Three-dimensional elasticity model for a decoupling coating on a rectangular plate immersed in a heavy fluid

This paper presents an analysis of the vibroacoustic response of a finite, simply supported rectangular plate covered by a layer of decoupling material and immersed in a heavy fluid. An exact formulation using the three-dimensional theory of elasticity for the decoupling material is derived for this problem, thereby extending previous studies that were limited to infinite plates. The paper details the constitutive equations of the problem and the analytical method of solution. Numerical results show that shear waves in the decoupling material generally have little influence on the sound radiation in the heavy fluid. Comparisons with a locally reacting model of the decoupling material and with the simple model of House [Proc. I.O.A. 13(3), 166–173 (1991)] are also presented.