ElasticMatrix: A MATLAB Toolbox for Anisotropic Elastic Wave Propagation in Layered Media

Abstract

Simulating the propagation of elastic waves in multi-layered media has many applications. A common approach is to use matrix methods where the elastic wave-field within each material layer is represented by a sum of partial-waves along with boundary conditions imposed at each interface. While these methods are well-known, coding the required matrix formation, inversion, and analysis for general multi-layered systems is non-trivial and time-consuming. Here, a new open-source toolbox called ElasticMatrix is described which solves the problem of acoustic and elastic wave propagation in multi-layered media for isotropic and transverse-isotropic materials where the wave propagation occurs in a material plane of symmetry. The toolbox is implemented in MATLAB using an object oriented programming framework and is designed to be easy to use and extend. Methods are provided for calculating and plotting dispersion curves, displacement and stress fields, reflection and transmission coefficients, and slowness profiles.