Vibration and Damping in Distributed Systems, Volume II discusses asymptotic methods, including equations with variable coefficients, asymptotic estimates of eigenfrequencies of membranes and plates, WKB approximations and the wave propagation method of Keller and Rubinow, which are developed and applied to scattering problems. The book provides data on the Rayleigh and max-min methods, Courant's nodal domain theorem, the numerical methods of finite-element, boundary-element and spectral types, and an asymptotic method due to Bolotin. Computer graphics are used to enhance understanding and motivate intuition concerning vibration phenomena.
The book exhibits a collection of eigenmodes of membranes and plates. It illustrates special effects associated with focusing, whispering gallery and bouncing ball, as well as dynamic motion sequences of a membrane and a plate. Issues involved in experimental determination of internal damping rates and mechanisms in elastic beams are discussed.