Robust Design of Negative Stiffness Elements Fabricated by Selective Laser Sintering

Constrained negative stiffness structures have been shown to possess desirable vibration isolation properties because of their ability to provide low dynamic stiffness, resulting in low transmissibility over a wide range of frequencies. In this research, selective laser sintering (SLS) is an integral part of a model-design-build-test process for investigating the vibration isolation capabilities of negative stiffness structures in the form of axially compressed beams. SLS provides geometric design freedom and rapid fabrication capabilities for validating dynamic models of structural behavior and guiding the design process toward iterative improvements. SLS also introduces some geometric and dimensional variability that can significantly degrade the performance of the structure. In this paper, an iterative model-design-build-test process for negative stiffness structures is described and presented with an analysis of the impact of SLS-induced imperfections on the results.