On the dynamic behavior of thin elastic plates

Citation

O'Sullivan, Michael John (1968) On the dynamic behavior of thin elastic plates. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-10022002-113310

Abstract

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Two wave propagation problems are considered: the propagation of acoustic waves in a fluid slab and the propagation of elastic waves in an elastic slab.

When formulated in terms of nondimensional variables these problems depend explicitly on two small parameters [epsilon] and [delta]. The parameter [epsilon] provides a measure of the thinness of the slabs considered and the parameter [delta] measures the impulsiveness of the applied excitation or loading. Approximation solutions of the problems considered are obtained consisting of several parts, each part having the form of a power series expansion in the parameters [epsilon] and [delta].

The most important result obtained is the development of the approximate theories - the plate wave equation and the Euler-Bernoulli plate equation - directly from the full equations of dynamic elasticity using a rational perturbation expansion technique.

Thesis Files