Broadband low-frequency sound absorption of multifunctional composite metastructure

In this study, we fabricated multifunctional metastructures from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composites using additive manufacturing technology. These metastructures are characterized by their lightweight, load-bearing capacity, and broadband low-frequency sound absorption properties. The metastructure consists of 36 unit cells, and non-local coupling mechanism was considered for designing the sound absorption performance. We developed an acoustic impedance theory tailored for the metastructure, facilitating an analysis of thermal and viscous dissipation mechanisms. It is proven theoretically and experimentally that the proposed composite metastructure can achieve a noise reduction with an average sound absorption coefficient greater than 0.9 across frequencies in the rage of 330–1500 Hz. We also studied the metastructure's quasi-static and cyclic compression performance, confirming its efficient absorption capabilities after cyclic compression. The proposed design and additive manufacturing method for composite metastructures provides a novel pathway for creating lightweight, multifunctional structures with diverse applications, such as aerospace engineering.