On the sound field of an oscillating elliptical disk in free space with an open and closed back.

An oscillating elliptical disk in free space has a uniform surface velocity distribution and is therefore a rigid sound radiator. The radiated sound also represents that scattered from a stationary disk in the presence of a normal plane wave. Using the Fourier (Hankel) Green's function in cylindrical coordinates, together with the monopole Kirchhoff-Helmholtz boundary integral, rigorous analytical formulas are derived for calculating the surface pressure distribution, radiation impedance, on-axis pressure, and, directivity pattern of an elliptical open-back disk in free space, and these are plotted over a range of normalized frequencies. The directivity is compared with that of a rigid circular disk in free space, and asymptotic low-frequency approximations are derived for the radiation impedance and on-axis pressure. Using the Gutin concept, the radiated sound is combined with that from a rigid elliptical disk in an infinite baffle to obtain the radiation impedance, on-axis pressure, and, directivity pattern of a closed-back elliptical disk in free space. The latter has a uniform velocity distribution on the front surface and zero velocity over the entire back surface.