Elastic Helmholtz resonators

The influence of wall elasticity on the response of a Helmholtz resonator is examined by analyzing the canonical case of a thin elastic spherical shell with a circular aperture subject to plane wave excitation. By neglecting the thickness of the wall and representing the elasticity via a “thin shell” theory the problem is reduced to one of solving an integral equation over the aperture for the polarization velocity, which is related to, but distinct from, the radial particle velocity of the fluid. The integral equation can be solved by asymptotic methods for small apertures, yielding closed-form expressions for the major resonator parameters. In general, wall compliance reduces the resonance frequency in comparison with an identically shaped rigid cavity. The Q value of the resonance is increased and the scattering strength of the cavity at resonance is enhanced by wall compliance. The asymptotic results are supported and supplemented by numerical calculations for thin steel shells in water.