Introduction

The invention relates to an isolation device designed with the objective of isolating a structure or construction from mechanical vibrations, in particular from vibrations caused by seismic motion. The device is based on a mechanical metamaterial (‘metaisolator’), which has bio-inspired architecture and is environmentally sustainable. It incorporates structural lattices of various kinds, inspired by ‘pentamode’ metamaterials, that are confined between end plates.

Technical features

The seismic isolation device related to the present invention comprises a layered structure and is designed to be placed at the base of a building to absorb vibrations resulting from a seismic movement. The intermediate layer comprises a bio-inspired mechanical metamaterial incorporating “pentamode” structural lattices. The intermediate layer is located between an upper and a lower laminar element, both of which consist of a rigid material (e.g. a metallic material such as steel). By combining advanced methodologies in the field of structural mechanics with the basic concepts of mechanical metamaterials and metastructures, the proposed device will pave the way for new solutions for the seismic isolation of buildings. Isolation from seismic excitations based on the use of mechanical metamaterials, even on a large scale, is a current research topic of considerable scientific and technical interest. The proposed device exhibits unconventional mechanical properties, which are closely linked to the geometric characteristics of the structural grids employed and, only to a small extent, to the type of materials used.

Possible Applications

• Seismic isolation;
• Isolation from mechanical vibrations

Advantages

• Economic advantage;
• Optimisation of isolation properties by adapting the mechanical properties of the deformable layer to those of the structure to be isolated;
• Total isolation capacity of shear wave-induced vibrations;
• Increased device lifecycle durability;
• Measurement and dynamic adjustment of deformable material properties increasing insulation effectiveness