Enhancing the Sound Absorption of Small-Scale 3-D Printed Acoustic Metamaterials Based on Helmholtz Resonators

Acoustic metamaterials have recently become of interest for their ability to attenuate sound by breaking the mass-density law. In this paper, acoustic metamaterials based on Helmholtz resonators and capable of attenuating sound up to 30 dB are fabricated for sound absorption applications in the small scale. The proposed metamaterials are subwavelength at a factor of λ/12 with respect to the lateral dimension of the units. The directional response due to the position of the acoustic source on the sound attenuation provided by the metamaterial is investigated by controlling the location of a loudspeaker with a robot arm. To enhance and broaden the absorption bands, structural modifications are added such that overtones are tuned to selected frequencies and membranes are included at the base of the resonators. This design is made possible by innovative 3-D printing techniques based on stereolithography and on the use of specific UV-curable resins. These results show that these designs could be used for sound control in small-scale electroacoustic devices and sensors.