On the approximate schemes for the evaluation of the acoustic radiation by a thin elastic layer

Abstract A plane strain problem for forced time-harmonic vibrations of an elastic layer lying on an acoustic half-space is considered. The validity of the approximate formulation involving the classical Kirchhoff theory for plate bending as well as its shortened forms is investigated. The developed asymptotic framework demonstrates that the aforementioned theory is not able to predict the effect of the plate stiffness on the acoustic radiation. A consistent low-frequency approximation relying on plate transverse compression instead of plate bending is derived.