On the role of micro-inertia in enriched continuum mechanics

In this paper the role of gradient micro-inertia terms $\bar{\eta}\lVert\nabla u_{,t}\rVert^{2}$ and free micro-inertia terms $\eta\lVert p_{,t}\rVert^{2}$ is investigated to unveil their respective effect on the dynamical behavior of band-gap metamaterials. We show that the term $\bar{\eta}\lVert\nabla u_{,t}\rVert^{2}$ alone is only able to disclose relatively simplified dispersive behaviors. On the other hand, the term $\eta\lVert p_{,t}\rVert^{2}$ is in charge of the description of the full complex behavior of band-gap metamaterials. A suitable mixing of the two micro-inertia terms allows to describe a new feature of the relaxed-micromorphic model, i.e. the description of a second band-gap occurring for higher frequencies. We also show that a split of the gradient micro-inertia $\bar{\eta}\lVert\nabla u_{,t}\rVert^{2}$, in the sense of Cartan-Lie decomposition of matrices, allows to flatten separately longitudinal and transverse optic branches thus giving the possibility of a second band-gap. Finally, we investigate the effect of the gradient inertia $\bar{\eta}\lVert\nabla u_{,t}\rVert^{2}$ on more classical enriched models as the Mindlin-Eringen and the internal variable ones. We find that the addition of such gradient micro-inertia allows for the onset of one band-gap in the Mindlin-Eringen model and of three band-gaps in the internal variable model. In this last case, however, non-local effects cannot be accounted for which is a too drastic simplification for most metamaterials. We conclude that, even when adding gradient micro-inertia terms, the relaxed micromorphic model remains the most performing one, among the considered enriched model, for the description of non-local band-gap metamaterials.