A WAVE PROPAGATION IN AN ELASTIC, HOMOGENEOUS, ISOTROPIC MEDIUM While it is considered more rigorous from the theoretical standpoint to develop a general solution and then impose Youndary conditions to obtain specific solutions, it is more instructive in probisens of wave propagation in ‘elastic media to start with the specific problem of waves in a bounded medium, 3.1 Waves in 0 Bounded Elastic Medium Various forms of physical systems subject to vibrations yield the identi cal equation of motion. The equation is called the wave equation and is expressed by the following partial-differential equation: Gu ty fy pte 3-1 ae” ae e) where v is the wave-propagation velocity. Some of the systems which can be described by the wave equation are rods in longitudinal vibration, rods in torsional vibration, pressure waves in an ideal fluid along the axis of the container, and the transverse vibrations of a taut string. Although the wave 60 see, 3.1 WAVES IN 4 BOUNDED ELASTIC MEDIUM 61 equation is derived from any of these physical systems, the mathematical solution is identical in all cases. The wave equation, therefore, is one of the fundamental equations of mechanics. Vibration in Rods Three independent kinds of wave motion are possible in rods: longitu- dinal, torsional, and flexural, The first two kinds of motion result in the typical wave equation, while the third results in a dispersive equation of motion (“dispersive™ here means that the velocity of the flexural waves depends on their frequency of excitation or wave length). Only longitudinal and torsional vibrations of rods will be considered here. Longitudinal waves. Consider the free vibration of a rod with cross- sectional area 4, Young's modulus £, and unit weight y, as shown in Fi 3-1. Assuming that each cross-section remains plane during motion and that the stress is uniform over the area,* the equation of motion can be written directly. The stress on a transverse plane at x is 0, and the stress on a trans- verse plane at (x + Ax) is (0, + (29,{2x) Ax]. The sum of forces in the x- direction can be written as, 20 -9,4+ (0, Fran) F (+5 IF the displacement of the element in the x-direction is designated a5 u, ae, am fj wes Stax ae iS —— Figure 3-1. Longiudinal vibration [> * "4 Ox = of rod bu ‘In the above derivation inertia forces caused by the lateral motions of particles are neglected. The solution is, therefore, only approximate but i accurate as long as the wave length of the longitudinal waves is long in comparison with the cross-sectional imensions of the rod.Newton's second law can be written as G2) ‘The strain in the x-direction is @uj@x and the ratio of stress to strain is, ‘Young's modulus; therefore, and eu eu La ar 33a) at PF i: (03) where ae (33¢) ° and v¢ is defined as the phase velocity or longitudinal-wave-propagation, in a rod, Equation (3-3b) has the exact form of the wave equation The solution of Eq. (3-3) may be written in the form A(oet =») os) out +) Figure 32, Motion of wave form Inred where f and f are arbitrary functions. The solution expressed in Eq. (3-4) hhas a Simple physical intepretation. For a specific instant in time, 1, both terms on the right-hand side of Eq, (3-8) are functions of x only. The second ‘erm can be represented by the solid block in Fig. -2, where the shape of the block is specified by the function A. After atime interval Av, the argument of the function A becomes fvo(t-+ At) — x}. If at the same time that 1 is in- creased ty At, x is increased by (Ax = 0¢ 41), the function A will remain unchanged, as follows: tl, = h(vet — x) tense hleclt + A0) — (e+ Ax)) lsat Mlvet + vg At — x — ve AA) = hugs — x) ‘This demonstrates that the block in Fig. 3.2 at x, and ¢ moves unchanged in shape to x, at (¢ + 1), Tt can now be stated that the right-hand term of Eq (Ged) represents a wave traveling in the positive x-direction with velocity vo. In a similar manner, it can be shown that the first term on the right in Eq, (G-4) represents a wave traveling in the negative x-direction with velocity vg. This result could be anticipated from a consideration of the consequences of applying an instantancous displacement u to a section of the rod in Fig, 3-1 Itis obvious that the cross-section at (x + Ax) would experience a compres- sive stress and that the cross-section x would experience a tensile stress Initially, only small zones close to these cross-sections would jee! the stress, but as time passed larger zones would experience the stress caused by the displacement w, The results would be a tensilestress wave traveling in the negative x-direction and a compressive wave traveling in the postive +- direction. Its important to distinguish clearly between wave-propagation veloci e_and the velocity of particles in the siressed zone, i. To clarify this dis- tinction, frst consider the stressed zone at the end of the cod in Tig. 22a When a uniformly distributed compressive-stress pulse of intensity 0, and uration 1, (Fig. 336) is applied to the end of the rod, intially only a small zone of the rod will experience the compression. This compression will be transmitted to successive zones of the rod as time increases, The trans- mission of the compressive stress from one zone to another represents a ‘wave traveling along the rod at a velocity ve. During a time interval Ar, the compressive stress will travel along the rod a distance (Ax = vg At). At any time after f,, a segment ofthe rod of length (x, — #f,) will constitute the compressed zone, and the amount of elastic shortening of this zone will be given by the displacement of the end64 WAVE PROPAGATION IN ELASTIC MEDIA cuar. 3 opnevty, bE Figure 33.,Phase. velocity and particle velotty in prismatic rods, Now, the displacement u divided by time 1, also represents the velocity of the end of the,rod or particle velocity: Ik should be recognized that both wave-propagation velocity and particle velocity are in the same direction when a compressive stress is applied but that wave-propagation velocity is opposite to the particle velocity when a tensile stress is applied._Another important consideration is that the pastile, ‘lasity.d.depends on the intensity of the stress (see Eq, 3-5) but that the wa is only a function of the material properties sec, 3.1 WAVES INA SOUNDED FLASTIC MEDIUM 65: Torsional waves. The torque on a transverse section of a rod such as shown in Fig. 34a produces an angular rotation 9. The torque can he written ao rao 34 “i. G-6) The torque due to the rotational inertia of an element of rod of length Ax can be written as vo Ze 1 T = ply axe on Applying Newton's second law to an element, as shown in Fig. 3-4b, yields Figure 3-4. Torsion in circular rea. wo { i { i | t i i