Fluid-structural coupling of a plate-ended cylindrical shell: Vibration and internal sound field

This paper presents a theoretical study of a plate-ended circular cylindrical shell radiating sound into its enclosed cavity. On the basis of a previously established free vibration model, a general formulation considering the full coupling between the subsystems (plate, shell and cavity) is developed. By using an artificial spring system, this formulation allows, in a systematic way, the consideration of a wide variety of boundary conditions and shell-plate joint conditions. Numerical results on the structure vibration and the generated sound field inside the cavity are presented. These results are intended to investigate two main issues: (1) obtaining a deep understanding of the coupling phenomena, which is a key factor to understand the mechanism of the mechanical energy transfer between the plate and the shell and mechanical-acoustical energy transfer from the structure to the acoustic medium; (2) illustrating the possibilities and limitations of sound-proofing by changing shell-plate joint conditions. The established model is believed to be useful in industrial applications where plate-ended shell structures are involved, especially in the case of the modelling of aircraft structures and fluid-containing industrial vessels.