Graded Elastic Metamaterials For Energy Harvesting

This book presents a complete framework for energy harvesting technologies based on graded elastic metamaterials. First, it provides a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art research on metamaterials for energy harvesting and then explores the theoretical wave mechanics framework, going from inhomogeneous media to graded elastic metamaterials. The framework can be used to thoroughly analyse wave propagation phenomena in beams, plates, and half-spaces and to investigate the effect of local resonance on creating bandgaps or wave mode conversions. All these concepts converge together with piezoelectric materials in the study and design of piezo-augmented arrays of resonators. The energy harvesting performances of the graded metamaterials are then compared to conventional solutions, in order to quantify their advantages for applications.

Metamaterials are advanced composite materials which have exotic and powerful properties. Their complicated microstructures make metamaterials challenging to model, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical techniques. This book uses a from-first-principles approach (based on boundary integral methods and asymptotic analysis) to study a class of high-contrast metamaterials. These mathematical techniques are applied to the problem of designing graded metamaterials that replicate the function of the cochlea.

This open access volume collects emerging issues in Environmental and Civil Engineering, originating from outstanding doctoral dissertations discussed at Politecnico di Milano in 2021. The advanced innovative insights provided are presented with reference to the relevant sustainable development goals (SDGs), hoping that scientists, technicians and decision makers will find them as a valid support to face future sustainability challenges. Indeed, the fast evolution of our society often falls short in properly taking into consideration its relationship with the environment, which is not only the primary source of any resource and the sink of all the wastes we generate throughout our activities, but also the cause of most of the loading and constraints applied to structures and infrastructures. The lack of a proper consideration of the relationship between the needs of both the society and the environment may lead to strong disequilibria, generating a large amount of threats for a robust, resilient and continuous development. In this perspective, the SDGs set by the United Nations represent the criteria to revise our development model, towards the ability to conjugate different needs to build a safe relation between anthropic activities and the environment. Civil and Environmental Engineering plays a relevant role in providing methods, approaches, risk and impact assessments, as well as technologies, to fulfil the SDGs. Research in these fields may in fact provide technical knowledge and tools to support decision makers and technicians in: (i) planning mitigation and adaptation actions to climate change, extreme weather, earthquakes, drought, flooding and other natural disasters; (ii) designing efficient and sustainable strategies for resources exploitation, minimizing the impact and the unequal distributions; (iii) increasing the safety of structures and infrastructures under exceptional loadings and against the deterioration due to their lifecycle; (iv) adopting a holistic risk management approach and appropriate technologies to reduce pollution and environment deterioration, which increase vulnerability; (v) providing a safe drinking water and sanitation system to protect human health.

The book presents the proceedings of the XXV National Congress of the Italian Association of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (Palermo, September 2022). The topics cover theoretical, computational, experimental and technical-applicative aspects. Chapters: Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Structural Mechanics, Mechanics of Machine, Computational Mechanics, Biomechanics, Masonry Modelling and Analysis, Dynamical Systems in Civil and Mechanical Structures, Control and Experimental Dynamics, Mechanical Modelling of Metamaterials and Periodic Structures, Novel Stochastic Dynamics, Signal Processing Techniques for Civil Engineering Applications, Vibration-based Monitoring and Dynamic Identification of Historic Constructions, Modeling and Analysis of Nanocomposites and Small-Scale Structures, Gradient Flows in Mechanics and Continuum Physics, Multibody Systems Vibration Analysis, Mechanics of Renewable Energy Systems, Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Techniques for Quantification and Prediction of Fluid Dynamic Noise, and Advanced Process Mechanics. Keywords: Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Structural Mechanics, Mechanics of Machine, Computational Mechanics, Biomechanics, Masonry Modelling and Analysis, Dynamical Systems in Civil and Mechanical Structures, Control and Experimental Dynamics, Mechanical Modelling of Metamaterials and Periodic Structures, Novel Stochastic Dynamics, Signal Processing Techniques for Civil Engineering Applications, Vibration-based Monitoring and Dynamic Identification of Historic Constructions, Modeling and Analysis of Nanocomposites and Small-Scale Structures, Gradient Flows in Mechanics and Continuum Physics, Multibody Systems Vibration Analysis, Mechanics of Renewable Energy Systems, Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Techniques for Quantification and Prediction of Fluid Dynamic Noise, and Advanced Process Mechanics.

Sensors and Instrumentation, Aircraft/Aerospace and Energy Harvesting, Volume 7: Proceedings of the 37th IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Structural Dynamics, 2019, the seventh volume of eight from the Conference brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Shock & Vibration, Aircraft/Aerospace, Energy Harvesting & Dynamic Environments Testing including papers on: Alternative Sensing & Acquisition Active Controls Instrumentation Aircraft/Aerospace & Aerospace Testing Techniques Energy Harvesting

Emerging from electromagnetic waves and fast extending to acoustic and elastic waves, metamaterials that exhibit extraordinary wave control abilities have been gaining soaring attention. Over the past two decades, elastic metamaterials with engineered microstructures have provided a variety of appealing solutions for controlling elastic waves and vibrations. By tailoring their internal microstructures at a subwavelength scale, elastic metamaterials fruitfully distinct themselves from traditional materials or phononic crystals by their striking functions in wave trajectory manipulation, cloaking, nonreciprocal and topological wave control, as well as low-frequency wave/vibration mitigation and absorption.

This third of three volumes includes papers from the second series of NODYCON, which was held virtually in February of 2021. The conference papers reflect a broad coverage of topics in nonlinear dynamics, ranging from traditional topics from established streams of research to those from relatively unexplored and emerging venues of research. These include · Complex dynamics of COVID-19: modeling, prediction and control · Nonlinear phenomena in bio-systems and eco-systems · Energy harvesting · MEMS/NEMS · Multifunctional structures, materials and metamaterials · Nonlinear waves · Chaotic systems, stochasticity, and uncertainty

To meet the demands of students, scientists and engineers for a systematic reference source, this book introduces, comprehensively and in a single voice, research and development progress in emerging metamaterials and derived functional metadevices. Coverage includes electromagnetic, optical, acoustic, thermal, and mechanical metamaterials and related metadevices. Metamaterials are artificially engineered composites with designed properties beyond those attainable in nature and with applications in all aspects of materials science. From spatially tailored dielectrics to tunable, dynamic materials properties and unique nonlinear behavior, metamaterial systems have demonstrated tremendous flexibility and functionality in electromagnetic, optical, acoustic, thermal, and mechanical engineering. Furthermore, the field of metamaterials has been extended from the mere pursuit of various exotic properties towards the realization of practical devices, leading to the concepts of dynamically-reconfigurable metadevices and functional metasurfaces. The book explores the fundamental physics, design, and engineering aspects, as well as the full array of state-of-the-art applications to electronics, telecommunications, antennas, and energy harvesting. Future challenges and potential in regard to design, modeling and fabrication are also addressed.