Reflection and transmission at the plane boundary of elastic half‐space and initially stressed thermoelastic diffusion with voids half‐space

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to study the reflection and transmission of elastic waves at the interface of an elastic half‐space and initially stressed thermoelastic diffusion with voids half‐space.

Design/methodology/approach

Two‐dimensional model has been considered of an isotropic elastic half‐space (Medium I) lying over a homogeneous isotropic generalized initially stressed thermoelastic diffusion with voids half‐space (Medium II). There exist two waves, P‐wave and SV‐wave, in isotropic elastic half‐space and four quasi‐longitudinal waves, namely, quasi‐longitudinal wave (QP‐mode), quasi‐longitudinal mass diffusive wave (QMD‐mode), quasi‐longitudinal thermal wave (QPT‐mode) and quasi‐longitudinal volume fractional wave (QPV‐mode), and one quasi‐transverse wave (QSV‐mode) exists in initially stressed thermoelastic diffusion with voids half‐space.

Findings

The energy ratios of these waves are computed along various directions of incident wave, and it is found that the sum of all energy ratios is exactly unity at each value of incident angle. The amplitude ratios of various waves have been obtained numerically.

Originality/value

Reflection and transmission of an elastic medium is of great practical importance. Since valuable organic and inorganic deposits beneath the earth surface are difficult to detect by drilling randomly, wave propagation is the simplest and most economic technique for these and does not require any drilling through the earth. Almost all the oil companies rely on seismic interpretation for selecting the sites for exploratory oil wells because seismic wave methods have higher accuracy, have higher resolution and are more economical, as compared to drilling which is expansive and time consuming.

Citation

Kumar, R. and Kumar, R. (2013), "Reflection and transmission at the plane boundary of elastic half‐space and initially stressed thermoelastic diffusion with voids half‐space", Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 185-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/MMMS-05-2013-0036