Plate bending wave absorber

An acoustic beam system for the absorption of bending waves, the acoustic beam system comprising:

• a longitudinally extending beam member defining upper and lower opposing major surfaces;
• and
• at least two mechanical resonators coupled to the upper major surface and aligned in a linear array along a length dimension of the longitudinally extending beam member, each mechanical resonator comprising a rigid mass component and a discrete connecting element, wherein the mechanical resonators are configured to block or absorb bending waves that propagate longitudinally through the longitudinally extending beam member.

An acoustic system for the absorption of bending waves, the acoustic system comprising:

• a longitudinally extending substrate defining upper and lower opposing major surfaces;
• and
• at least two identical mechanical resonators coupled to the upper major surface and separated by a distance dimension (d) of about 0.4λ, where λ is the wavelength of a selected bending wave, each mechanical resonator comprising a discrete connecting element with a rigid mass component and a connecting element, wherein the mechanical resonators are configured to block or absorb bending waves that propagate longitudinally through the substrate, and the discrete connecting element maintains the rigid mass component an elevated distance from the upper major surface of the longitudinally extending substrate when in a rest position.