Dynamic and Static Properties of Double-Layered Compound Acoustic Black Hole Structures

The "acoustic black hole" (ABH) phenomenon can be exploited for flexural vibration suppressions in beam and plate structures. Conventional ABH structures, however, are tied with the inherent structural weakness due to the low local stiffness required and possibly high stress concentration caused by the small residual cross-section thickness of the ABH taper, thus hampering their practical applications. In this study, the dynamic and static properties of a compound ABH beam are investigated through numerical simulations. It is shown that, whilst ensuring an effective ABH effect, the compound ABH structure allows a significant improvement in the static properties of the structure. For the former, the compound design is shown to outperform its counterpart in the conventional ABH configuration in terms of the damping enhancement and the vibration suppression. For the latter, the compound ABH structure is also shown to provide much better static properties in terms of structural stiffness and strength. Meanwhile, the structural damping can be further improved by using an extended platform at the tip of tailored profile, which improves the structural strength but reduces the structural stiffness at the same time. Therefore, when choosing the platform length, a balance needs to be struck among the desired ABH effect and the mechanical properties of the structure.