Effects of rib complexity on plane wave localization phenomena

Abstract

Spatial irregularity of an array of line masses has been previously predicted to give rise to Anderson localization of plane waves on a fluid-loaded plate. Here, the effects of additional rib complexity: nonvanishing moment of inertia, the ability to support vibrational waves along the rib, and the influence of some simple models of internal structure, are considered. It is shown that this system is nearly equivalent to a nearest-neighbor coupled line array where each site is now represented by two degrees of freedom, the effective force and moment exerted by each scatterer. In the absence of fluid-loading this immediately implies that any degree of irregularity produces Anderson localization. Simulation results illustrating typical localization effects in the presence of fluid-loading will be presented. Generally, more accurate modeling of the rib impedance is found to increase the rib scattering strength and hence increase localization phenomena.