Yang par
SFA,
A ray method is systematically used to derive a relation between radiated
acoustic waves and elastic waves traveling over a smooth elastic shell of
arbitrary shape. The radiated acoustic field is found to be intimately
connected with the geometry of the shell's surface and the elastic wavefronts.
This connection leads to an asymptotic expression for the local radiation
impedance associated with each surface ray under the condition k[sub f]R>>1,
where k[sub f] is the wave number in fluid and R the smallest radius of
curvature of the shell. The first term in this formula is actually the result
for an infinite flat plat, which is homogeneous and isotropic, while the second
term introduces inhomogeneity and anisotropy into the radiation impedance
because it explicitly depends on the local curvatures of the shell's surface
and the elastic wavefronts. The general result is further simplified for a
cylindrical shell with cross sections of arbitrary shape. Comparisons are made
between the present asymptotic solution and the exact solution in the two
special cases of vibrating circular cylindrical shells and spherical shells. It
turns out that the first two terms in the asymptotic expansions of these
solutions have exactly the same expression. [Work supported by ONR and NRL.]
[sup a)]Under contract to Naval Res. Lab., Washington, DC 20375-5000.