Dynamic Continualization of Layered Metamaterials with Alternating Chirality
Please login to view abstract download link
In recent years, the study of mechanical and acoustic metamaterials has advanced significantly, driven by the development of architected materials with tunable and often unconventional mechanical properties. Among these, layered lattices with alternating chirality have attracted interest for their ability to exhibit energy absorption, auxetic behavior, and self-recovering mechanical responses, thanks to the internal rotations induced by chiral geometries. Several designs have been proposed using tetrachiral lattices of opposite handedness, allowing relative motions between rigid disks connected by elastic ligaments or pins. These systems have demonstrated promising behaviors such as multi-stability, friction-induced dissipation, and tunable deformation mechanisms. However, many existing models rely on simplifying kinematic assumptions that can limit their effectiveness in dynamic applications. This contribution presents a multifield continualized framework for the dynamic continualization of stratified chiral-layered metamaterials. Each layer consists of rigid disks and elastic ligaments, while vertical pins connect the layers and allow relative rotations. Starting from a Lagrangian formulation of the discrete system, average and relative generalized displacements are identified and used to derive equivalent gradient-type micropolar continua through an enhanced continualization technique. The resulting model accounts for non-local effects in both elastic and inertial parameters. This allows for the prediction of acoustic band gaps and the influence of microstructural parameters on the metamaterial’s dynamic response. The formulation generalizes previous static models to dynamic cases, offering a robust approach to modeling and designing advanced metamaterials with tailored performance under various excitation conditions. The accuracy of the proposed model is confirmed through numerical comparisons with the original discrete system.