Tunable Structured Fabrics for Adaptive Vibration Control: Modeling and Experimental Validation

Structured fabrics are compliant, engineered materials composed of interlinked truss-like elements, such as medieval chainmail armours, which exhibit negligible bending stiffness in their unconfined state. Recent studies have demonstrated that under confinement pressure (i.e. vacuum), these fabrics undergo a dramatic increase in stiffness, transforming them into cohesive structural materials. This unique behaviour enables the development of lightweight, tuneable, and adaptive systems for applications ranging from wearable exoskeletons to vibration and noise control devices. In this work, we present a homogenized physical model that captures the elastic properties of in-vacuo structured fabrics under varying confinement pressures. Drawing inspiration from granular media mechanics, the model incorporates grain geometry and contact topology effects to predict the resonant response of finite beams and wave propagation in infinite waveguides. Experimental validations confirm the model’s accuracy in describing the pressure-dependent mechanical adaptation of these fabrics. Building upon this framework, we further investigate the design and implementation of a self-tuning beam-like vibration absorber utilizing structured fabrics. The absorber consists of a structured fabric core encased in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag, fixed to a central post. By modulating the vacuum pressure, the bending stiffness of the beam can be dynamically adjusted, enabling tuneable flapping vibrations analogous to a mass-spring-damper system. The study details the absorber’s working principles and introduces an adaptive control algorithm that optimizes vacuum levels to either (1) target specific resonant modes of a host structure or (2) track time-harmonic disturbances. This approach accommodates operational variability, such as tensioning effects or thermal fluctuations, ensuring robust performance under changing conditions. A comprehensive experimental analysis validates the absorber’s tuning capabilities and control efficacy, demonstrating its ability to mitigate both broadband random and tonal excitations in plate structures. Together, these advances highlight the potential of structured fabrics as adaptive materials for next-generation vibration control systems.