| Abstract |
The PoC METACOUSTIC aims at designing (by resorting to the cutting-edge computational modeling and design techniques arisen from the ERC Advanced grant COMP-DES-MAT), prototyping and testing Locally Resonant Acoustic Metamaterial (LRAM) products (panels and liners) for tailored insulation of ambient noise, to be used in building construction, civil engineering, transportation, and other industrial and social environments.
The highly innovative solution that METACOUSTIC offers to the market is a breakthrough service providing bespoke soundproofing solutions that meet and exceed the specific soundproofing requirements of customers. It particularly focuses on being able to identify and supress the exact and unique noise spectrum signature that needs to be attenuated. The solution exploits the locally resonant properties of artificially designed microstructures. A locally resonant acoustic metamaterial (LRAM) is able to cancel or attenuate incident sound waves with frequencies close to its natural frequencies, which emerge from its internal structure or topology. The tailored character of the design solutions outcoming from the METACOUSTIC PoC will add dramatic innovation with respect to the existing ones, since specific frequency regions to attenuate can be selected through the topological design of the LRAM, resulting in lightweight products for tailored acoustic insulation.
The METACOUSTIC work-plan considers the two types of objectives which drive Proof of Concept projects. One strand of the work is the ‘proof of technical concepts’ line to have assembled the technical excellence to develop and the research findings from the ERC AdG into proven deliverables, ready to begin the transition from lab to commercial application. Equally important is the strand of ‘dissemination and commercialisation activities’, which will lead to early phase market intelligence and deal with issues of IPR ownership and exploitation strategy. |
