Mass Reflectance from Either String
Let's first consider how the mass looks from the viewpoint of string 1, assuming string 2 is at rest. In this situation (no incoming wave from string 2), string 2 will appear to string 1 as a simple resistor (or dashpot) of Ohms in series with the mass impedance . (This observation will be used as the basis of a rapid solution method in §9.3.1 below.)
When a wave from string 1 hits the mass, it will cause the mass to move. This motion carries both string endpoints along with it. Therefore, both the reflected and transmitted waves include this mass motion. We can say that we see a ``dispersive transmitted wave'' on string 2, and a dispersive reflection back onto string 1. Our object in this section is to calculate the transmission and reflection filters corresponding to these transmitted and reflected waves.
By physical symmetry the velocity reflection and transmission will be the same from string 1 as it is from string 2. We can say the same about force waves, but we will be more careful because the sign of the transverse force flips when the direction of travel is reversed.10.12Thus, we expect a scattering junction of the form shown in Fig.9.17 (recall the discussion of physically interacting waveguide inputs in §2.4.3). This much invokes the superposition principle (for simultaneous reflection and transmission), and imposes the expected symmetry: equal reflection filters and equal transmission filters (for either force or velocity waves).
Let's begin with Eq.(9.12) above, restated as follows:
The traveling-wave decompositions can be written out as
where a ``+'' superscript means ``right-going'' and a ``-'' superscript means ``left-going'' on either string.10.13
Let's define the mass position to be zero, so that Eq.(9.14) with the substitutions Eq.(9.15) becomes
In the Laplace domain, dropping the common ``(s)'' arguments,
To compute the reflection coefficient of the mass seen on string 1, we may set , which means , so that we have
From this, the reflected velocity is immediate:
It is always good to check that our answers make physical sense in limiting cases. For this problem, easy cases to check are and . When the mass is , the reflectance goes to zero (no reflected wave at all). When the mass goes to infinity, the reflectance approaches , corresponding to a rigid termination, which also makes sense.
The results of this section can be more quickly obtained as a special case of the main result of §C.12, by choosing waveguides meeting at a load impedance . The next section gives another fast-calculation method based on a standard formula.
Next Section:
Simplified Impedance Analysis
Previous Section:
Mass Termination Model