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Corners and cracks are usually studied separately in the literature. To build a bridge connecting these two different but similar topics, in this paper the solutions for piezoelectric multi-wedges, which cover corners and interface corners, are used to study the cracks and interface cracks in piezoelectric materials. Moreover, the stress/electric intensity factors defined for cracks, interface cracks and interface corners are also extended to the general corners. By taking the special feature of Stroh formalism for anisotropic elasticity, all the solutions presented in this paper for piezoelectric materials preserve the same matrix form as those of the corresponding anisotropic problems. To see more clearly about the piezoeffects on the corners and cracks, most of the complex matrix form solutions are expanded in real component form for two typical piezoelectric ceramics with different poling directions.

In this study, the transient response of an elastic strip subjected to dynamic in-plane loadings on the surface is investigated in detail. One of the objectives of this study is to develop an effective analytical method for determining transient solutions in a strip. By applying Laplace transform, the analytical solution in the transformed domain is derived and expressed in matrix form. The solution is then decomposed into infinite wave groups in which the multiple reflected waves with the same reflection are involved. Each multi-reflected wave can be identified by a coding method and be verified by the theory of generalized ray. The inverse transform is performed by using the well-known Cagniard method. The transient solutions in time domain for stresses and displacements are expressed in a closed form and are discussed in detail by an example. The experimental results show that the early time transient responses of displacements on the surface agree very well with the numerical calculations based on the theoretical solutions.

This paper describes a doubly asymptotic (DA), boundary-element (BE) treatment of dynamic soil-structure interaction where the surrounding medium is treated as linear-elastic. The interaction is reduced to a surface relationship that is asymptotically exact at both high and low frequencies. Governing equations are developed in matrix form for application to complex structures. Numerical results are presented for a two-dimensional problem for which analytical solutions have appeared in the literature. Good agreement between the DA/BE and analytical results is observed.

Wave propagation in an inhomogeneous elastic rod or slab is considered. The governing equations are written in a matrix form and transformations are sought which reduce the system to a form associated with the wave equation. Integration of the system is then immediate. It is shown that such reduction may be achieved subject to a function involving the density and elastic parameters of the material adopting certain multi-parameter forms. These parameters are available for fitting to the behaviour of a variety of inhomogeneous elastic materials. A specific initial boundary value problem is solved by utilising the present method.