Finite element computation of elastic propagation modes in open stratified waveguides

Elastic guided waves are of interest for inspecting structures due to their ability to propagate over long distances. In several applications, the guiding structure is surrounded by a solid matrix that can be considered as unbounded. The physics of waves in open waveguides significantly differs from closed waveguides. Except for trapped modes, part of the energy is radiated in the surrounding medium, yielding attenuated modes along the axis called leaky modes (wavenumbers are then complex). From a numerical modeling point of view, the main difficulty lies in the unbounded nature of the geometry in the transverse direction. This difficulty is particularly severe due to the unusual behavior of leaky modes: while attenuating along the axis, such modes exponentially grow along the transverse direction. This behavior is seldom mentioned in the literature of elastic waveguides. Yet leaky modes have often been considered for NDT applications, which require waves of low attenuation in order to maximize the inspection range. A numerical approach is proposed for computing modes in open elastic waveguides, in the bidimensional case as a first step. The approach combines a semi-analytical finite element method with perfectly matched layers (PML). The technique of absorbing layers (AL) is also implemented, which consists in using large artificial layers of growing viscoelasticity. Numerical results are compared to analytical results. The efficiency of PML is compared to AL and parametric studies are briefly conducted in order to assess the convergence of both techniques. The physical meaning of leaky modes is also highlighted.