ON THE INFLUENCE OF LOADING ON THE VELOCITY OF GUIDED ACOUSTIC-WAVES PROPAGATING IN LINEAR ELASTIC WEDGES

It was demonstrated by V. V. Krylov [Ultrason. Symp. Cat. 94, CHO 793- 796 (1994)] and J. R. Chamuel [IEEE Ultrason. Symp. 93, CHO 313-318 (1 993)] that for wedges with small values of the apex angle, the water l oading effect is a decrease of the velocity of propagation of the anti symmetic modes. The objective of this study is to quantify the loading effect on the velocity of propagation of the fundamental antisymmetri c flexural (ASF) mode for large values of the apex angle (20 degrees < phi < 90 degrees). The experimental results are limited to the lowest mode and are concerned with brass and Plexiglas linear wedges. It is d emonstrated that the decrease of the velocity is more important as the mass densities ratio (rho(liquid)/rho(solid)) increases. (C) 1996 Aco ustical Society of America.