Prevention of wave propagation via circular arrangement of seismic metamaterials formed with concrete piles

Abstract

It is known that the low frequencies of seismic surface waves have a destructive effect. The main purpose of seismic metamaterials is to protect structures from seismic waves at low frequencies, especially in a wide band. In this study, the effects of seismic metamaterials formed using circular array concrete piles on surface waves were investigated. Each concrete pile has been selected due to symmetric properties to investigate the band diagram. Therefore, the direction independence can also be determined with respect to frequency. This study was conducted both numerically and experimentally in the low-frequency range of 5-15 Hz. Two fields, with and without metamaterials, have been designed and compared. In numerical analysis, transmission loss graphs were drawn using the finite element method (FEM), and wave propagation at frequencies where the loss happened was simulated. In numerical analysis, optimum dimensions such as radius and depth were determined, and these dimensions were applied exactly in the experimental field. The results obtained from the experiment using a harmonic vibration device are mapped. In this numerical and experimental study, it has been revealed that the proposed structure prevents the propagation of seismic surface waves.