Review of transient field theory for a baffled planar piston

The theoretical approaches which have been used to study the velocity potential and pressure fields radiated by a planar piston source vibrating in an infinite rigid baffle are broadly reviewed and discussed with emphasis on the basic mathematical methods employed. Attention is focused on those aspects of piston theory directly related to the point or spatially averaged transient field of a pulsed piston radiator. Studies of the nonuniformly vibrating piston are also reviewed. Much of this material has not been previously compared, so where possible common origins and general relationships are stressed.