Similitudes for the structural response and radiated sound power of simply supported plates

This communication investigates exact and distorted similitudes and the related scaling laws for the analysis of both dynamic response and radiated power of rectangular plates. The response of a given panel in similitude from another one is determined from a generalization of the modal approach, allowing the use of mode shapes, natural frequencies and finally radiation functions in order to establish appropriate scaling laws. Analytical models of simply supported rectangular plates are used to produce both original and replica model responses under point mechanical excitation. Emphasis is then especially put on laboratory experiments which are performed on baffled simply supported aluminum panels under mechanical excitations. All the six possible scaling directions, i.e. predicting a plate vibroacoustic reponse from another plate, are reported. All obtained results show that structural response or radiated sound power of a given plate can be both recovered with satisfactory accuracy by using the related scaling laws, even if parent models are used.