On Backus average for generally anisotropic layers

DOI10.1007/S10659-016-9608-ZMaRDI QIDQ2014238zbMATHOpenAlexFDO

Authors David R. Dalton, Theodore Stanoev, Len Bos, Michael A. Slawinski

Publication date 10 August 2017

Published in Journal of Elasticity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1601.02967

zbMATH Keywords

stabilityseismologyapproximationupper boundgeneral anisotropyBackus averaging

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Seismology (including tsunami modeling), earthquakes (86A15) Computational methods for problems pertaining to geophysics (86-08) Soil and rock mechanics (74L10)

Abstract: In this paper, following the Backus (1962) approach, we examine expressions for elasticity parameters of a homogeneous generally anisotropic medium that is long-wave-equivalent to a stack of thin generally anisotropic layers. These expressions reduce to the results of Backus (1962) for the case of isotropic and transversely isotropic layers. In the over half-a-century since the publications of Backus (1962) there have been numerous publications applying and extending that formulation. However, neither George Backus nor the authors of the present paper are aware of further examinations of the mathematical underpinnings of the original formulation; hence this paper. We prove that---within the long-wave approximation---if the thin layers obey stability conditions then so does the equivalent medium. We examine---within the Backus-average context---the approximation of the average of a product as the product of averages, which underlies the averaging process. In the presented examination we use the expression of Hooke's law as a tensor equation; in other words, we use Kelvin's---as opposed to Voigt's---notation. In general, the tensorial notation allows us to conveniently examine effects due to rotations of coordinate systems.

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Cites work

• Backus Average Under Random Perturbations of Layered Media
• Effective elasticity tensors in context of random errors
• Long-wave elastic anisotropy produced by horizontal layering
• Transmission of Elastic Waves through a Stratified Solid Medium
• Waves and rays in elastic continua
• Waves and rays in seismology. Answers to unasked questions

Cited in

(7)

• On the problematic case of product approximation in Backus average
• On commutativity and near commutativity of translational and rotational averages: analytical proofs and numerical examinations
• An averaging procedure for layered materials
• Long-wave elastic anisotropy produced by horizontal layering
• Statistical and numerical considerations of Backus-average product approximation
• On the Backus average of a layered medium with elasticity tensors in random orientations
• Backus Average Under Random Perturbations of Layered Media

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