Search

Periodic structures composed of quarter-wavelength or Helmholtz resonators have been widely used in the design of acoustic metamaterials. An interesting phenomenon achievable through hybridization in such structures is the slow sound, which results from the strong dispersion produced by the local resonances. It gives rise to many applications such as deep subwavelength sound absorbers or metadiffusers. All the applications proposed so far have been analyzed only in the frequency domain (steady state). In this work, we propose a passive treatment that can be used in room acoustics, which requires considering the time domain and all multiple reflections. We analytically design a delay line from a metasurface made of Helmholtz resonators, using slow-sound propagation. We prove numerically and experimentally that such structures can delay a pulse and thus reproduce the sound perception of a propagation over a given distance, larger than the actual size of the treatment. The limitations of real-time pulse propagation, dispersion, and losses on audio fidelity are discussed. © 2022 American Physical Society.

Thermoacoustic amplifiers are analyzed in the framework of nonreciprocal Willis coupling. The closed form expressions of the effective properties are derived, showing that an applied temperature gradient causes the appearance of a nonreciprocal Willis coupling. These Willis couplings cause a coalescence point in the k space, which deviates from Re(k) = 0 (with k the wave number) and is thus a zero-group-velocity point, as well as the opening of an amplification gap at low frequency. © 2023, META Conference. All rights reserved.

[EN] This paper examines the feasibility of cloaking an obstacle using Plate-type Acoustic Metamaterials (PAMs). We present two distinct strategies to cloak this obstacle, using either the near-zero-density regime of a periodic arrangement of plates or the acoustic doping phenomenon to achieve simultaneous zero-phase propagation and impedance matching. The strong limitations induced by viscothermal and viscoelastic losses that cannot be avoided in such a system are studied. A hiding zone is reported analytically, numerically, and experimentally. In contrast to cloaking, where zero-phase propagation must be accompanied by total transmission and zero reflection, the hiding configuration requires that the scattering properties of the hiding device must not be affected by the presence of the obstacle embedded in it. Contrary to cloaking, the hiding phenomenon is achievable even with a realistic PAM possessing unavoidable losses.

[EN] Sound diffusion refers to the ability of a surface to evenly scatter sound energy in both time and space. However, omni-directional radiation of sound, or perfect diffusion, can be impractical or difficult to reach under traditional means. This is due to the considerable size required, and the lack of tunability, of typical quarter-wavelength scattering strategies necessary for producing the required complexity of the surface acoustic impedance. As such, it can be a challenge to design sound diffusing structures that can display near perfect diffusion performance within slim dimensions. In this work, we propose a method for obtaining quasi-perfect and broadband sound diffusion coefficients using deep-subwavelength acoustic diffusers, i.e., metadiffusers. The relation among the geometry of the metasurface, the bandwidth, and the diffusion performance is analytically and numerically studied. For moderate bandwidths, around 1/3 of an octave, the method results in nearly perfect sound diffusion, while for a bandwidth of 2.5 octaves, a normalized diffusion coefficient of 0.8 was obtained using panels 1/30th thinner than traditional phase-grating designs. The ratio between the wavelength and the size of the unit cell was identified as a limitation of the performance. This work demonstrates the versatility and effectiveness of metadiffusers to generate diffuse reflections outperforming those of classical sound diffusers.

[EN] We present a 3-dimensional fully natural sonic crystal composed of spherical aggregates of fibers (called Aegagropilae) resulting from the decomposition of Posidonia Oceanica. The fiber network is first acoustically characterized, providing insights on this natural fiber entanglement due to turbulent flow. The Aegagropilae are then arranged on a principal cubic lattice. The band diagram and topology of this structure are analyzed, notably via Argand representation of its scattering elements. This fully natural sonic crystal exhibits excellent sound absorbing properties and thus represents a sustainable alternative that could outperform conventional acoustic materials.

[EN] Mirror-symmetric acoustic metascreens producing perfect absorption independently of the incidence side are theoretically and experimentally reported in this work. The mirror-symmetric resonant building blocks of the metascreen support symmetric and antisymmetric resonances that can be tuned to be at the same frequency (degenerate resonances). The geometry of the building blocks is optimized to critically couple both the symmetric and the antisymmetric resonances at the same frequency, allowing perfect absorption of sound from both sides of the metascreen. A hybrid analytical model based on the transfer-matrix method and the modal decomposition of the exterior acoustic field is developed to analyze the scattering properties of the metascreen. The resulting geometry is three-dimensionally printed and experimentally tested in an impedance tube. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical predictions, proving the efficiency of these metascreens for the perfect absorption of sound in ventilation problems.

[Otros] Dans cette revue, nous présentons des résultats sur l'absorption acoustique parfaite sub-longueur d'onde faisant appel à des métamatériaux acoustiques avec des résonateurs Helmholtz pour différentes configurations. L'absorption parfaite à basse fréquence nécessite une augmentation du nombre d'états aux basses fréquences ainsi que de trouver les bonnes conditions pour une adaptation d'impédance avec le milieu environnant. Si en outre, on souhaite réduire les dimensions géométriques des structures proposées pour des questions pratiques, on peut utiliser des résonateurs locaux judicieusement conçus afin d'attendre une absorption parfaite sub-longueur d'onde. Les résonateurs de Helmholtz se sont révélés de bons candidats en raison de leur accordabilité aisée de la géométrie, donc de la fréquence de résonance, de la fuite d'énergie et des pertes intrinsèques. Lorsqu'ils sont branchés à un guide d'ondes ou à un milieu environnant, ils se comportent comme des systèmes ouverts, avec pertes et résonances caractérisés par leur fuite d'énergie et leurs pertes intrinsèques. L'équilibre entre ces deux aspects représente la condition de couplage critique et donne lieu à un maximum d'absorption d'énergie. Le mécanisme de couplage critique est ici représenté dans le plan de fréquence complexe afin d'interpréter la condition d'adaptation d'impédance. Dans cette revue, nous discutons en détail la possibilité d'obtenir une absorption parfaite par ces conditions de couplage critiques dans différents systèmes tels que la réflexion (à un port), la transmission (à deux ports) ou les systèmes à trois ports., [EN] In this review, we present the results on sub-wavelength perfect acoustic absorption using acoustic metamaterials made of Helmholtz resonators with different setups. Low frequency perfect absorption requires to increase the number of states at low frequencies and finding the good conditions for impedance matching with the background medium. If, in addition, one wishes to reduce the geometric dimensions of the proposed structures for practical issues, one can use properly designed local resonators and achieve subwavelength perfect absorption. Helmholtz resonators have been shown good candidates due to their easy tunability of the geometry, so of the resonance frequency, the energy leakage and the intrinsic losses. When plugged to a waveguide or a surrounding medium they behave as open, lossy and resonant systems characterized by their energy leakage and intrinsic losses. The balance between these two represents the critical coupling condition and gives rise to maximum energy absorption. The critical coupling mechanism is represented here in the complex frequency plane in order to interpret the impedance matching condition. In this review we discuss in detail the possibility to obtain perfect absorption by these critical coupling conditions in different systems such as reflection (one-port), transmission (two-ports) or three-ports systems.