Elastic waves against a corrugated boundary

A train of plane waves travels in an elastic semi-infinite medium bounded by a corrugated line having a sinusoidal shape. When the primary waves impinge against the surface, a new train of reflected waves is generated, and the question arises of determining the effect of roughnesses of the boundary on the shape and amplitude of the reflected waves.The case of perpendicular incidence may be treated without difficulty by extending a solution found by Rayleigh [2, Art. 272] for reflection of sound waves from a corrugated surface.

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Sommario Un treno d'onde piane viaggia in un mezzo elastico semi-indefinito limitato da una linea corrugata di forma sinusoidale. Quando l'onda primaria urta contro la frontiera, si genera un nuovo treno d'onde, e si pone la questione di determinare l'effetto della rugosità del contorno sulla forma e l'ampiezza delle onde rillesse.Il caso di incidenza perpendicolare si può trattare senza difficoltà estendendo una soluzione trovata da Rayleigh [2, Art. 272] sulla riflessione delle onde sonore da parte di una superficie corrugata.

     

Finite amplitude elastic waves due to non-uniform traction at the surface of a cylindrical cavity

This paper is concerned with two spatial dimension, finite amplitude wave propagation emanating from the surface of an initially circular cylindrical cavity in an unbounded isotropic compressible isotropic hyperelastic solid. The solid is initially in the natural reference configuration and the wave propagation is due to an azimuthally non-uniform, sudden application of compressive nominal traction at the surface of the cavity. Governing equations for the problem are obtained in Lagrangian form in terms of cylindrical polar coordinates and two different classes of strain energy functions are considered. Numerical solutions, for a particular application of traction, are obtained from a fully explicit finite difference scheme. It was found that the responses to the particular application of traction differed negligibly for the various strain energy functions considered.     

Elastic waves in crystals and anisotropic media

The results of investigation of propagation of elastic waves in anisotropic media are discussed taking into account the two-dimensional problem of a source in an infinite medium and the Lamb problem for a half-plane. The media considered in the investigation are those for which the equations of motion under plane deformation conditions are characterized by four constants.     

Elastic waves guided by a material interface

The propagation of interfacial small-amplitude waves along a rectilinear thin film separating two pre-stressed, incompressible, elastic media is addressed. The film is modelled as a material surface possessing its own mass density and normal and flexural stiffnesses. It is shown that these features induce dispersion as the obtained secular equations are polynomials of the second degree in the wavenumber when bending stiffness is absent (membrane-like interface), and of the fourth degree otherwise (plate-like interface). In both case, beyond the modified Stoneley mode, a bending mode for the interface, an additional propagating wave can exist, with amplitude polarized along the interface (extensional mode). The associated bifurcation problem is analyzed with focus on the effects of compressive residual forces at the interface. The buckling strain of a compressed metal layer embedded in an elastomeric medium is computed also with an exact approach, to provide the range of validity of the proposed simplified model of material interface.     

Existence of backward propagating acoustic waves in supported layers

Conditions for the existence of acoustic waveguide modes with the direction of the group velocity opposite to that of the phase velocity in supported layers are investigated. We begin with a study of a clamped-free layer and show that the occurrence of the negative slope in the dispersion of the second and higher order modes leading to backward propagation is a commonly encountered phenomenon related to accidental degeneracies between longitudinal and transverse thickness resonances. For a layer on an elastic substrate, the negative dispersion slope exists only when the transverse velocity of the layer is very small compared to that of the substrate, which makes backward propagation a rarely occurring phenomenon in real structures. Finally, we explain how mode-crossing in certain bi-layer structures results in the negative slope in the dispersion of the fundamental mode.     

Elastic waves in a Timoshenko beam with boundary damping

In this paper we consider a Timoshenko beam with a damping moment applied to one of the endpoints. The elastic waves that develop from two sets of localised initial disturbances in the beam, are simulated and it is shown that properties of the spectrum adequately explain the features of the waves. We also show, using energy calculations, that the boundary moment is significantly more effective in reducing vibrations in the beam in one of the cases under consideration. The so-called second spectrum of the Timoshenko beam plays a prominent part in explaining this phenomenon.     

One-dimensional linear elastic waves at moving property interface

Smart materials exhibit time-varying properties while time-varying external field is applied. To investigate the one-dimensional (1-D) homogeneous time-varying properties, a moving property interface (MPI) model is proposed, and the propagation of linear elastic waves at 1-D MPI is studied in this paper. Based on the idea of weak solutions and an infinity approximation, a novel method to deal with the difficulties in using the continuities to study the waves at MPI is also proposed. Some interesting phenomena are revealed: (i) besides wave impedance, the property interface motion and wave velocity are also very important factors that influence the wave propagation; (ii) at MPI, there may exist shock waves; (iii) the property interface motion has a significant impact on the wave frequency and energy. This research provides a theoretical viewpoint in the study of smart materials with a time-dependent mechanical properties at different loading conditions.     

A novel method for investigation of acoustic and elastic wave phenomena using numerical experiments

The emergence of new types of composite materials, the depletion of existing hydrocarbon deposits, and the increase in the speed of trains require the development of new research methods based on wave scattering. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the laws of wave scattering in inhomogeneous media. We propose a method that combines the advantages of a numerical simulation with an analytical study of the boundary value problem of elastic and acoustic wave equations. In this letter we present the results of the study using the proposed method: the formation of a response from a shear wave in an acoustic medium and the formation of shear waves when a vertically incident longitudinal wave is scattered by a vertical gas-filled fracture. We have obtained a number of analytical expressions characterising the scattering of these wave types.     

Slip pulse along an interface between two anisotropic elastic half-spaces in sliding contact with separation

The Stroh sextic formalism, together with Fourier analysis and the singular integral equation technique, is used to study the propagation of a possible slip pulse in the presence of local separation at the interface between two contact anisotropic solids. The existence of such a pulse is discussed in detail. It is found that the pulse may exist if at least one medium admits Rayleigh wave below the minimum limiting speed of the two media. The pulse-propagating speed is not fixed; it can be of any value in some regions between the lower Rayleigh wave speed and minimum limiting speed. These speed regions depend on the existence of the first and second slip-wave solutions without interfacial separation studied by Barnett, Gavazza and Lothe (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 1988, A415, 389–419). The pulse has no free amplitude directly but involves the arbitrary size of the separation zone that depends on the intensity of the motion. The interface normal traction and the particle velocities involve a square-root singularity at both ends of the separation zones that act as energy source and sink.     

Kinetic modeling of multiple scattering of elastic waves in heterogeneous anisotropic media

In this paper we develop a multiple scattering model for elastic waves in random anisotropic media. It relies on a kinetic approach of wave propagation phenomena pertaining to the situation whereby the wavelength is comparable to the correlation length of the weak random inhomogeneities—the so-called weak coupling limit. The waves are described in terms of their associated energy densities in the phase space position  ×$\times$  wave vector. They satisfy radiative transfer equations in this scaling, characterized by collision operators depending on the correlation structure of the heterogeneities. The derivation is based on a multi-scale asymptotic analysis using spatio-temporal Wigner transforms and their interpretation in terms of semiclassical operators, along the same lines as Bal (2005). The model accounts for all possible polarizations of waves in anisotropic elastic media and their interactions, as well as for the degeneracy directions of propagation when two phase speeds possibly coincide. Thus it embodies isotropic elasticity which was considered in several previous publications. Some particular anisotropic cases of engineering interest are derived in detail.     

Mean flow generated by an internal wave packet impinging on the interface between two layers of fluid with continuous density

Internal waves propagating in an idealized two-layer atmosphere are studied numerically. The governing equations are the inviscid anelastic equations for a perfect gas atmosphere. The numerical formulation eliminates all variables in the linear terms except vertical velocity, which are then treated implicitly. Nonlinear terms are treated explicitly. The basic state is a two-layer flow with continuous density at the interface. Each layer has a unique constant for the Brunt–Väisälä frequency. Waves are forced at the bottom of the domain, are periodic in the horizontal direction, and form a finite wave packet in the vertical. The results show that the wave packet forms a mean flow that is confined to the interface region that persists long after the wave packet has moved away. Large-amplitude waves are forced to break beneath the interface.     

Anti-plane waves near an interface between two piezoelectric half-spaces

We show the existence of certain new waves that can propagate near an interface between two half-spaces of different piezoelectric ceramics, where the interface is modeled by a membrane with the surface/interface elasticity [1]. The current configuration can be reduced into a number of well-known results as special cases, such as Love wave, Bleustein and Gulyaev wave. Together with our previous work for the imperfect interface [2], a full range of consideration of the interface affecting the anti-plane waves is now completed.     

Elastic rods, Weierstrass’ theory and special travelling waves solutions with compact support

By an extension of the usual Weierstrass discussion for first-order differential equations, we determine a simple criterion which allows us to determine when compact structures are possible in second-order wave equations. For higher-order wave equations, such as the modified improved Boussinesq equation, this criterion may still be used, but the appearance of an overdetermined system of differential equations which is not trivially satisfied, unlike in the second-order case, renders the possibility of compact structures a happenstance.     

Numerical analysis of three-dimensional acoustic cloaks and carpets

We start by a review of the chronology of mathematical results on the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map which paved the way toward the physics of transformational acoustics. We then rederive the expression for the (anisotropic) density and bulk modulus appearing in the pressure wave equation written in the transformed coordinates. A spherical acoustic cloak consisting of an alternation of homogeneous isotropic concentric layers is further proposed based on the effective medium theory. This cloak is characterized by a low reflection and good efficiency over a large bandwidth for both near and far fields, which approximates the ideal cloak with an inhomogeneous and anisotropic distribution of material parameters. The latter suffers from singular material parameters on its inner surface. This singularity depends upon the sharpness of corners, if the cloak has an irregular boundary, e.g. a polyhedron cloak becomes more and more singular when the number of vertices increases if it is star shaped. We thus analyze the acoustic response of a non-singular spherical cloak designed by blowing up a small ball instead of a point, as proposed in [Kohn, Shen, Vogelius, Weinstein, Inverse Problems 24, 015016, 2008]. The multilayered approximation of this cloak requires less extreme densities (especially for the lowest bound). Finally, we investigate another type of non-singular cloaks, known as invisibility carpets [Li and Pendry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 203901, 2008], which mimic the reflection by a flat ground.     

Experimental and numerical study of an aquaculture net cage with floater in waves and current

The mooring loads on an aquaculture net cage in current and waves are investigated by dedicated model tests and numerical simulations. The main purpose is to investigate which physical effects are dominant for mooring loads, and in this respect, to investigate the validity of different rational hydrodynamic load models. Also structural and numerical aspects are investigated. The model tests are performed to provide benchmark data, while the numerical model is used to study the effect and sensitivity of different load models and parameters.Compared to a realistic aquaculture plant, the total system is simplified to reduce the complexity. The system does, however, include all the four main components of an aquaculture plant: net cage, floater, sinker weights and moorings. The net cage is bottomless, flexible and circular. It is attached to a circular, elastic floater at the top and has 16 sinker weights at the bottom. The system is nearly linearly moored with four crow feet mooring lines.The loads are measured in the four mooring lines. A systematic variation of current only, wave only as well as combined current and wave conditions is carried out. The numerical simulation results are first benchmarked towards the experimental data. The mean loads in general dominate over the dynamic part of the loads in combined current and waves, and they significantly increase in long and steep waves, relative to current only. Next, a sensitivity study is carried out. A rigid floater significantly alters the loads in the mooring lines compared to a realistic, elastic floater. The theoretical model for the wave matters. The mooring loads are rather insensitive to a majority of the parameters and models, in particular: frequency dependent added mass of the floater and nonlinear restoring loads. It seems not to be necessary to represent the net cage with a very fine numerical mesh.     

Analysis of a permeable interface crack in elastic dielectric/piezoelectric bimaterials

A permeable interface crack between elastic dielectric material and piezoelectric material is studied based on the extended Stroh’s formalism. Motivated by strong engineering demands to design new composite materials, the authors perform numerical analysis of interface crack tip singularities and the crack tip energy release rates for 35 types of dissimilar bimaterials, respectively, which are constructed by five kinds of elastic dielectric materials: Epoxy, Polymer, Al₂O₃, SiC, and Si₃N₄ and seven kinds of practical piezoelectric ceramics: PZT-4, BaTiO₃, PZT-5H, PZT-6B, PZT-7A, P-7, and PZT-PIC 151, respectively. The elastic dielectric material with much smaller permittivity than commercial piezoelectric ceramics is treated as a special transversely isotropic piezoelectric material with extremely small piezoelectricity. The present investigation shows that the structure of the singular field near the permeable interface crack tip consists of three singularities: and , which is quite different from that in the impermeable interface crack. It can be concluded that different far field loading cases have significant influence on the near-tip fracture behaviors of the permeable interface crack. Based on the present theoretical treatment and numerical analysis, the electric field induced crack growth is well explained, which provides a better understanding of the failure mechanism induced from interface crack growth in elastic dielectric/piezoelectric bimaterials. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10572110), Doctor Foundation of the Chinese Education Ministry and Doctorate Foundation of Xi’an Jiaotong University. The English text was polished by Yunming Chen.     

Transition bifurcation branches in non-linear water waves

We are concerned with the numerical computation of progressive free surface gravity waves on a horizontal bed. They are regarded as families of bifurcation branches (λ,A)_Q of constant discharge Q. Numerically we determine two transition values Q₁ and Q₂ with corresponding transition bifurcation branches that classify waves into three disjoint branch sets B₁, B₂ and B₃. Their members are families of waves (λ,A)_Q satisfying the conditions 0<Q² ?Q, Q <Q² ?Q and Q <Q² <B/27, respectively. The bifurcation patterns are analysed in some detail from the computed bifurcation diagram, which shows that in B₁ bifurcation is to the left and the amplitude A increases as the wavelength λ decreases; in B₂ bifurcation is to the right and turning points are observed nearly at breaking point. In B₃ bifurcation is to the right and A increases monotonically with λ.