MEASUREMENT OF THE DYNAMIC FLEXURAL RESPONSE OF BEAMS AND PLATES

An experimental system is described which is capable of exciting and detecting flexural waves in viscoelastic beams and plates constructed of a wide range of materials and supported in various ways. The functions and limitations of the system are discussed. A preliminary study of the character of the flexural responses of a number of samples possessing different material properties, supported by various means and possessing varying dimensions is made. Curves showing the magnitude of the ratio of the driving point displacement to the driving force versus frequency are presented for these samples, and indicate that there is a simple pattern of behavior which can be adequately understood on the basis of the simple Bernoulli theory of flexural waves if a proper description of the material losses is included. (Author)