ABSTRACT
In this chapter, many of the fundamental concepts, which form the foundations for the theoretical analyses undertaken throughout the rest of the book, are covered. Both fundamentals of acoustics and fundamentals of vibrations are discussed in a unified way, beginning with the derivation of the acoustical wave equation, followed by a discussion of the fundamentals of structural mechanics. These fundamentals are used as a basis to derive the wave equation for various wave types in beams, plates and cylinders. The concepts of acoustic waves in fluid media are extended to waves in structures. Next is discussed the concept and application of Green’s functions to the determination of the pressure response in an acoustic medium to an arbitrary excitation force distribution (which could be a structural surface), and the determination of the displacement response of a structure to an arbitrary point or distributed excitation force. Finally, the concepts of acoustic impedances, structural impedance, acoustic intensity, structural intensity and power transmission are discussed with reference to a number of examples.
