Design and analysis of a periodic metamaterial barrier for mitigating urban-induced vibrations

Urban areas are increasingly subjected to vibrations from various sources within the urban environment. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to find measures that can minimize their negative effects. This pa-per investigates the concept of metamaterial and analyzes the impact of its inclusion on the range and span of band-gaps at low frequencies (up to 80 Hz), which characterize the vibrational waves in urban areas. This is achieved by developing a finite element model of the relative unit-cell and conducting a parametric investigation on the geometrical characteristics and material properties of the inclusion. Furthermore, the depth of the embedded inclusion is also examined to understand the transition of metamaterials from seismic (with the inclusion fully embedded) to resonant ones, where the inclusion is on the surface. Finally insights are given in order to help on the selection of the correct parameters to minimize a certain range of frequencies.