Wave Propagation in an Elastic Medium Intersected by Systems of Parallel Fractures

An elastic anisotropic medium intersected by systems of parallel fractures is investigated. Every fracture is considered as a plane boundary with jumps of displacements and stresses, and these jumps are linear functions of displacements and stresses averaged on the boundary. For this medium, an effective model is constructed by the method of matrix averaging. The equations of this model describe wave propagation in the given medium and are more complicated than the equations of elasticity theory. In particular cases, the equations obtained are converted to the equations of elastic media. On the basis of the equations of the effective model, expressions for the densities of the kinetic and potential energies are derived, and conditions of absoption in the medium are established. Bibliography: 15 titles.