Plane waves in viscoelastic anisotropic media-II. Numerical examples

Abstract

SUMMARY Properties of homogeneous and inhomogeneous plane waves propagating in unbounded viscoelastic anisotropic media in an arbitrarily specified direction are studied numerically. The analytical expressions and algebraic equations of the sixth degree derived in the companion paper (Paper I, this issue) are used for this purpose. Studied characteristics are phase velocity, amplitude decay along the propagation direction, attenuation, attenuation angle and polarization vector. Simple analytical expressions are used to describe the behaviour of SH plane waves propagating in a plane of symmetry of a viscoelastic anisotropic medium. Characteristics of P and S plane waves are determined by solving a complex-valued algebraic equation of the sixth degree. Combined effects of attenuation and anisotropy are illustrated on several models of viscoelastic anisotropic media. The explanation of the so-called forbidden directions known from the directional specification of the slowness vector is given. Non-physical results related to forbidden directions do not arise in the algorithm used.