Periodic composite metamaterials for vibroacoustic insulation

Periodic metamaterials offer high shielding capabilities over a wide band of excitation frequencies and unconventional elastic properties (such as negative stiffness) which make them suitable for vibration and acoustic isolation applications. All real-life engineering structures are subjected to ambient vibroacoustic excitation which results in wave-propagation through these structures. Periodic metamaterials consist of periodic elements which are joined together end-to-end and the design parameters are tuned such that application specific optimal stops bands for elastic and acoustic waves are obtained. These find extensive usage in high performance engineering structures such as guideways for high speed transportation vehicles, multi-span bridges, stiffened plates and shells in aerospace structures and even in space-station structures. The project is concerned with the analysis, optimal design and sensitivity to imperfections of such period composite systems. The study can be broadly categorized into active and passive methods for analysing and optimising the elasto-acoustic bandgaps. Passive methods include optimal design of metamaterials with embedded local stepped resonators while active methods consist of embedding active periodic electromechanical/magnetomechanical materials on the master structure driven by optimal control signal. The project aims to undertake detailed analysis of the dispersion relations of bulk waves propagating in 2D periodic composite structures, as well as to investigate their sensitivity when uncertainties due to unreliable fabrication processes, imprecise knowledge about material parameters, non-deterministic ambient forcing conditions come into play, with the goal to established the design confidence.
The Applied and Computational Mechanics group (ACMg) at the Cardiff School of Engineering has state-of-the-art high performance computing facilities which would provide the necessary infrastructure for application of the developed numerical routines for the analysis and optimization of real-life engineering structures. The prospective candidate will join a group of experts on composite metamaterials and robust optimization at ACMg and will have to opportunity to work on case studies provided by aerospace industry partners (such as Airbus) who have strong collaboration with ACMg. The research is expected to have a significant impact in terms of scientific understanding and applicability of these new generation periodic composite structures in safety-critical engineering applications.

Candidates should hold or expect to gain a first class degree or a good 2.1 and/or an appropriate Master’s level qualification (or their equivalent).

Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent)