Excitation of Flat Panels by Laterally Uncorrelated Fluctuating Pressures

Abstract

The response of flat rectangular panels excited by specific acoustic fields are mathematically analyzed. The acoustic fields are assumed to be divided into an arbitrary number of “strip” pressure distributions across the width of the panel. Each strip is assumed to be continuous along the length of the panel in the propagation direction. An acoustic pressure distribution such as this permits the study of joint acceptance, squared, coefficient frequency spectra for lateral strip-pressure correlation conditions that vary between 0 and 1. An investigation of the joint acceptance, squared, coefficients for the special case of a simply supported flat panel excited by laterally uncorrelated “strip” pressures was conducted and the results were compared with a previous analysis by Bozich. [“Spatial Correlation in Structural-Acoustic Coupling,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 36, 52–58 (1964).] Combining Bozich's results with the present analysis yielded an upper and lower bound on the joint acceptance, squared, coefficient frequency spectra. As would be expected, the ratio of the joint acceptance, squared, coefficients for lateral strip pressure correlation conditions of 0 and 1, was highly dependent on the lateral half-wave number and pressure strip width.