A novel technique for the prediction of the displacement of a line‐driven plate with discontinuities

A novel technique is presented for obtaining approximate analytic expressions for an inhomogeneous line‐driven plate. The equation of motion for the inhomogeneous plate is transformed, and the transform of the total displacement is written as a sum of the solution for a homogeneous line‐driven plate plus a term due to the inhomogeneity. This expression may in general be solved numerically. However, by introducing a small parameter into the problem, it may be solved approximately using perturbation techniques. This series may not be convergent, but its convergence may be improved using the Pade approximation. Results are presented for the case of an inhomogeneity concentrated at a single point, and a distribution of points along the line‐driven plate. [Work sponsored by the CDSNWC ILIR program and ONR, Code 334.]