Elastodynamic wave propagation in graded materials: simulations, experiments, phenomena, and applications

A two-dimensional numerical simulation model for the elastodynamic wave propagation in two linear elastic, isotropic, joint half-spaces is presented. The border between the two half-spaced is graded in a way, that the values of the elastic properties and the densities vary smoothly (sinusoidally) from the values of one continuum to the values of the other continuum within a transition zone of a defined thickness. It is demonstrated, that a graded layer leads to a frequency and wavelength dependent refraction and reflection behavior of elastodynamic waves. Numerical results show that wavelengths which are long compared with the transition layer thickness are dominantly reflected whereas short waves are dominantly transmitted, a phenomena which does not occur in the case of an infinitely thin transition layer. Furthermore the frequency dependent reflection and transmission behavior of elastodynamic waves is verified experimentally. There the interface between two vapor deposited films is graded due to intermetallic diffusion effects. These graded microstructures are analyzed with a short-pulse-laser-acoustic set-up. The corresponding frequencies of the elastodynamic waves which are filtered with these functionally graded microstructures are in the range of 0.5 THz.