Wave splitting in linear viscoelasticity (Q1806559)

The wave splitting (i.e. the decomposition of field into forward and backward propagating modes) is well known in electromagnetism where general solutions for the field were found. In linear viscoelasticity this problem is more complex due to nonstandard relationships describing dissipative effects. Here the author discusses the wave splitting in the case when the dissipativity is represented by a single Maxwell element, and in the case when there are several connections of a Maxwell element and a Kelvin element. Time-dependents solutions are obtained by the use of Laplace transform. Finally, the author derives expressions for reflection and transmission coefficients.