Surface waves for material characterization

Analyses are presented for the propagation of harmonic surface waves on a transversely isotropic layer rigidly bonded to a transversely isotropic substrate of different material. The layer-substrate system is also assumed to be in contact with a liquid and inviscid space. The propagation takes place along an axis of symmetry of both the layer and the substrate. Exact closed-form solutions for the characteristic dispersion relations are presented. Numerical results are presented for material combinations of three classes of centrifugally cast stainless steel material. Results clearly demonstrate the influence of the layer thickness on the propagation speed and, hence, provide a means of material characterization.