Corner Generated Surface Pulses

Abstract

The complete motion of a two-dimensional isotropic elastic quarter plane with stress free boundaries due to an applied force located on one of its two free boundaries is determined numerically by finite difference methods. Corner generated waves are observed and analysed.It is found that the direct Rayleigh wave and the corner generated surface waves each have an elliptical retrograde motion with their major axes perpendicular to the free boundary along which they propagate so that the motion involves a 90" phase shift. Near the corner of the quarter plane particle motion consists mainly of corner generated surface waves which travel along both boundaries to give an elliptic motion with the major axis of the ellipse, having an inclination of 45" to both boundaries.Results are in agreement with the work done on this problem by Lapwood who gave first approximations of the analytic solution and confirm also the experimental results of De Bremaecker.