On Wave Propagation in Composite Materials Reinforced by Fibers With Continuously Varying Directions

Abstract

This paper concerns certain aspects of wave propagation in composite materials reinforced by fibers whose directions vary continuously in space. Special attention is focused on the case of slight variations in fiber directions and on plane waves that propagate parallel to the unperturbed direction, a case that can be detailed entirely in analytic expressions. The paper concludes with a solution to a specific example in which we assume that the fiber directions vary linearly from an initial to a final position. A discussion of the specific solution follows.