Standing Wave - Mechanical Waves

Mechanical Waves

Standing waves can be mechanically induced into solid medium using resonance. One easy to understand example is two people shaking either end of a jump rope. If they shake in sync the rope will form a regular pattern with nodes and antinodes and appear to be stationary, hence the name standing wave. Similarly a cantilever beam can have a standing wave imposed on it by applying a base excitation. In this case the free end moves the greatest distance laterally compared to any location along the beam. Such a device can be used as a sensor to track changes in frequency or phase of the resonance of the fiber. One application is as a measurement device for dimensional metrology.

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