LAUSR

A critical transition occurs between pre- and post-buckled configurations of lightly-damped structures where the relative proportions of dissipative and elastic forces may reverse, theoretically giving rise to large effective damping properties. This paper describes computational and experimental studies that investigate such fundamental theory and principles. It is found that impact mitigation capabilities of elastic metamaterials are significantly enhanced by critical point constraints. The results of one-dimensional drop experiments reveal that constrained metamaterials reduce impact force and suppress rebound effects more dramatically than conventional damping methods, while constraints nearer to critical points magnify the advantages. When embedded into distributed structures as in conventional applications, it is found that constrained metamaterials provide superior impact mitigation capabilities than solid dampers applied at the same locations. All together, the results show that critical point con...