Wave-front singularities for two-dimensional anisotropic elastic waves

1972 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. Payton

AbstractWave-front singularities for the displacement functions, associated with the radiation of linear elastic waves from a point source embedded in a finitely strained two-dimensional elastic solid, are examined in detail. It is found that generally the singularities are of order d–½ where d measures distance away from the front. However, in certain exceptional cases singularities of order d–-n where n = ¼, ⅔, ¾, may be encountered.

Author(s):  
Robert G. Payton

AbstractA two (spatial) dimensional initially strained elastic body is excited by a point impulse. Expressions are found for the various displacement components in a form which is readily evaluated by residues. The solid itself is characterized by three parameters which depend on the material properties and the initial deformation. For the case when two of these parameters are equated, explicit expressions for the displacements are given along the Cartesian axes passing through the origin of the point impulse. Wave front singularities and lacunas are identified and discussed. Some typical numerical results are given.


Crucial to the understanding of surface-wave propagation in an anisotropic elastic solid is the notion of transonic states, which are defined by sets of parallel tangents to a centred section of the slowness surface. This study points out the previously unrecognized fact that first transonic states of type 6 (tangency at three distinct points on the outer slowness branch S 1 ) indeed exist and are the rule, rather than the exception, in so-called C 3 cubic media (satisfying the inequalities c 12 + c 44 > c 11 - c 44 > 0); simple numerical analysis is used to predict orientations of slowness sections in which type-6 states occur for 21 of the 25 C 3 cubic media studied previously by Chadwick & Smith (In Mechanics of solids , pp. 47-100 (1982)). Limiting waves and the composite exceptional limiting wave associated with such type-6 states are discussed.


The displacements due to a radiating point source in an infinite anisotropic elastic medium are found in terms of Fourier integrals. The integrals are evaluated asymptotically, yielding explicit expressions for displacements at points far from the source. The relative amplitudes of waves from a point source are thus determined, and it is found that although in general the decay of wave amplitudes is proportional to the distance from the source, it is possible that in certain directions the decay is less than this. The method used in this paper is also shown to be an alternative way of deriving known results concerning the geometry of the propagation of disturbances. As an example, the radiation in a transversely isotropic medium from an isolated force varying harmonically with time is discussed.


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