Ultra-broadband Noise-Insulating Periodic Structures Made of Coupled Helmholtz Resonators

Abstract: Acoustic metamaterials and phononic crystals represent a promising platform for the development of noise-insulating systems characterized by a low weight and small thickness. Nevertheless, the operational spectral range of these structures is usually quite narrow, limiting their application as substitutions of conventional noise-insulating systems. In this work, the problem is tackled by demonstration of several ways for the improvement of noise-insulating properties of the periodic structures based on coupled Helmholtz resonators. It is shown that tuning of local coupling between the resonators leads to the formation of ultra-broad stop-bands in the transmission spectra. This property is linked to band structures of the equivalent infinitely periodic systems and is discussed in terms of band-gap engineering. The local coupling strength is varied via several means, including introduction of the so-called chirped structures and lossy resonators with porous inserts. The stop-band engineering procedure is supported by genetic algorithm optimization and the numerical calculations are verified by experimental measurements.