Wave Propagation in Structures

The present chapter is the culmination of the procedures developed thus far: It allows the analysis of complicated connected structures. In the previous chapters, the systems of equations were set up on an ad hoc basis. This is reasonable and efficient for simple connectivities but can begin to get unwieldy even in the straightforward example of the elastic joint. The only way to efficiently handle problems with complicated boundaries and discontinuities is to develop a matrix methodology. That is the purpose of this chapter.