The Measurement of Applied Stresses Using the Polarization of Rayleigh Surface Waves

This research develops a procedure to measure applied stresses using the polarization of Rayleigh surface waves. An analytical model is developed to predict the effect of applied stresses on the wave speed and on the polarization of Rayleigh surface waves. The experimental procedure uses a laser Doppler vibrometer to simultaneously measure both the in‐plane and out‐of‐plane displacement components of a Rayleigh wave, as a function of applied stress. An advantage of this procedure, when compared to standard time‐of‐flight measurements, is that the change in polarization is an order of magnitude greater than the change in wave speed.