Topological material layout in plates for vibration suppression and wave propagation control

We propose a topological material layout method to design elastic plates with optimized properties for vibration suppression and guided transport of vibration energy. The gradient-based optimization algorithm is based on a finite element model of the plate vibrations obtained using the Mindlin plate theory coupled with analytical sensitivity analysis using the adjoint method and an iterative design update procedure based on a mathematical programming tool.

We demonstrate the capability of the method by designing bi-material plates that, when subjected to harmonic excitation, either effectively suppress the overall vibration level or alternatively transport energy in predefined paths in the plates, including the realization of a ring wave device.