Paul E. Barbone
Dept. of Aerospace and Mech. Eng., 110 Cummington St., Boston Univ., Boston, MA 02215
D. G. Crighton
Univ. of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9EW, UK
We describe the vibration of a submerged elastic solid within a statistical energy analysis (SEA) framework. We discuss the modal structure of a submerged elastic solid, and contrast it to that assumed in traditional SEA analyses. In particular, submerged solids have higher modal density than their in vacuo counterparts, much higher levels of (frequency dependent) damping, and possibly strong coupling between the fluid and solid. Further, modes of submerged structures do not form a complete set, and the energy of oscillation in a fluid/solid mode is often irretrievable, independent of the coupling in the system. These results pinpoint the shortcomings of SEA in addressing exterior fluid loading. We close by identifying research directions for the advancement of SEA toward incorporating exterior fluid loading. [Work supported by ONR.]