Prediction and measurement of nonpropagating Lamb modes at the free end of a plate when the fundamental antisymmetric mode A0 is incident

Reflection of Lamb waves when the fundamental mode A0 is incident at the free end of a plate is studied, in order to identify the extent to which the generation of nonpropagating modes influences the field local to the end of the plate. Semi-analytical predictions, finite element simulations, and experimental measurements are presented for frequencies below the A2 cutoff. First it is shown, for frequencies below the A1 cutoff, that reflection of the A0 mode is accompanied by a delay in phase, and that there is significant additional motion due to nonpropagating modes within about five plate thicknesses of the end. The extend of this additional motion in the vicinity of the end of the plate is demonstrated by subtracting the contribution of the propagating modes from the displacement field. The wave field at frequencies above the A1 cutoff is more complex because the A1 as well as the A0 propagating modes are present at the end of the plate. Nevertheless, it has still been possible, using semi-analytical predictions and finite element simulations, to demonstrate the additional motion due to the nonpropagating modes.     

Bending wave propagation along a symmetric groove in an elastic plate

Normal bending waves propagating along a symmetric groove in an infinite elastic plate are considered. The characteristic equations in wave numbers of these modes are obtained for symmetric and antisymmetric modes of vibration. Critical frequencies and eigenfunctions of the problem are determined. Results of numerical calculations for the wave numbers, critical frequencies, and modes of vibration are presented.     

Vibration and parametric excitation in asymmetric circular plates under moving loads

The natural frequencies and modes of transverse vibration of circular plates containing small imperfections are determined through a perturbation method. Incision of equally spaced, equal-size radial slots at the rim of the plate creates asymmetry in some, but not all, of the vibration modes, and it causes the repeated natural frequencies of these modes in the symmetric plate to split into two distinct values. These vibration modes are called the split modes, and those associated with the repeated natural frequencies are called the repeated modes. A relationship identifying the split and repeated modes for any configuration of slots is presented. The vibration of a plate containing any number of thin slots cut into it at the rim and with any number of rotating linear springs is analyzed. Parametric instability can be excited in the split modes of the plate by the springs rotating below critical speed, but it cannot be excited in the repeated modes. The response of the plate in forms such as traveling or standing waves at parametric resonance is discussed. The theoretical predictions of split and repeated vibration modes and of the excitation of parametric instability are confirmed by experiments.     

Vibration of a flexible plate in contact with the free surface of a heavy liquid

Free vibration of a flexible plate floating on the free surface of a perfect incompressible finite-depth heavy liquid are studied. The problem is solved in the shallow water approximation. Conditions for the existence of discrete frequencies below the waveguide cutoff frequency and associated localized (nonpropagating) liquid vibration modes in the plate-liquid system are determined.     

On the Coriolis effect in acoustic waveguides

Rotation of an elastic medium gives rise to a shift of frequency of its acoustic modes, i.e., the time-period vibrations that exist in it. This frequency shift is investigated by applying perturbation theory in the regime of small ratios of the rotation velocity and the frequency of the acoustic mode. In an expansion of the relative frequency shift in powers of this ratio, upper bounds are derived for the first-order and the second-order terms. The derivation of the theoretical upper bounds of the first-order term is presented for linear vibration modes as well as for stable nonlinear vibrations with periodic time dependence that can be represented by a Fourier series.     

Mode-splitting and quasi-degeneracies in circular plate vibration problems: The example of free vibrations of the stator of a traveling wave ultrasonic motor

In systems with rotational symmetry, bending modes occur in doubly-degenerate pairs with two independent vibration modes for each repeated natural frequency. In circular plates, the standing waves of two such degenerate bending modes can be superposed with a 1/4 period separation in time to yield a traveling wave response. This is the principle of a traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUM), in which a traveling bending wave in a stator drives the rotor through a friction contact. The stator contains teeth to increase the speed at the contact region, and these affect the rotational symmetry of the plate. When systems with rotational symmetry are modified either in their geometry, or by spatially varying their properties or boundary conditions, some mode-pairs split into singlet modes having distinct frequencies. In addition, coupling between some pairs of distinct unperturbed modes also causes quasi-degeneracies in the perturbed modes, which leads their frequency curves to approach and veer away in some regions of the parameter space. This paper discusses the effects of tooth geometry on the behavior of plate modes under free vibration. It investigates mode splitting and quasi-degeneracies and derives analytic expressions to predict these phenomena, using variational methods and a degenerate perturbation scheme for the solution to the plate’s discrete eigenvalue problem; these expressions are confirmed by solving the discrete eigenvalue problem of the plate with teeth.     

Bilinear modal representations for reduced-order modeling of localized piecewise-linear oscillators

A novel reduced-order modeling method for vibration problems of elastic structures with localized piecewise-linearity is proposed. The focus is placed upon solving nonlinear forced response problems of elastic media with contact nonlinearity, such as cracked structures and delaminated plates. The modeling framework is based on observations of the proper orthogonal modes computed from nonlinear forced responses and their approximation by a truncated set of linear normal modes with special boundary conditions. First, it is shown that a set of proper orthogonal modes can form a good basis for constructing a reduced-order model that can well capture the nonlinear normal modes. Next, it is shown that the subspace spanned by the set of dominant proper orthogonal modes can be well approximated by a slightly larger set of linear normal modes with special boundary conditions. These linear modes are referred to as bi-linear modes, and are selected by an elaborate methodology which utilizes certain similarities between the bi-linear modes and approximations for the dominant proper orthogonal modes. These approximations are obtained using interpolated proper orthogonal modes of smaller dimensional models. The proposed method is compared with traditional reduced-order modeling methods such as component mode synthesis, and its advantages are discussed. Forced response analyses of cracked structures and delaminated plates are provided for demonstrating the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methodology.     

Free wave propagation in two-dimensional periodic plates

The propagation of flexural waves in a two-dimensional periodic plate which rests on an orthogonal array of equi-spaced simple line supports has been investigated. A type of plane wave motion has been considered. An energy method has been developed to predict the frequency of wave propagation in terms of the propagation constants. A Galerkin type of analysis has been used, incorporating assumed complex modes of wave motion for the identical rectangular elements of the periodic plate. Expressions for the frequency have been obtained firstly by using simple polynomial modes for the plate displacements, and then (alternatively) by using characteristics beam function modes. The use of these different modes has first been demonstrated by applying them to the analysis of wave propagation in periodic beams. A single polynomial mode which satisfies the geometric and wave-boundary conditions of the periodic plate element leads to an elegant expression relating the frequency and the wave propagation constants in the first propagation band. The frequencies so obtained compare well with those found from a multi-mode, characteristic beam function analysis. The latter involves much more algebra, is solved as an eigenvalue problem, and yields the frequencies in as many propagation bands as are desired. The bounding frequencies and corresponding wave motions in the first and higher propagation bands have been identified, and it has been shown that the propagation bands can overlap. Consideration has been given to one-dimensional “strip” structures which are equivalent to the two-dimensional plate when a plane wave in a general direction is propagating. Furthermore, it is shown that the natural frequencies of finite rectangular periodic plates can be obtained very simply from the results of the wave propagation analysis.     

Finite element simulation of the generation and detection by air-coupled transducers of guided waves in viscoelastic and anisotropic materials

The measured characteristics (efficiency and sensitivity) of two air-coupled transducers allow for the prediction of the absolute values of the pressure of the bulk waves generated in air and for the measurement of the pressure of the field radiated in air by guided waves propagating in a structure. With finite element software, the pressure field generated by an air-coupled transducer is simulated by introducing a right-hand side member in the Helmholtz equation, which is used for computing the propagation from the transducer to a plate. The simulated source is rotated in order to impose an angle of incidence with respect to the normal of the plate and generate the corresponding guided mode. Inside the plate, the propagation is simulated with the dynamic equations of equilibrium and a complex stiffness tensor to take into account the viscoelastic anisotropy of the material. For modeling the three-dimensional fields of the guided modes propagating in a two-dimensional non-symmetry plane, a 2.5 dimensional model is introduced. The model computes the value of the pressure field radiated in air by the plates for any guided modes and can predict the detectability of the system for a known defect in a structure. A test bed incorporating two air-coupled transducers is used to generate and receive various guided modes. Two plates made of Perspex and carbon-epoxy composite are tested. The pressure measured by the receiver at various positions is compared to the results of the model to validate it.     

Waves in thin semiconductor layers with negative differential conductivity

Conclusion The wave process in semiconductor films with negative differential resistivity is peculiar in that there is a spatial increase of wave amplitude given the condition that the propagating wave has an electric field component along the direction of carrier drift. Such a condition is realized in structures with longitudinal drift when quasistatic space charge waves are amplified, and in structures with transverse drift, where quasiturbulent electromagnetic waves are amplified.In structures with longitudinal drift all propagating modes have identical phase velocity, close to the charge carrier drift velocity. The modes differ from each other in attenuation (amplification) coefficient and potential and charge distribution over film thickness. In structures with transverse drift only the fundamental quasi-TEM type mode is propagated, with a phase velocity close to the speed of light in the medium. Higher modes are nonpropagating due to cutoff of the waveguide structure.Experimental studies have confirmed the fundamental physical concepts and theoretical results, and have shown the promise of semiconductor structures with negative differential resistivity in uhf microelectronics.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 28–41, August, 1981.     

Magnetoelastic waves in an in-plane magnetized ferromagnetic plate

The spectrum of magnetoelastic waves propagating along the magnetic field in an in-plane magnetized ferromagnetic plate is numerically investigated in the exchangeless approximation. No restrictions are imposed either on the field pattern of backward volume magnetostatic waves (BVMSWs) or elastic waves supported by a plate of a given geometry across the plate or on the relationship between the sound velocity v _S and the phase velocity of the magnetoelastic waves v=ω/q (ω is the frequency, q is the wave number). The resonance interaction of the BVMSWs and elastic waves is accompanied, as a rule, by the formation of “stop” bands δω that are proportional to the magnetoelastic coupling constant b. When the BVMSWs are in resonance with Lamb and shear elastic modes the values of the magnetoelastic gaps δω at v≈v _S turn out to be of the same order. For v≫v _S , the efficiency of the interaction between the BVMSWs and transverse Lamb modes is almost one order of magnitude higher. If the frequency spacing Δω between the elastic modes is smaller than the mag-netoelastic gap in the spectrum (Δω≤δω), which takes place, particularly, in the region of crowding the elastic mode spectrum (v≈v _S), the resonant interaction results in mixing the dispersion laws for the elastic modes. Namely, a surface mode may transform into a volume one and a shear mode, into the Lamb mode or into a shear mode with another number. The resonance interaction of the shear and Lamb elastic modes not only forms the magnetoelastic gaps δω∼b ² but also changes the efficiency of elastic wave coupling with the magnetic subsystem. This may show up as the coexistence of the effects of “repulsing” both the dispersion laws and the damping decrements of the elastic waves at the resonance frequency. It is shown that magnetostriction splits the cutoff frequencies of both transverse Lamb modes and shear modes, as well as the long-wave (q → 0) frequency limits f ₀ of the BVMSW modes. This may cause the resonance interaction between BVMSW modes of equal evenness in a narrow frequency band Δ∼b near f ₀.     

Natural frequencies and mode shapes of flexural vibration of plates: laser-interferometry detection and solutions by Ritz's method

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical study of flexural symmetric vibration modes of a linear elastic plate. A laser interferometer is used as detector of the free vibration of a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped aluminium plate. The vibration spectrum gives the lowest natural frequencies of the sample. Assumption that the vibration of the plates may be described by some approximate theories is proven to be inconsistent. The Ritz method, with products of powers of the co-ordinates as basis functions, is applied to obtain the lowest flexural natural frequencies. Three-dimensional solutions are obtained, unlike those provided by simpler theories. The experimental results are compared with the numerical predictions and a good agreement is obtained. Finally, forced motion is applied to the centre of the plate and the out-of-plane and in-plane displacement components for the first symmetric mode are measured. A good fit of the calculated values to the experimental values is found.     

Reduction of sound radiation by using force radiation modes

The location of a vibration source within a machine is sometimes found to have a significant effect upon its radiated acoustic power. It is known that a simple reduction of vibration cannot always reduce the radiated acoustic power, so that treatments based on analysis of a structure’s vibration modes are not always effective. At the same time, radiation mode analysis is known to be a powerful tool for interpreting sound radiation since those modes are independent of a structure’s surface vibration. However, knowledge of the radiation modes alone cannot be used directly to understand the relationship between vibration source location and acoustic power radiation. In this paper, it is shown that the radiation mode concept can be extended to understand the relationship between acoustic power and driving force distribution by considering the product of the structure’s mobility matrix and the radiation modes: the resulting functions are here defined to be force radiation modes (f_rad-modes). An example is presented in which the acoustic power radiated by a simply-supported, baffled beam is reduced by using guidance provided by the structure’s force radiation modes. The results demonstrate that the force radiation modes can be used to guide the reduction of radiated acoustic power by changing the driving force location without the need to perform additional calculations or experiments.     

Time-frequency analysis of the dispersion of Lamb modes.

Accurate knowledge of the velocity dispersion of Lamb modes is important for ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation methods used in detecting and locating flaws in thin plates and in determining their elastic stiffness coefficients. Lamb mode dispersion is also important in the acoustic emission technique for accurately triangulating the location of emissions in thin plates. In this research, the ability to characterize Lamb mode dispersion through a time-frequency analysis (the pseudo-Wigner-Ville distribution) was demonstrated. A major advantage of time-frequency methods is the ability to analyze acoustic signals containing multiple propagation modes, which overlap and superimpose in the time domain signal. By combining time-frequency analysis with a broadband acoustic excitation source, the dispersion of multiple Lamb modes over a wide frequency range can be determined from as little as a single measurement. In addition, the technique provides a direct measurement of the group velocity dispersion. The technique was first demonstrated in the analysis of a simulated waveform in an aluminum plate in which the Lamb mode dispersion was well known. Portions of the dispersion curves of the A0, A1, S0, and S2 Lamb modes were obtained from this one waveform. The technique was also applied for the analysis of experimental waveforms from a unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite plate. Measurements were made both along and perpendicular to the fiber direction. In this case, the signals contained only the lowest order symmetric and antisymmetric modes. A least squares fit of the results from several source to detector distances was used. Theoretical dispersion curves were calculated and are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results.     

Thermally induced vibrations of a viscoelastic plate

A method for the study of thermally induced vibrations of a viscoelastic plate of arbitrary shape is proposed. The method is based upon the concept of iso-amplitude contour lines on the surface of the plate. It is shown that the time behaviour can be found by assuming a normal mode expansion in terms of the eigenfunctions for the associated elastic plate problem, and the deflection is obtained by using the elastic-viscoelastic analogy. As an illustration of the technique, the vibration of a viscoelastic circular plate under a thermal shock at its centre is discussed, all details of which are illustrated by graphs.     

Laser-ultrasonic generation of Lamb waves in the reaction force range

The Laser-ultrasonic generation of Lamb waves in an elastic plate is investigated theoretically and experimentally for a laser source whose intensity is high enough to create reaction forces (normal tractions) on the illuminated surface of the specimen. The analytical solutions for transient waves are derived using the integral transform method first by considering an arbitrary source shape and time excitation function, and then specifically for circular and line source shapes. The simulation study allows us not only to predict the behavior of individual wave modes but also to construct the overall responses; thus it helps us better understand the wave excitation mechanisms. The dispersive and multi-modal nature of laser-generated Lamb waves is presented by showing the spatiotemporal Fourier transform of displacements obtained by the simulation study. The transform, displayed in the frequency-wave number domain, enunciates the characteristics of the propagating individual Lamb wave modes. The simulation results are then compared with the 2-D Fourier transform of a set of experimental data obtained by scanning an aluminum plate specimen.     

Laser anemometry based on collective scattering: the effects of propagating and nonpropagating fluctuations

Laser anemometry, as it is commonly applied, requires particles. However, in certain types of high-speed flows and plasma flows no particles are present. Collective light-scattering may then be applied to measure fluid or plasma velocity. A new hybrid scheme has been proposed; the scheme allows for better axial resolution than that which has previously been demonstrated. The effects of propagating and nonpropagating fluctuations on the expected cross-correlation functions are investigated. The correlation function will, in general, be asymmetric and will consist of three identifiable peaks: two caused by (counter) propagating fluctuations and one caused by nonpropagating fluctuations. Thermal diffusivity causes the maximum of the ‘nonpropagating peak’ to be displaced relative to the case of no diffusivity.     

Anomalous propagation characteristics of evanescent waves

An analysis is done of the crossing of a forbidden region in a thin plate by a backward propagating Lamb wave: the refraction/reflection effects undergone by the coupled modes produced at each boundary of the forbidden region are taken into consideration, as well as the penetration of the backward wave as an evanescent wave. The outcome of the acoustic perturbation is analysed for a few angles of incidence and experiments are performed that confirm the theoretical predictions.     

Field deformation and polarization change in a step-index optical fibre due to bending

The field distribution and polarization state of waveguide modes propagating around a curved dielectric optical fibre are investigated analytically by using a first-order perturbation theory. It is shown that the polarization direction of all modes except the HE_1m modes changes due to bending. Field distributions are also deformed and the shift in the field maximum, which takes place in the plane of curvature, is clarified for the dominant HE₁₁ mode.     

Investigation of acoustic waves of higher order propagating in plates of lithium niobate

This paper presents theoretical investigation of higher order acoustic plate waves propagating in single crystals of lithium niobate. The dependencies of wave velocity and electromechanical coupling coefficient of antisymmetric, symmetric, and shear horizontal modes on the parameter hf (h=plate thickness, f=operating frequency) are calculated as a function of propagation direction on X-, Y-, and Z-cut lithium niobate plates. It is found that several modes can provide values of K2 that are much greater than can be obtained with surface acoustic waves (SAWs). For example, K2 as high as 0.26 and 0.38 can be obtained from SH1 and A2 modes, respectively. This compares with a maximum value of K2=0.055 for SAWs. It is further shown that there are several crystal cut and propagation directions that can allow efficient excitation and detection of a single mode with minimal interference due to other modes.