B4.27
Show that the equations governing isotropic linear elasticity have plane-wave solutions, identifying them as or waves.
A semi-infinite elastic medium in (where is the vertical coordinate) with density and Lamé moduli and is overlaid by a layer of thickness (in ) of a second elastic medium with density and Lamé moduli and . The top surface at is free, i.e. the surface tractions vanish there. The speed of S-waves is lower in the layer, i.e. . For a time-harmonic SH-wave with horizontal wavenumber and frequency , which oscillates in the slow top layer and decays exponentially into the fast semi-infinite medium, derive the dispersion relation for the apparent wave speed ,
Show graphically that there is always one root, and at least one higher mode if .