A Physical Description of the Response of Coupled Beams

An analytical method is presented for computing the vibrational response and the net transmitted power of bending wave fields in system consisting of coupled finite beams. The method is based on a wave approach that utilises the reflection and transmission coefficients of the different beam joints to couple the elements. These reflection and transmission coefficients are those derived by considering the coupling between the corresponding semi-infinite elements. The predicted results are in almost perfect agreement with exact calculations of the detailed response and net transmitted power. The results are valid for frequencies above which the influence of the reflected near fields for each of the beam elements is negligible. The method is demonstrated on different configurations of beams coupled in extension of each other.