Reflection Coefficient for Plane Waves in a Fluid Incident on a Layered Elastic Half-Space

Abstract

The reflection coefficient is derived for an isotropic, homogeneous elastic layer of arbitrary thickness that is perfectly bonded to such an elastic half-space of a different material for the case when plane waves are incident from an inviscid fluid onto the layered solid. The derived function is studied analytically by considering several limiting cases of geometry and materials to recover previously known results. Approximate reflection coefficents are then derived using various plate models for the layer to obtain simpler expressions that are useful for small values of σd, where σ is the wave number and d is the layer thickness. Numerical results based on all the models for the propagation of interface waves localized near the fluid-solid boundary are obtained and compared. These results are also compared with some previously published experimental measurements.