• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.3
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• pp.221-238
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• 2023

This paper developed and examined a novel passive vibration isolator (i.e., "X-inerter") motivated by combining a bio-inspired structure and a rack-pinion inerter. The bio-inspired structure provided nonlinear stiffness and damping owing to its geometric nonlinearity. In addition, the behavior was further enhanced by a gear inerter that produced a special nonlinear inertia effect; thus, an X-inerter was developed. As a result, the X-inerter can achieve both high-static-low-dynamic stiffness (HSLDS) and quasi-zero stiffness (QZS), obtaining ultra-low frequency isolation. Furthermore, the installed inerter can produce a coupled nonlinear inertia and damping effect, leading to an anti-resonance frequency near the resonance, wide isolation region, and low resonance peak. Both static and dynamic analyses of the proposed isolator were conducted and the structural parameters' influence was comprehensively investigated. The X-inerter was proven to be comparatively more stable in the ultra-low frequency than the benchmarking QZS isolator due to the nonlinear damping and inertia properties. Moreover, the inertia effect could suppress the bio-inspired structure's super- and sub-harmonic resonance. Therefore, the X-inerter isolator generally possesses desirable nonlinear stiffness, nonlinear damping, and unique nonlinear inertia, designed to achieve the ultra-low natural frequency, the anti-resonance property, and a wide isolation region with a low resonance peak.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.3
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• pp.225-238
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• 2024

In this paper, a quasi-3D hyperbolic shear deformation theory for the bending responses of a functionally graded (FG) porous micro-beam is based on a modified couple stress theory requiring only one material length scale parameter that can capture the size influence. The model proposed accounts for both shear and normal deformation effects through an illustrative variation of all displacements across the thickness and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the micro-beam. The effective material properties of the functionally graded micro-beam are assumed to vary in the thickness direction and are estimated using the homogenization method of power law distribution, which is modified to approximate the porous material properties with even and uneven distributions of porosity phases. The equilibrium equations are obtained using the virtual work principle and solved using Navier's technique. The validity of the derived formulation is established by comparing it with the ones available in the literature. Numerical examples are presented to investigate the influences of the power law index, material length scale parameter, beam thickness, and shear and normal deformation effects on the mechanical characteristics of the FG micro-beam. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of the size effects increases the microbeams stiffness, which consequently leads to a reduction in deflections. In contrast, the shear and normal deformation effects are just the opposite.