Elastodynamics and resonances in elliptical geometry

The resonant modes of two-dimensional elastic elliptical objects are studied from a modal formalism by emphasizing the role of the symmetries of the objects. More precisely, as the symmetry is broken in the transition from the circular disc to the elliptical one, the splitting up of resonances and level crossings are observed. From the mathematical point of view, this observation can be explained by the broken invariance of the continuous symmetry group O(2) associated with the circular disc. The elliptical disc is however invariant under the finite group C2v and the resonances are classified and associated with a given irreducible representation of this group. The main difficulty arises in the application of the group theory in elastodynamics where the vectorial formalism is used to express the physical quantities (elastic displacement and stress) involved in the boundary conditions. However, this method significantly simplifies the numerical treatment of the problem which is uncoupled over the four irreducible representations of C2v. This provides a full classification of the resonances. They are tagged and tracked as the eccentricity of the elliptical disc increases. Then, the splitting up of resonances, which occurs in the transition from the circular disc to the elliptic one, is emphasized. The computation of displacement normal modes also highlights the mode splittings. A physical interpretation of resonances in terms of geometrical paths is provided. (paper)