as in 'fluid-like' elasticity. This peculiar behaviour, together with the complete bandgap structure, may open opportunities in the context of wave control, envisaging concurrent applications for three-dimensional filters and elastic wave polarizers.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2021

Selective mode conversion and rainbow trapping via graded elastic waveguides

We experimentally achieve wave mode conversion and rainbow trapping in an elastic waveguide loaded with an array of resonators. Rainbow trapping is a phenomenon that induces wave confinement as a result of a spatial variation of the wave velocity, here promoted by gently varying the length of consecutive resonators. By breaking the geometrical symmetry of the waveguide, we combine the wave speed reduction with a reflection mechanism that mode-converts flexural waves impinging on the array into torsional waves travelling along opposite directions. The framework presented herein may open opportunities in the context of wave manipulation through the realization of structural components with concurrent wave conversion and energy trapping capabilities.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2020

Experimental investigation of amplification, via a mechanical delay-line, in a rainbow-based metasurface for energy harvesting

We demonstrate that a rainbow-based metasurface, created by a graded array of resonant rods attached to an elastic beam, operates as a mechanical delay-line by slowing down surface elastic waves to take advantage of wave interaction with resonance. Experiments demonstrate that the rainbow effect reduces the amplitude of the propagating wave in the host structure. At the same time it dramatically increases both the period of interaction between the waves and the resonators, and the wavefield amplitude in the rod endowed with the harvester. Increased energy is thus fed into the resonators over time, we show the enhanced energy harvesting capabilities of this system.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Graded metasurface for enhanced sensing and energy harvesting

In elastic wave systems, combining the powerful concepts of resonance and spatial grading within structured surface arrays enable resonant metasurfaces to exhibit broadband wave focusing, mode conversion from surface (Rayleigh) waves to bulk (shear) waves, and spatial frequency selection. Devices built around these concepts allow for precise control of surface waves, often with structures that are subwavelength, and utilise rainbow trapping that separates the signal spatially by frequency. Rainbow trapping yields large amplifications of displacement at the resonator positions where each frequency component accumulates. We investigate whether this amplification, and the associated control, can be used to create energy harvesting devices; the potential advantages and disadvantages of using graded resonant devices as energy harvesters is considered. We concentrate upon elastic plate models for which the A0 mode dominates, and take advantage of the large displacement amplitudes in graded resonant arrays of rods, to design innovative metasurfaces that focus waves for enhanced piezoelectric sensing and energy harvesting. Numerical simulation allows us to identify the advantages of such graded metasurface devices and quantify its efficiency, we also develop accurate models of the phenomena and extend our analysis to that of an elastic half-space and Rayleigh surface waves.

physics.class-ph↗