Flexural edge waves in semi-infinite elastic plates

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the dispersion for flexural edge waves in semi-infinite isotropic elastic plates. A solution to the dynamic equations of motion is constructed by the superposition of two partial solutions, each providing zero shear stresses at the plate faces. A dispersion equation is expressed via the determinant of an infinite system of linear algebraic equations. The system is reduced to a finite one by taking into account the asymptotic behaviour of unknown coefficients. The accuracy of the solution is confirmed by a good agreement with the available experimental data and by a proper satisfaction of the prescribed boundary conditions.A detailed analysis of dispersion properties for the edge wave and corresponding displacements at various frequencies is carried out. In addition to the well-known results it is shown that the plate height does not influence the existence of the edge wave at high frequencies and, as the frequency increases, the phase velocity of the edge wave in a semi-infinite plate asymptotically approaches the velocity of an edge wave in a right-angled wedge. The performed analysis allows evaluating the plate theories such as the Kirchhoff theory or other refined plate theories developed for modeling edge waves in semi-infinite elastic plates at low frequencies.