A viscoelastic metamaterial beam for integrated vibration isolation and energy harvesting

Locally resonant metamaterials have low-frequency band gaps and the capability of converging vibratory energy in the band gaps at resonant cells. It has been demonstrated by several researchers that the dissipatioin of vibratory energy within the band gap can be improved by using viscoelastic materials. This paper designs an integrated viscoelastic metamaterial for energy harvesting and vibration isolation. The viscoelastic metamaterial is achieved by a viscoelastic beam periodically arrayed with spatial ball-pendulum nonlinear energy harvesters. The nonlinear resonator with an energy harvesting function is achieved by placing a free-rolling magnetic ball in a spherical cavity with an additional induction coil. The dynamic equations of viscoelastic metamaterials under transverse excitation are established, and the energy harvesting and vibration isolation characteristics within the dispersion relation of viscoelastic metamaterials are analyzed. The results show that the vibrations of the main body of the viscoelastic metamaterial beam are significantly suppressed in the frequency range of the local resonance band gap. At the same time, the elastic waves are limited in the nonlinear resonator with an energy harvesting function, which improves the energy output. Finally, an experimental platform of viscoelastic metamaterial vibration is established for validation purposes.