Generating ultra wide vibration stop bands by a novel inertial amplification mechanism topology with flexure hinges

•1D periodic structures are generated using a novel flexure hinge mechanism.•The unit cell mechanism is optimized to obtain very wide vibration stop bands.•Much wider band gaps are obtained than local resonance or Bragg gaps.•Existence of ultra wide stop bands is experimentally validated. Generation of phononic band gaps or vibration stop bands has been studied by researchers in order to prevent the propagation of elastic or acoustic waves in certain frequency ranges. The aim of this study is to obtain stop bands that are much wider than the ones attained by conventional methods, such as Bragg scattering or local resonances. A novel inertial amplification mechanism topology with flexure hinges is proposed that yields ultra wide stop bands at low frequencies. Optimal dimensions of the mechanism are found that give the widest possible stop band. One-dimensional finite and infinite arrays of the unit cell mechanism are analyzed numerically. Moreover, the mechanism is manufactured whose experimental frequency response validates the numerical results.