Honeycomb metamaterial panel with core grid of wire-masses resonators for tuneable vibration and sound radiation bandgap

Controlling flexural vibrations and sound radiation in thin-walled structures subjected to time-varying tonal excitations remains a major engineering challenge. While acoustic metamaterials have demonstrated significant potential for vibration attenuation, most tuneable designs rely on complex architectures that hinder practical implementation. This study proposes a lightweight composite panel integrating a simple honeycomb-core elastic metamaterial capable of generating a continuously tuneable flexural vibration bandgap. The proposed concept consists of a tensioned wire routed in a continuous zigzag path through the honeycomb cells, with concentrated masses attached at the centre of each cell. Each wire–mass subsystem acts as a base-excited resonator whose natural frequency is controlled by the wire tension. The resulting periodic array of identical resonators enables continuous tuning of the resonance frequency and the associated flexural vibration stopband without modifying the structural layout. The design methodology is presented and validated through simulations and experimental testing of a prototype panel. The results demonstrate the formation of both flexural vibration and sound radiation stopband with maximum attenuations of 25 dB and 20 dB respectively. By varying the wire tension, the stopband can be shifted over a frequency range of approximately 300 Hz, allowing adaptive suppression of time-varying tonal disturbances. The proposed metamaterial combines structural simplicity, low mass, ease of implementation, and robust, broadband-tuneable dynamic behaviour, providing an effective strategy for adaptive vibration and noise control in lightweight engineering structures operating under variable excitation conditions, including aerospace, automotive, marine, and industrial applications.