The Variational Theory of Complex Rays (VTCR [1]) is a predictive computational tool that has been developed to solve mid-frequency problems. This is a wave approach that involves exact solutions of the governing equation, and a non classical variational formulation for handling boundary conditions of the problem. No fine discretization is therefore necessary to find an approximated solution, and the model sizes are consequently drastically reduced in comparison with the element based methods. This results in a more efficient prediction technique for vibration problems, especially in the mid-frequency ranges. This presentation discusses how the VTCR can be used for the development of some new hybrid methods for mid-frequency vibration problems, which will enable one to take profit from different numerical strategies. Performances of FEM/VTCR coupling will be compared to the element-based methods through validation examples, in order to compare its efficiency over the standard numerical prediction techniques.
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