Probing the frequency-dependent elastic moduli of lattice materials

An insightful mechanics-based concept is developed for probing the frequency-dependence in in-plane elastic moduli of microstructured lattice materials. Closed-form expressions for the complex elastic moduli are derived as a function of frequency by employing the dynamic stiffness matrix of beam elements, which can exactly capture the sub-wavelength scale dynamics. It is observed that the two Poisson's ratios are not dependent on the frequency of vibration, while the amplitude of two Young's moduli and shear modulus increase significantly with the increase of frequency. The variation of frequency-dependent phase of the complex elastic moduli is studied in terms of damping factors of the intrinsic material. The tunable frequency-dependent behaviour of elastic moduli in lattice materials could be exploited in the pseudo-static design of advanced engineering structures which are often operated in a vibrating environment. The generic concepts presented in this paper introduce new exploitable dimensions in the research of engineered materials for potential applications in various vibrating devices and structures across different length-scales. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.