The focusing of transient response in structural networks: "hot spots"

When a structural network is driven at a point in one of its systems, other points in other systems may experience anomalously high response. These are termed "hot spots." The phenomena may be of importance in networks where one or more of the subsystems are fragile. Such networks may be driven in a robust system and break at a hot spot in a fragile system. The phenomena are demonstrated in the calculated spatial/temporal response of simple models of connected one-dimensional wave-bearing systems. (C)2002 Acoustical Society of America.