A potential link between structural parameters and the radiated sound field of a vibrator

Two powerful techniques available for studying structural vibration and radiation are nearfield acoustical holography (NAH) and modal analysis. The NAH technique measures the pressure field over a surface sound field in the half-space above the radiator. The modal analysis technique determines the structural parameters of the vibrator. Since both techniques can determine the velocity of the vibrating surface, it seems likely that linking these two techniques via the measured velocity could provide useful insight into how the structural parameters affect the radiated sound field. A modal analysis and a NAH analysis of a simple plate has been performed and the results of attempting to link these two techniques will be discussed.