Estimation of the flexural stiffness of thin plates using a single low-cost passive sensor

In this paper, a bending (flexural) wave mode in a thin plate is excited by tapping gently on the surface. The wave is recorded with single low-cost piezo-electric sensor. Due to the dispersive nature of this wave mode, the shape of the recorded signal depends on the flexural stiffness parameter of the plate. The recorded signal is also affected by the transfer function of the excitation and the sensor. In this paper we show, with simulations and measurements on a thin quartz glass plate, that the effect of the sensor and excitation can be decoupled from the bending wave, and that the flexural stiffness parameter can be estimated using a single sensor.