Elastic material for coupling time-varying vibro-acoustic fields propagating through a medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11056090-B2
Application number	US-201816049943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A device for use in a medium comprising a medium vibro-acoustic impedance. The device includes an elastic material including a plurality of unit cells. The plurality of unit cells includes a first unit cell. The first unit cell includes a first unit-cell joint comprising a first unit-cell joint wall defining a first joint central void, a first unit-cell joint inclusion located in the first joint central void, and at least two first unit-cell arms connected to and extending away from the first unit-cell joint. The elastic material includes an elastic-material vibro-acoustic impedance. The elastic-material vibro-acoustic impedance and the medium vibro-acoustic impedance are sufficiently vibro-acoustically impedance-matched to couple time-varying, propagating vibro-acoustic fields between said elastic material and the medium.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device for use in a medium comprising a medium vibro-acoustic impedance, the device comprising:
an elastic material comprising a plurality of unit cells, said plurality of unit cells comprising a first unit cell, said first unit cell comprising:
a first unit-cell joint comprising a first unit-cell joint wall defining a first joint central void;
a first unit-cell joint inclusion located in the first joint central void; and
at least two first unit-cell arms connected to and extending away from said first unit-cell joint;
wherein said elastic material comprises an elastic-material vibro-acoustic impedance, said elastic-material vibro-acoustic impedance and the medium vibro-acoustic impedance being sufficiently vibro-acoustically impedance-matched to couple time-varying, propagating vibro-acoustic fields between said elastic material and the medium,
wherein said first joint wall comprises at least one of a first semiconductor, a first metal, a first metal alloy, a first polymer, a first foam, a first gel, a first rubber, a first elastic composite, and a first ceramic,
wherein said first unit-cell joint inclusion comprises at least one of a second semiconductor, a second metal, a second metal alloy, a second polymer, a second foam, a second gel, a second rubber, a second elastic composite, a second ceramic, and a first unit-cell joint inclusion fluid,
wherein said at least two first unit-cell arms comprise at least one of a third semiconductor, a third metal, a third metal alloy, a third polymer, a third foam, a third gel, a third rubber, a third elastic composite, and a third ceramic.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the medium comprises one of water and oil.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first semiconductor, said second semiconductor, and said third semiconductor comprises one of silicon and gallium nitride;
wherein at least one of said first metal, said second metal, and said third metal comprises one of tungsten, gold, and steel,
wherein at least one of said first metal alloy, said second metal alloy, and said third metal alloy comprises one of a gallium-indium alloy and brass,
wherein at least one of said first polymer, said second polymer, and said third polymer comprises one of polydimethylsiloxane and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene,
wherein at least one of said first ceramic, said second ceramic, and said third ceramic comprises one of alumina and lead zirconate titanate, and
wherein at least one of said first foam, said second foam, and said third foam comprises one of aluminum foam and polystyrene foam,
wherein at least one of said first gel, said second gel, and said third gel comprises one of hydrogel and organogel,
wherein at least one of said first rubber, said second rubber, and said third rubber comprises one of butyl rubber and natural rubber,
wherein at least one of said first elastic composite, said second elastic composite, said third elastic composite comprises one of carbon fiber/epoxy composite and polymer/ferromagnetic particle composite,
wherein said fluid comprises of one of water and air.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said elastic material comprises one of at least one disordered heterogeneous geometry and at least one lattice geometry.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein said at least one lattice geometry comprises one of an anti-chiral lattice geometry and a chiral lattice geometry.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein said elastic material comprising said chiral lattice geometry comprises a first acousto-elastic metamaterial;
wherein said elastic material comprising said anti-chiral lattice geometry comprises at least one of an auxetic material and a second acousto-elastic metamaterial.

7. The device according to claim 5 , wherein said anti-chiral lattice geometry comprises one of an anti-trichiral lattice geometry and an anti-tetrachiral lattice geometry,
wherein said chiral lattice geometry comprises one of a trichiral lattice geometry and a tetrachiral lattice geometry.

8. The device according to claim 4 , wherein said at least one disordered heterogeneous geometry comprises a plurality of lattice-free geometries,
wherein said at least one lattice geometry comprises a plurality of lattice geometries.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein said elastic material comprises a plurality of joining regions interconnecting said at least one of a plurality of lattice-free geometries and a plurality of lattice geometries.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein said plurality of joining regions comprises one of at least two same joining region inclusions, at least two different joining region inclusions, and said plurality of joining regions being free of said at least two same joining region inclusions and said at least two different joining region inclusions.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of unit cells comprises a second unit cell, said second unit cell comprising:
a second unit-cell joint comprising a second unit-cell joint wall defining a second joint central void;
a second unit-cell joint inclusion located in the second joint central void; and
at least two second unit-cell arms connected to and extending away from said second unit-cell joint;
wherein said first unit cell and said second unit cell define at least one gap and comprise one of a gap material and a vacuum in the at least one gap.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein said gap material comprises at least one of a gap fluid and an elastic gap solid,
wherein said gap fluid comprises one of air and water;
wherein said elastic gap solid comprises a gap solid bulk modulus, a gap solid shear modulus of elasticity, and a gap solid density sufficient for at least partial propagation of vibro-acoustic waves along said first unit-cell arms.

13. The device according to claim 11 , wherein said first unit-cell joint comprises a plurality of tangent points, at least one arm of said at least two first unit-cell arms extending tangentially away from a respective tangent point of said plurality of tangent points and connecting to said second unit-cell joint.

14. The device according to claim 11 , wherein said first unit-cell joint comprises a plurality of tangent points, at least one first unit-cell arm of said at least two first unit-cell arms extending away offset from a respective tangent point of said plurality of tangent points and connecting to said second unit-cell joint.

15. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a phase-modulating aperture comprising said elastic material.

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein said phase-modulating aperture comprises one of an acousto-elastic superlens and an acousto-elastic hyperlens.

17. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a multi-component lattice comprising said elastic material.

18. The device according to claim 17 , wherein said multi-component lattice comprises one of a superlattice and a plurality of stacked lattices.

19. The device according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of said first ceramic, said second ceramic, and said third ceramic comprises a piezoelectric material,
wherein at least one of said first composite, said second composite, and said third composite comprises one of an electro-rheologic material and a magneto-rheologic material.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Navy

Inventors

• Martin Theodore P
• Rohde Charles Alan
• Orris Gregory
• Charipar Kristin
• Piqué Alberto

Classifications

• G10K11/205

  for underwater use · CPC title

• G10K11/04

  Acoustic filters {; Acoustic resonators} · CPC title

• G10K11/02

  Mechanical acoustic impedances; Impedance matching, e.g. by horns; Acoustic resonators · CPC title

• G10K11/162 Primary

  Selection of materials · CPC title

• G10K2200/11

  Underwater, e.g. transducers for generating acoustic waves underwater · CPC title