Ebook: Wave Propagation in Structures: An FFT-Based Spectral Analysis Methodology

The study of wave propagation seems very remote to many engineers, even to those who are involved in structural dynamics. I think one of the reasons for this is that the examples usually taught in school were either so simple as to be inapplicable to real world problems, or so mathematically abstruse as to be intractable. This book contains an approach, spectral analysis, that I have found to be very effective in analyzing waves. What has struck me most about this approach is how I can use the same analytic framework to do predictions as well as to manipulate experimental data. As an experimentalist, I had found it very frustrating having my analytical tools incompatible with my experiments. For example, it is experimentally impos­ sible to generate a step-function wave and yet that is the type of analytical solution available. Spectral analysis is very encompassing - it touches on analysis, numerical meth­ ods, and experimental methods. I wanted this book to do justice to its versatility, so many subjects are introduced. As a result some areas may seem a little thin and I regret this. But I do hope, nonetheless, that the bigger picture, the unity, comes across. To encourage you to try the spectral analysis approach I have included complete source code listings to some of the computer programs mentioned in the text.

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This book introduces spectral analysis as a means of solving wave propagation and transient motion problems in structures. After a foundation of spectral analysis and the use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is developed, an in-depth spectral treatment of waves in rods, beams, and plates is then given. This culminates in a novel matrix method for analyzing complex structures as a collection of connected waveguides. The close relationship between the important areas of vibrations, modal analysis, and waves is brought out elegantly through this approach. The coverage is complete and includes: many experimental studies, an introduction to higher-order structural theories, source code listings for many of the computer programs used, and an extensive bibliography. This book is intended for practicing and research engineers in the areas of vibrations, acoustics, and structural dynamics. The level of treatment and use of examples also makes it suitable as a textbook for a graduate course on wave propagation or structural dynamics.

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This book introduces spectral analysis as a means of solving wave propagation and transient motion problems in structures. After a foundation of spectral analysis and the use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is developed, an in-depth spectral treatment of waves in rods, beams, and plates is then given. This culminates in a novel matrix method for analyzing complex structures as a collection of connected waveguides. The close relationship between the important areas of vibrations, modal analysis, and waves is brought out elegantly through this approach. The coverage is complete and includes: many experimental studies, an introduction to higher-order structural theories, source code listings for many of the computer programs used, and an extensive bibliography. This book is intended for practicing and research engineers in the areas of vibrations, acoustics, and structural dynamics. The level of treatment and use of examples also makes it suitable as a textbook for a graduate course on wave propagation or structural dynamics.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-6
Spectral Analysis and the FFT....Pages 7-31
Spectral Analysis of Wave Motion....Pages 32-57
Longitudinal Waves in Rods....Pages 58-87
Flexural Waves in Beams....Pages 88-125
Wave Propagation in Structures....Pages 126-156
Waves in Two Dimensions....Pages 157-189
Back Matter....Pages 190-258

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This book introduces spectral analysis as a means of solving wave propagation and transient motion problems in structures. After a foundation of spectral analysis and the use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is developed, an in-depth spectral treatment of waves in rods, beams, and plates is then given. This culminates in a novel matrix method for analyzing complex structures as a collection of connected waveguides. The close relationship between the important areas of vibrations, modal analysis, and waves is brought out elegantly through this approach. The coverage is complete and includes: many experimental studies, an introduction to higher-order structural theories, source code listings for many of the computer programs used, and an extensive bibliography. This book is intended for practicing and research engineers in the areas of vibrations, acoustics, and structural dynamics. The level of treatment and use of examples also makes it suitable as a textbook for a graduate course on wave propagation or structural dynamics.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-6
Spectral Analysis and the FFT....Pages 7-31
Spectral Analysis of Wave Motion....Pages 32-57
Longitudinal Waves in Rods....Pages 58-87
Flexural Waves in Beams....Pages 88-125
Wave Propagation in Structures....Pages 126-156
Waves in Two Dimensions....Pages 157-189
Back Matter....Pages 190-258
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