Robust nonlinear elastic metamaterial enabled by collision damping

Nonlinear elastic metamaterials are attracting increasing attention owing their unusual properties of wave manipulation. However, the robustness of these benefits under varying amplitude should be increased and the challenge lies in the design. Here, we demonstrate a robust design strategy of nonlinear metamaterial via combining collision and damping. The damping will not interfere but enhance the nonlinear effects for broadband vibration reduction. The design presents low-frequency, broadband, efficient vibration reduction under varying amplitude. The effect can be activated by a small input amplitude. The performance remains high in a large amplitude range, i.e., high robustness is achieved. This property is systematically demonstrated with simulations and experiments on a nonlinear metamaterial beam. This article can offer an effective method to realize robust vibration suppression.