Influence of initial stress and gravity field on propagation of Rayleigh and Stoneley waves in a thermoelastic orthotropic granular medium

Abstract

The propagation of Rayleigh and Stoneley waves in a thermoelastic orthotropic granular half-space supporting a different layer under the influence of initial stress and gravity field is studied. The frequency equation of Rayleigh waves in the form of twelfth-order determinantal expression and the frequency equation of Stoneley waves in the form of eighth-order determinantal expression are obtained. The standard equation of dispersion is discussed to obtain Rayleigh and Stoneley waves that have complex roots; the real part gives the velocity of Rayleigh or Stoneley waves but the imaginary part gives the attenuation coefficient. Finally, the numerical results have been given and illustrated graphically, and their physical meaning has been explained. © 2012 S. M. Ahmed and S. M. Abo-Dahab.