Novel Hinged Inertial Amplification Seismic Metamaterials with Strong Attenuation Characteristics

This paper proposes novel hinged inertial amplification seismic metamaterials (NHIA-SM), where the single-cell model consists of a steel column connected to a steel plate via four hinges, designed to achieve strong attenuation of seismic surface waves over an ultra-wide bandgap. By constructing and analyzing the theoretical model of NHIA, it was observed that the first resonance frequency increases with the stiffness [Formula: see text] of the steel plate and the inertia amplification angle [Formula: see text], while it decreases with the increase in the mass [Formula: see text] of the steel column. When the inertial amplification angle [Formula: see text] is less than [Formula: see text], the overall structure is in the inertial amplification mode. Using finite element methods to calculate the band structure of NHIA-SM, results indicated an ultra-wide bandgap in the range of 2.24–13[Formula: see text]Hz, attributed to the strong resonance of the steel column under the inertial amplification mechanism. Additionally, the influence of the hinge’s cross-sectional shape on the bandgap characteristics of NHIA-SM was studied, and [Formula: see text]-shaped hinges exhibited lower initial frequencies due to reduced bending stiffness. Furthermore, by studying the influence of structural parameters on the bandgap characteristics of NHIA-SM, it was observed that as the hinge’s inertia amplification angle [Formula: see text] increases, the starting frequency rapidly rises. The frequency domain and three-dimensional transient wave propagation of the finite periodic structure are calculated. It is found that with the change of the inertial amplification angle [Formula: see text], the intensity of the inertial amplification mechanism of the structure is changed, and the attenuation degree of the frequency domain will change obviously. The maximum attenuation of the transient wave amplitude can exceed 85%. Finally, experimental validation confirmed that the NHIA-SM structure exhibited excellent seismic isolation effects, offering novel approaches for low-frequency ultra-wideband applications in earthquake engineering.