Vibro-acoustic characteristics of mass-loaded plates enforced by the spring-damper systems

Spring-damper systems have a wide application in engineering, especially playing a key role in vibration suppression and sound modulation. In this paper, a unified method is proposed for investigating the effect of spring-damper systems on the vibro-acoustic characteristics of mass-loaded plates. The system of the vibro-acoustic coupling model is obtained by combining Hamilton's principle and the Rayleigh-Ritz method, and the strong coupling between the structure and the fluid is considered through the work done by the sound pressure. Arbitrary boundary conditions are modeled by adjusting the value of the constraint spring stiffness. The spectral-geometry method (SGM) is used to expand the midplane displacements of the structure and additional functions are added to overcome potential discontinuities. The sound radiation of the plate is calculated by Rayleigh integration. The accuracy of the method is verified by comparing the finite element method (FEM) with the theoretical method. The effects of strong and weak coupling, boundary conditions, parameters of the spring-damper system and plate geometry on the vibro-acoustic characteristics of plate structures are discussed. This paper provides a useful reference for spring-damper systems in vibration control and sound modulation of plate structures.