Design of a multi-resonator metamaterial for mitigating impact force

In this paper, we propose a new multi-resonator metamaterial (MRM) for attenuating impact stress waves. Theoretical analyses show that the MRM has wider bandgaps than those of a single-resonator metamaterial (SRM) and a dual-resonator metamaterial (DRM), and numerical studies are conducted to compare the performances of the MRM, SRM, and DRM in mitigating impact forces. The influences of the number of unit cells, the spring stiffnesses, and the resonator masses on the mitigation of impact force are analyzed by studying a one-dimensional impact wave model. In addition, the calculation results of a three-dimensional crash model clearly confirm the outstanding features of the MRM, which can provide a thin and light structure with a wider attenuation region of the frequency spectrum and a better mitigation effect of the impact force.