New Metamaterial Foundation Based on Novel Omnidirectional High-Performance Inerter Mechanism

Seismic metamaterials are newly emerging structural-functional materials for controlling seismic waves, and they provide a new solution for building earthquake resistance. However, existing seismic metamaterials need to be further improved to achieve low-frequency and broadband performance. Herein, a new metamaterial foundation containing a novel omnidirectional high-performance inerter mechanism is proposed for low-frequency protection against seismic waves. The research results show that this metamaterial foundation can effectively generate a lower frequency bandgap in any direction of the horizontal plane. Subsequently, the inerter mechanism is improved, which enables the metamaterial foundation to provide vibration protection for different specific frequency bands. The bandwidth of the corresponding frequency band can be adjusted flexibly by appropriately controlling the design parameters. Subsequently, to enhance the broadband attenuation performance, the inerter mechanism is further improved, which enables the metamaterial foundation to produce an ultrabroadband attenuation effect. Finally, the effect of the building mass on the metamaterial antiseismic system is investigated, and it is shown that the attenuation width of the metamaterial antiseismic system further increases as the building mass increases. The designed inerter mechanism has potential for applications in other scenarios such as beams, plates, and interfaces.