The transmission of vibration through a coupled periodic structure

Abstract

Complex built-up structures often consist of structural elements of a periodic nature. Examples of these include plate or shell elements reinforced by stiffeners at regular intervals. This paper describes a theoretical method for evaluating the coupling loss factor (CLF) of a coupled periodic structure for use in the application of statistical energy analysis. The structure considered consists of a plate with periodic stiffeners coupled at right angles to a uniform plate and the method of travelling wave analysis was used for the investigation. An experimental program was conducted to verify the CLF of the structure. Results from the measurements of input power and vibrational energy were used in a numerical procedure to determine the internal loss factors and CLF. The experimental results show good agreement with theoretical predictions at low frequencies. However, some discrepancies between the theoretical and experimental results were observed at high frequencies, possibly due to the frequency dependent nature of the assumptions involved in the theoretical analysis. © 1998 Academic Press.