Clay metaBrick-based motif to enhance thermal and acoustic insulation

Acoustic metamaterials have gained popularity as promising materials for enhancing noise reduction. Here, we explore the use of metamaterials, based on Helmholtz resonators (HRs), to enhance the performance of standard clay hollow brick. By incorporating HRs in the upper and lower hollows, we transform the standard brick into metaBrick, which is essentially designed based on metamaterial principles. We evaluate the acoustic and thermal performance of walls constructed with clay metaBricks, focusing on sound transmission loss and heat resistance. Both the finite element method and experimental analysis were employed to highlight the performance of metaBricks compared to standard clay bricks. Results show that metaBricks significantly enhance acoustic and thermal insulation, achieving an attenuation of $20$ \si{dB} across a broad frequency range from $500$ to $2500$ \si{Hz} and an $8$\% increase in thermal resistance. However, compressive strength is reduced by $33$\%, though it remains above the standard requirements for building materials. These findings indicate that metaBrick is a promising building material, offering improved sound and thermal insulation.