Finite difference analysis of Rayleigh wave scattering at a trench

abstract A finite difference scheme with the improved treatment of boundary conditions at corners and with the introduction of the absorbing boundary conditions at computational edges is applied to the analysis of Rayleigh wave scattering at a trench ditched on the surface of an elastic half-space. Complex transmission and reflection coefficients are calculated from the surface waveforms at a given moment and are compared with the experimental and theoretical predictions. In order to investigate the effect of converted waves, the complex transmission coefficient along a step is calculated from the time series waveforms at observation points with a fixed incident angle to the free surface.