The general problem of thermoelastic wave propagation in multilayered anisotropic media with application to periodic media

The interaction of harmonic thermoelastic waves in layered homogeneous anisotropic plate has been investigated analytically in the context of generalized theory of thermoelasticity. Each layer of the plate can possess up to as low as monoclinic symmetry and thus allowing results of higher symmetry materials such as special cases. The wave is allowed to propagate along an arbitrary angle from the normal to the plate and along any azimuthal angle. Solutions are obtained by utilizing transfer matrix method. In this method formal solutions for each layer are derived and expressed in terms of wave amplitudes. By eliminating these amplitudes, thermal stresses, displacements and temperature on one side of the layer are related to those of the other side. By satisfying suitable continuity conditions at interlayer interfaces a global transfer matrix is constructed which relates the thermal stresses, displacements and temperature on one side of the plate to those of the other. Invoking appropriate boundary conditions on the plate's outer boundaries a variety of important problems can be solved. Of these mention is made of the propagation of free waves on the plate and the propagation of waves in periodic media consisting of a periodic repetition of the thermoelastic plate. Confidence in the approach and results are confined by comparisons with whatever is available from specialized solutions.