Prof. Arnab Banerjee
Civil Engineering Department
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Metamaterials: Towards Enhanced Vibration Control

ABSTRACT: Research has focused on broadening the bandwidth of metamaterials due to their unique bandgap characteristics resulting from their periodic structure and geometry. Several approaches have been explored to achieve this goal, with the wider bandgap being crucial for applications in acoustics and vibration control. However, the role of periodicity in enhancing damping has often been overlooked. This study investigates both bandwidth and damping enhancements in metamaterial structures. Expanding the bandwidth is valuable for effective wideband steady-state vibration control, while increased damping facilitates quicker energy dissipation and better mitigation of transient vibrations. In addition to passive metamaterials, active control and non-reciprocal metamaterials are also investigated. Practical implementation of metamaterials is explored for vibration control in wind turbine towers, railway noise reduction, and pile foundations.

BIOGRAPHY: Dr. Arnab Banerjee has been serving the Civil Engineering Department of the Indian Institute Technology (IIT) Delhi as Assistant Professor, grade-I, since March 2021 and as Assistant Professor, grade-II, since May 2019. He started his professional career as an Assistant Professor, grade-II, at IIT Jammu in August 2018. Dr. Arnab Banerjee earned his Ph.D. from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in March 2018. Dr. Banerjee is a multidisciplinary researcher who actively researches a broad spectrum of topics encompassing structural dynamics, wave mechanics, and new and renewable energies. Dr Banerjee’s research primarily focuses on design and analysis of metamaterials towards wider band mechanical filters, and their application for real-life structures for enhanced vibration control. Till now, the use of metamaterials in the following fields: vibration control of the wind turbine tower and tall building, acoustic and seismic performance enhancement, railway noise and vibration mitigation, and enhanced energy harvesting, were investigated by Dr Banerjee. Noteworthy research contributions of Dr. Banerjee include the realization of: (a) two peaks in the subwavelength attenuation band of a chain of the inertial amplifier due to the coupling of negative mass and stiffness, (b) non-reciprocal metamaterial from piezo-electric actuation and sensing, (c) damping enhancement in active-controlled metamaterial, and (d) vibrational energy harvesting from edge-state. 

A few of the recognitions that were received by Dr. Banerjee are: (a) Inducted as a Young Associate in the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) in 2023, (b) Invited speaker in Phononics-2023 at Manchester, UK, (c) Plenary Keynote lecture in the National Conference on Resilient Infrastructure at Thiruvananthapuram, India in 2022, (d) Inspire Faculty Award from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) India in 2018, and (e) Newton International postdoctoral Fellow from Royal Society London in 2018.