3D printed metamaterials for damping enhancement and vibration isolation: Schwarzites

Schwarzites are 3D solids with negative Gaussian curvatures that have unusual and interesting mechanical properties. Energy dissipation is one such property Schwarzites offer due to their high ductility and strength. The energy dissipating mechanism can be exploited to remove energy from dynamic systems that have continuous energy input and reduce the system response. Here, the energy dissipation is characterized for 3D printed specimen with solid and Schwarzite geometry. Further, the usefulness of the property is shown by analyzing the reduction in response quantities by performing dynamical simulations. It is found that having Schwarzites geometry increases the damping ratio by nearly 80% with the same amount of material as a solid support. Further, vibration isolation properties of Schwarzites are also illustrated.