Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering

Module 2: Wave Propagation

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
NIT Patna, Bihar – 800005
 Wave Propagation
• What is wave propagation??
 It is disturbance that transfer energy through medium (Solid,
Liquid & Gas) or Space with negligible or no mass transfer.

• How wave propagation occurs??

 Wave propagation is any of the ways in which waves travel.

 With respect to direction of oscillation relative to the

propagation direction, longitudinal wave and transverse wave
can be distinguished.

» Propagation of electromagnetic waves may occurs in a vacuum

as well as in a material medium.

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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Waves in Unbounded Media
 Unbounded medium means infinite medium
 i.e., medium which is extended infinitely in the direction(s) of
propagation of wave.

• How one-dimensional wave equation can be derived?

 using the basic requirements of equilibrium of forces and
compatibility of displacements relationships, and
 using strain-displacement and stress-strain relationships.

Note: Idealization of an unbounded one-dimensional medium

is based on the consideration of an infinitely long rod or
an infinitely long bar.

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 Wave Propagation
• Longitudinal Waves in an Infinitely Long Rod
 Consider free vibration of an infinitely long rod
 Which is linear elastic, constrained rod with cross-sectional
area A, Young's modulus E, Poisson's ratio ν, and density ρ

Figure 1. Constrained, infinite rod for one-dimensional wave propagation.

Constraint against radial straining schematically represented by rollers.
» If rod is constrained against radial straining, then particle
displacements (or motion) caused by a longitudinal wave must be
parallel to the axis of the rod (or to the direction of wave
propagation)

Figure 2. Stress wave travels along the rod

and passes through the small element 3
 Wave Propagation

From Fig. 2, the unbalanced external forces acting on the ends of the
element must be equal to the inertial force induced by acceleration of
the mass of the element (the right side)
 Therefore, for the dynamic equilibrium of the element ‘dx’, the
forces must be equal at both the ends (by applying Newton's
second of motion);

Where, u is the displacement in x-direction

Further, on solving the above equation;

This is the equation of motion of longitudinal

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar wave travelling in one direction 4
 Wave Propagation
where,  x  M  x

M  constrained modulus =
1   E
1  1  2 
u
and,  x 
x
 Further, the one-dimensional longitudinal wave equation for a
constrained rod can be written as;
 2u M  2u

t 2
 x 2
 One-dimensional wave equation can be written in the alternative
form;  2u  2u Where, vp is the wave propagation velocity
 vp
t 2
x 2
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 5
 Wave Propagation

 So, the wave propagation velocity,

 Note: (1) The wave propagation velocity (vp) depends only
on the properties of the rod material (i.e., stiffness and density)
and is independent of the amplitude of the stress wave.
 (2) The wave propagation velocity increases with increasing
stiffness and with decreasing density.
» Thus, overall, we can say that the wave propagation velocity (vp)
is an extremely important material property that is relied upon
greatly in soil dynamics and geotechnical earthquake
engineering.
 (3) So, the wave propagation velocity (vp) is the velocity at
which a stress wave would travel along the rod.
• But, it is not the same as the particle velocity, which is the velocity
at which a single point within the rod would move as the wave
Dr. Shiv Shankar passes through it. 6
 Wave Propagation
 Particle velocity  u  computation
 from the strain-displacement relationship, u   x x

 from the stress-strain relationship, x  x M

 from the definition of wave propagation velocity, x  v p t
u  x x  x v p t  x x x
u    vp  v 
t t M t  v  
2 p
M vp
p

Note (1): The particle velocity depends on intensity of the stress or strain,
material property and wave velocity, in the rod.
(2) The coefficient of proportionality, ρvp, is called the specific
impedance of the material.
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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Torsional Waves in an Infinitely Long Rod
 due to the rotation of the rod about its own axis

Figure 3. Torque and rotation at ends of element of

length ‘dx’ and cross-sectional area, A.

 For torsional waves, particle motion is constrained to planes

perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.

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 Wave Propagation
 Dynamic torsional equilibrium requires that the unbalanced
external torque (left side) is equal to the inertial torque (right side)

Where, T torsional wave of torque amplitude and J is the polar

moment of inertia of the rod about its axis.

 Equilibrium equation can be simplified to produce the equation of

motion;

Now, incorporating the torque-rotation relationship;

; where G is the shear modulus of the rod.

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 9
 Wave Propagation

 Torsional wave equation can be written as;

Where, vs is the shear wave
velocity of propagation of the
torsional wave

 Note (1): The form of the wave equation for torsional waves is
identical to that for longitudinal waves, but the wave
propagation velocities are different.

 Note (2): The wave propagation velocity depends both on the

stiffness of the rod in the mode of deformation induced by the
wave and on the material density but is independent of the
amplitude of the stress wave.
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 Wave Propagation
• Solution of One-Dimensional Equation of Motion
 The One-Dimensional (1-D) wave equation is;
where v represents the wave
propagation velocity corresponding
to the type of stress wave of interest.
Solution of this equation can be written in the form of ;

 Where, f and g can be any arbitrary functions of (vt – x) and (vt + x) that
satisfy the above 1-D wave equation. The argument of f remains constant
when x increases with time (at velocity v), and the argument of g remains
constant when x decreases with time.
 Therefore, the solution of equation describes a displacement wave [f(vt - x)]
traveling at velocity v in the positive x-direction and another [g(vt + x)]
traveling at the same speed in the negative x-direction.
 It implies that the shapes of the waves do not change with position or time.
 Wave Propagation
 End Conditions (Free End Conditions)
 Consider a wave whose form is described by a step function (in
Fig. a).
» In Fig. (4a), a compression wave is traveling in positive x-direction,
and an identical tension wave is traveling in negative x-direction.

Figure 4. Elastic waves in a bar with

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Free End Conditions 12
 Wave Propagation
 End Conditions
 In the crossover zone (Figs. 4b and 4c), where two waves pass
each other, the portion of the rod in which two waves are
superimposed has zero stress.
» However, particle velocity becomes double in the crossover zone,
because the particle velocity is in the direction of wave travel in a
compression wave but is in the opposite direction of wave travel in
a tension wave, and the waves are traveling in opposite directions.

Figure 4b & c. Elastic waves in a bar

with Free End Conditions

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 13

 Wave Propagation
 End Conditions
 After the two waves have passed the crossover zone, the stress and
velocity return to zero at the crossover point along the centerline,
and the compression and tension waves return to their initial shape
and magnitude (see, Fig. 4d). This stress condition is exists at
free end of the rod, where the stress is zero at all times.

 If half of the rod is removed, the centerline cross section can be

considered a free end (see, Fig. 4e)
» Therefore, it can be seen that a compression wave is reflected from a
free end as a tension wave of the same magnitude and shape.
» Similarly, it can be shown that a tension wave is reflected as a
compression wave of the same magnitude and shape.
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 14
 Wave Propagation
 End Conditions (Fixed End Conditions)
 Consider an elastic rod in which a compression wave traveling
in the positive x direction and an identical compression wave is
traveling in the negative x direction (Fig. 5a).
 When these two waves pass each other, the cross section through
the centerline has stress equal to twice the stress in each wave and
zero particle velocity (Fig. 5b).

Figure 5. Elastic waves in a bar with

Fixed end conditions

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 15

 Wave Propagation
 End Conditions
 After the waves pass each other, they return to their original shape
and magnitude (Fig. 5c). The centerline cross section remains
stationary during the entire process and, hence, behaves like the
fixed end of a rod. Therefore, it is seen that a compression wave is
reflected from a fixed end of a rod as a compression wave of the
same magnitude and shape (Fig. 5d) and that at the fixed end of a
rod the stress is doubled (Fig. 5b).

Figure 5c & d. Elastic

waves in a bar with
Fixed end conditions

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 16

 Wave Propagation
 Longitudinal Vibrations of Rods of Finite Length
 Assumed either infinite or semi-infinite length of rod.
 But in practice, the vibrations of rods of only finite length are of
interest in the study of soil dynamics.
 So, the solution of wave equation, if a bar of finite length l vibrates in
one of its normal modes,

u U ( A cos nt  B sin nt )

where, A and B are arbitrary constants and,
ωn is the natural frequency of the rod.

By substituting above equation in 1-D wave equation

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 17

 Wave Propagation
 U is the displacement amplitude along the length of rod, which is
a function of x and defines the mode shape of vibrations.
d 2U n 2
2
 2 U 0
dx v
n x n x
U  C cos  D sin
v v
where, C and D are the arbitrary constants and, determined
by satisfying the boundary conditions at the ends of the bar.
 For a rod of finite length, the displacement amplitude, U, is determined
separately using the possible end conditions of the rod.
 Possible end conditions of the rod of finite length
» Both ends free (free-free end conditions)
» One end fixed and one end free (fixed-free)
» Both ends fixed (fixed-fixed end conditions)
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 18
 Wave Propagation
» Free-free end conditions
» stress and strain on both faces must be zero.
» thus, dU/dx = 0 at x = 0 and x = l
n x n x
U  C cos  D sin
v v
dU n  n x n x 
  C sin  D cos 0
dx v  v v 
using boundary conditions;
dU
at x  0, 0  D  0 and ,
dx
dU l
at x  l ,  0  C sin n  0
dx v
For non-trivial solution; nl  n  n  n v ; n 1, 2, 3, ..........
v l
n
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Final solution; U ( x)  C cos x 19
l
 Wave Propagation
» Fixed-free end conditions
» at the fixed end (x = 0), the displacement is zero, i.e., U = 0 and,
» at the free end (x = l ), the strain is zero, i.e., dU/dx = 0
n x n x
U  C cos  D sin
v v
dU n  n x n x 
  C sin  D cos 0
dx v  v v 
using boundary conditions;
at x  0, U  0  C  0 and ,
dU n l
at x  l ,  0  D cos 0
dx v
nl  (2n  1) v
For non-trivial solution;  (2n  1)  n  ; n 1, 2, 3, ..........
v 2 2l
(2n  1)
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Final solution; U ( x)  D sin x 20
2l
 Wave Propagation
» Fixed-fixed end conditions
» x = 0 and at x = l, U = 0
n x n x
U  C cos  D sin
v v
dU n  n x n x 
  C sin  D cos 0
dx v  v v 
using boundary conditions;
at x  0, U  0  C  0 and ,
n l
at x  l , U  0  D sin 0
v

nl n v
For non-trivial solution;  n  n  ; n 1, 2, 3, ..........
v l
n
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Final solution; U ( x)  D sin x 21
l
 Wave Propagation
If the rod is subjected to some steady-state harmonic stress,  (t )  o cos t
where σo is the stress wave amplitude and  is the circular frequency of
the applied loading, the solution can be expressed using the wave
number, k   / v , in the form

Harmonic waves Harmonic waves

propagating in the propagating in the
positive x-direction negative x-direction

The wave number is related to the wavelength, λ, of the motion by

Note  At a given frequency, the
wavelength increases with increasing
wave propagation velocity

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 22

 Wave Propagation

For a wave propagating in the positive x-direction

u( x, t )

Using complex notation, the equivalent form of the solution is;

This form of the solution can be

verified in the same way as the
trigonometric form.

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 Wave Propagation
• Three-Dimensional Wave Propagation
 Derivations of three-dimensional equations of motion follow the
same steps as used for one-dimensional propagation;
 The equations of motion are formulated from equilibrium
considerations, stress-strain relationships, and strain-
displacement relationships For moment equilibrium
of the element requires;

Figure 6. stress notation

It means six independent
for element of dimensions
dx × dy × dz components of stress are
required to define the state
of stress of the element
completely

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar

 Wave Propagation
 Equations of motion for three-dimensional elastic solid
In the x-direction, the unbalanced external forces must be balanced by
an inertial force in that direction:

Figure 7. Stresses in x-direction on infinitesimal

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar element 25
 Wave Propagation
On simplifying the previous equation, the equation of motion
in x - direction:

Similarly, the
equation of
motion in y and
three-
z – directions dimensional
can be derived: equations of
motion of
Note  These equations of motion is derived solely an elastic
solid
on the basis of equilibrium considerations and thus
apply to solids of any stress-strain behaviour.

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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Stresses and strains are proportional in a linear elastic body.
Therefore, utilizing stress-strain relationship described by
Hooke's law, the stress-strain can be written as;

 The 36 coefficients represent the elastic constants of the material.

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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• The requirement that the elastic strain energy must be a
unique function of the strain (which requires that cij = cji for
all i and j) reduces the number of independent coefficients
to 21.
 If the material is isotropic, the coefficients must be independent of
direction, then

and all other constants are zero.

 Therefore, Hooke's law for an isotropic,
linear, elastic material allows all
components of stress and strain to be
expressed in terms of the two Lame's
constants λ and μ.
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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
Important point:  For convenience, several other parameters are
used to describe the stress-strain behavior of isotropic, linear, elastic
materials follow Hooke’s law, can be expressed in terms of Lame's
constants λ and μ. Some of the more common expressions are:

On using these expressions and Hooke's law, the equation of motion in

x-direction can be written in terms of strains:

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 29

 Wave Propagation

Now,

Substituting these strain-displacement relationships into equation of

motion produces the desired equation of motion in terms of
displacements:

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 30

 Wave Propagation
 Now, the solutions of the three-dimensional equations of motion :

The solution for the first type of wave can be obtained by

differentiating each of equations with respect to x, y, and z and
adding the results together to give:

On rearranging, the wave equation can be written as:

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 Wave Propagation
Further,  is volumetric strain (which describes deformations that involve no
shearing or rotation), this wave equation describes an irrotational, or
dilatational wave. And that dilatation wave propagates through the body at a
velocity (vp), which is commonly known as p-wave (or primary wave):

p-wave velocity of
the material

Note (1) The particle displacements are parallel to the direction of wave
propagation, just as they were in the constrained rod.
(2) The longitudinal wave in the constrained rod is actually a p-wave.
Using the equations of shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio, vp can be written:
ν approaches 0.5, at which
point the body becomes
incompressible
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 32
 Wave Propagation
To obtain the solution for the second type of wave,  is
eliminated by differentiating the first equation with
respect to z and second equation with respect to y, and
subtracting one from the other:

The above equation can also be written in the form of the wave
equation:

describes an equivoluminal,
or distortional wave, of
rotation about the x-axis

Similar expressions can be obtained by the same process for

rotation about the y- and z-axes.
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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
A distortional wave will propagate through the solid at a velocity, vs ;

This type of wave is commonly known as a

s-wave (or shear wave) and vs is referred as
a shear wave velocity of the material

Note: The particle motion is constrained to a plane perpendicular

to the direction of wave propagation, just as it was in the case of
the torsional wave.
Further, on comparing the velocities vP and vs ;

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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Waves in a semi-infinite body
 Different types of seismic waves are produced, when an
earthquake occurs, due to the radiation of energy released during
an earthquake.
 Commonly, two types of seismic waves
» Body wave
• p-wave and s-wave
» Surface wave
• Rayleigh wave and Love wave

 In geotechnical earthquake engineering, the surface waves are of

the great importance.
 Rayleigh wave: exist near the surface of homogeneous elastic
half-space.
 Love wave: requires a surficial layer of lower s-wave velocity
than the underlying half-space. 35
» In a homogeneous elastic half-space, only p-waves, s-waves, and Rayleigh waves exist
 Wave Propagation
 Body wave: P-wave and S-wave
 P or Primary, Compressional, or
Longitudinal waves
 It is the Fastest waves
» Travel through solids,
liquids, or gases
• Compressional wave,
material/ particle
movement in the same
direction as wave
movement

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Earthquake Geotechnical Engg. 36

 Wave Propagation
• Body wave: P-wave and S-
wave
 S or Surface or, Secondary or
Shear, or Transverse waves
 Cause shearing deformations
» Motion of an individual
particle is perpendicular to
the direction of s-wave
travel

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Earthquake Geotechnical Engg. 37

 Wave Propagation
• Surface wave: Rayleigh wave
and Love wave
 Love wave
 Surface waves result from the
interaction between body
waves and surface and
surficial layers of the earth
» It's the fastest surface
wave and moves side-to-
side to the ground.

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Earthquake Geotechnical Engg. 38

 Wave Propagation
• Surface wave: Rayleigh wave
and Love wave
 Rayleigh wave
 Particle moves in up and down
rolling in the same direction of
wave movement
» Most of the shaking from an
earthquake is due to the
Rayleigh wave, which can be
much larger than other waves.

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Earthquake Geotechnical Engg. 39

 Wave Propagation
• Surface wave
 High frequency component of seismic wave, generated by an
earthquake, is usually dominated by P and S waves, with later
arrivals often caused by multi-pathing/scattering as a result of
heterogeneous structure.

 However, most broadband seismograms are dominated by

larger period, much longer period (lower frequency) waves that
arrive after P and S waves. These waves are called surface waves,
and propagate along the surface of the earth.

 Surface waves arise from the interaction of elastic waves with

the free surface, and are composed of P and S waves in a linear
combination, the amplitude of which decays with depth within a
medium.
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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Surface wave
 As a result of geometric spreading in 2-D, the energy carried by
surface waves decays with distance r from the source as 1/r; this is
in contrast to 1/r2 for body waves, which is why they are usually
much less prominent on a seismogram.

 Two types of surface waves, known as Love waves and Rayleigh

waves after their discoverers, propagate near the Earth’s surface.

 Rayleigh waves result from a combination of P and SV-motions,

while Love waves result from SH waves trapped near the surface.

 The motion of a Rayleigh wave is confined near the boundary of

the half space or the ground surface.
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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Rayleigh wave
 So, the study of waves propagation
close to the surface is of practical
interest especially for study of
machine foundations.
 because machine foundations are
supported by the soil at a shallow
depth, the boundary conditions
approximating this situation are a
semi-infinite half space.
 The solution for this wave was
obtained by Rayleigh (1885) and later Figure 8. Motion induced by a
typical plane wave that propagates in
described in detail by Lamb (1904). the x-direction. Wave motion does not
vary in the y-direction
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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Rayleigh wave
 Firstly investigated by Rayleigh (1885)
 To describe Rayleigh waves, consider a plane wave that travels
in the x-direction with zero particle displacement in the y-
direction (v = 0).
 The displacements in the directions of x and z are represented
by u and w, respectively, and v = 0, then

The equations of wave propagation

are

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 43

 Wave Propagation
Two potential functions, Ф and, ψ can be defined to describe the
displacements in x- and z-directions:
Rayleigh waves include both
longitudinal and transverse motions that
decrease exponentially in amplitude as
distance from the surface increases. There
is a phase difference between these
component motions.

Volumetric strain, or dilatation,  , of the wave is given by:    xx   zz

Rotation in the x-z plane is given by

Put the above expressions in the

following equation for x-direction
44
 Wave Propagation
After substituting the expressions and solving equation for u and w,
the equations of motion can be written as:

After solving these equations:

If the wave is harmonic with frequency ω and wave number kR, so

that it propagates with Rayleigh wave velocity vR = ω/kR , the
potential functions can be expressed as:
and 45
 Wave Propagation
Further equations reduced in the form of :

Further, can be rearranged to give the second-order differential

equations:

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 46

 Wave Propagation
The general solution to these equations can be written in the form:

where, and

Neither shear nor normal stresses can exist at the free surface of the
half-space, σxz = 0 and σzz = 0 when z = 0.

Using the free surface

boundary conditions, the
equation can be rewritten as: 47
 Wave Propagation
Further equation reduced to:

Using these
results, velocities
and displacement
patterns of
After adding and cross-multiplying equations: Rayleigh waves
can be
determined.

Defining, kRs as the ratio of the Rayleigh wave velocity (vR) to the s-
wave velocity (vs)
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 48
 Wave Propagation
• Rayleigh Wave Velocity

After using all the expressions the equation become:

Further after rearranging, the equation becomes:

This is cubic
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar equation in k2Rs 49
 Wave Propagation

Figure 9. Variation of
Rayleigh wave and body wave
propagation velocities with
Poisson's ratio.

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 50

 Wave Propagation
• Love Waves
 Love wave requires a surficial layer of lower s-wave velocity than
the underlying half-space.
 Love waves essentially consist of SH-waves that are trapped by
multiple reflections within the surficial layer.
» Love waves travel with a lower velocity than the body wave
(i.e., P- or S- waves), but faster than Rayleigh waves.
To derive the Love wave velocity, consider a case of homogeneous
surficial layer of thickness H overlying a homogeneous half-space.

Figure 10. Schematic illustration of softer surficial layer (G1/ρ1 < G2/ρ2) overlying
elastic half-space, the simplest conditions for which Love waves can exist. 51
 Wave Propagation
Finally, the expression of Love wave velocity is:

where, vs1 and vs2 are the shear wave velocities of materials 1 and 2,
respectively, and vL is Love wave velocity.

Figure 11. Variation of Love wave velocity with frequency

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 52
 Wave Propagation

Figure 12. Distribution

of displacement waves
from a circular footing
on a homogeneous,
isotropic, elastic half
space. (After Woods,
1968.)

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Engineering
 Wave Propagation
• Waves in Layered Body
 One-Dimensional case
 Material boundary in an infinite rod

Consider a harmonic stress wave traveling along a constrained rod

in the positive x-direction and approaching an interface between
two different materials.

Figure 13. One-dimensional wave propagation at material interface. When incident wave
reaches the interface, part of its energy will be transmitted to the material 2. Incident and
reflected waves travel in opposite directions in material 1. The transmitted wave travels
through material 2 in the same direction as the incident wave. 54
 Wave Propagation
The general expression for incident, transmitted and reflected waves:

The associated displacements each of these waves are of the same

harmonic form as the stresses:

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 Wave Propagation
Further, the stress-strain and strain-displacement relationships can be
used to relate the stress amplitudes to the displacement amplitudes:

Amplitudes
At the interface, both compatibility of displacements and continuity
of stresses must be satisfied.

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 Wave Propagation
After rearranging the equations, the displacement amplitude of the
reflected wave and transmitted amplitude can be expressed as:

Defining a new term, impedance ratio:

Therefore, the displacement amplitudes of the reflected and

transmitted waves are:
and

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 Wave Propagation
Relationship between displacement amplitudes and stress amplitudes:

Therefore, the stress amplitudes for reflected and transmitted waves:

and

Important Notes: (1) When impedance ratio (αz ) < 1, an incident wave can be
thought of as approaching a "softer" material. For this case, the reflected wave
will have a smaller stress amplitude than the incident wave and, its sign will be
reversed (an incident compression pulse will be reflected as a tensile pulse, and
vice versa).
(2) If (αz ) > 1, the incident wave is approaching a "stiffer" material in which
the stress amplitude of the transmitted wave will be greater than that of the
incident wave and the stress amplitude of the reflected wave will be less than,
but of the same sign, as that of the incident wave.
(3) The displacement amplitudes are also affected by the impedance ratio (αz ).
 Wave Propagation

 Influence of impedance ratio on displacement and stress

amplitudes of reflected and transmitted waves

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 Wave Propagation
• Waves in Layered Body
 Three-Dimensional case: Inclined wave
In general, waves will not approach interfaces at 90o angles like
infinite rod case.

Figure 14. Ray path, ray, and wavefront for (a) plane wave and (b) curved wavefront.
Definitions: The path that produces the minimum travel time is called a Ray
path, and its direction is often represented by a vector called a Ray.
A wavefront is defined as a surface of equal travel time,
consequently, a ray path must (in an isotropic material) be
perpendicular to the wavefront. 60
 Wave Propagation
From Snell’s law:

where, i is the angle between ray path and the normal to the interface
and, v is the velocity of the wave (p- or s-wave) of interest.

Figure 15. Reflected and refracted rays resulting from incident (a) p-wave, (b) SV-wave, and
(c) SH-wave.
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 Wave Propagation
• Attenuation of Stress Waves

 In a homogeneous linear elastic material, stress waves travel

indefinitely without change in amplitude.

 however, in realistic medium / materials (such as earth), the

amplitudes of stress waves attenuate with distance.

» This attenuation in influenced by the materials through which

the waves travel and the geometry of the wave propagation
problem.

• In realistic materials, part of the elastic energy of a traveling wave

is always converted to heat.

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 Wave Propagation
• Material Damping
 In realistic materials, the amplitude of the stress wave decreases as
the wave travels through the earth's crust due to dissipation of
elastic energy.
 Viscous damping is often used to represent the dissipation of
elastic energy.
» Soil medium is usually modelled as Kelvin-Voigt solids (i.e.,
materials whose resistance to shearing deformation is the sum of
an elastic part and a viscous part) for the viscoelastic wave
propagation.

The stress-strain relationship for a Kelvin-Voigt solid in shear is

expressed as:
where, τ (= σxz) is shear stress, γ (= ðu/ðz) is
Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar shear strain, and η is viscosity of material.
 Wave Propagation

Elastic part Viscous part

(proportional to strain) (proportional to strain rate)

For a harmonic shear strain of the form:

Therefore,

Elastic energy dissipated in a single cycle is given by the area of the

ellipse, or

Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar 64

 Wave Propagation
• Radiation Damping
 It is the reduction in amplitude due to spreading of the energy over
a greater volume of material is referred to as radiation damping.

 Since material damping absorbs some of the elastic energy of a

stress wave, the specific energy (elastic energy per unit
volume) decreases as the wave travels through a material.

» The reduction of specific energy causes the amplitude of

the stress wave to decrease with distance.

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 Questions
Ques. 1. What do you mean by
I. Compression wave
II. Shear wave
III. Rayleigh wave
IV. Love wave
Ques. 2. Describe the particle motion associated with compression,
shear, and Rayleigh waves propagating in a semi-infinite,
homogeneous, isotropic and elastic half space.
Ques. 3. In a deposit of dry sand with G = 2.70 and dry density of
17.60kN/m3, estimate the shear wave velocity at 3, 6, and 9 m
below ground level.
Ques. 4. If the Poisson's ratio of sand is 0.3, estimate the compression
wave velocity in Ques. 3.
Ques. 5. If the sand gets fully submerged, will the shear wave velocity
be altered? Justify the answer.
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 Thank you
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Engineering