Wave control: General Industry Coverage

Elastic and sound waves travel through or at the surface of a material or liquid without causing permanent changes to the substance’s makeup. Examples include waves passing through water and shockwaves from an earthquake.

Controlling and manipulating elastic waves as they pass through or at the surface of certain materials may lead to numerous medical, military and commercial applications, but the methods to do that have proven elusive and difficult at the subwavelength scale, according to Guoliang Huang, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri. Previously, scientists “bent” and controlled these waves using difficult-to-fabricate, multiphase-based metamaterials by combining materials, such as metal and rubber.

Researchers at the University of Missouri use a CO2 laser to engrave “chiral” pattern, such as these, in stainless steel and produce a metamaterial for controlling elastic and sound waves.

Now, UM researchers have reportedly developed a metamaterial to control subwavelength elastic waves. They use an Amada high-powered CO2 laser to engrave “chiral,” or geometric microstructure patterns, into a 1.5mm-thick (0.059 “) sheet of stainless steel. Huang noted other metals can be used, but the resonant frequency will be different.