EMetaNode: Electromechanical Metamaterial Node for Broadband Vibration Attenuation and Self-powered Sensing

TL;DR

This work addresses the challenge of achieving autonomous sensing and broadband vibration attenuation by coupling mechanical metamaterials with advanced piezoelectric interface circuits. It introduces a reduced-order harmonic-balance framework (ROM-HB) that models nonlinear electromechanical interactions via an electromechanical friction term arising from switching-based interfaces, enabling efficient prediction of broadband bandgaps and higher-harmonic attenuation. The study demonstrates both theory and experiment: nonlinear band structures, energy harvesting, and self-powered sensing are validated on a clamped-free metamaterial beam equipped with SECE circuits and a compact IoT sensing node. The results provide a scalable modeling approach and a practical pathway to digitize structures for autonomous sensing and vibration control with integrated energy harvesting. The framework and EMetaNode design hold promise for IoT-enabled structural health monitoring and energy-autonomous intelligent systems.

Abstract

Recent advances in mechanical metamaterials and piezoelectric energy harvesting provide exciting opportunities to guide and convert the mechanical energy in electromechanical systems for autonomous sensing and vibration control. However, practical realizations remain rare due to the lack of advanced modeling methods and interdisciplinary barriers. By integrating mechanical metamaterials with power electronics-based interface circuits, this paper makes a breakthrough with an electromechanical friction-induced metamaterial node, which realizes self-powered sensing and broadband vibration attenuation in the same time. A reduced-order modeling-based numerical harmonic balance method has been established for general nonlinear metamaterials with local nonlinearities, significantly enhancing computational efficiency. The electromechanical friction induced by synchronized switching interface circuits has been revealed for the first time, leading to energy harvesting abilities and the broader nonlinear bandgap and higher harmonics induced vibration attenuation. Experimentally, an electromechanical metamaterial node is realized for self-powered sensing of temperature and acceleration data, highlighting its potential for structural health monitoring and Internet of Things applications. This study provides a practical path to digitalizing structures and systems for autonomous sensing and vibration control by combining advanced interface circuits with mechanical metamaterials.

Figures (16)

• Figure 1: Schematic of the nonlinear metamaterial system and its lumped parameter model. The local nonlinearities of local resonators are represented as a general nonlinear reaction force $f_n$.
• Figure 2: Schematic of the nonlinear local resonator and its reaction forces from the piezoelectric interface circuit. (a) Piezoelectric local resonator with an interface circuit; (b) Equivalent nonlinear local resonator with the nonlinear friction and restoring forces from the switching-based interface circuits; (c) Relationship between the friction force and the velocity $\dot{u}_r$; (d) Relationship between the restoring force and the displacement $u_r$.
• Figure 3: Piezoelectric voltage waveforms and reaction forces induced by different circuits. (a) and (e): Linear electrical load circuit; (b) and (f): SECE interface circuit; (c) and (g): S-SSHI interface circuit; (d) and (h): S-S3BF interface circuit.
• Figure 4: Procedures of the alternating frequency and time. (a) IFFT of the ansatz of the solution; (b) Time domain nonlinear reaction force and its derivative; (c) FFT of the time domain reaction force.
• Figure 5: Nonlinear band structures of the metamaterial beam. (a) and (b): Real and imaginary wave numbers for the first-order harmonic wave propagation; (c) and (d): Real and imaginary wave numbers for the third harmonic wave propagation.