Elastic waves from a finite line source

A solution is given for the problem of elastic wave propagation from a finite line source. The line source is considered as the limit of an elongated ellipsoid of revolution, the length of the minor axis of which tends to zero. A pressure that is a given function of time is applied to the inner surface of the ellipsoid, whereas this surface is free from shearing stress. It is shown that, in addition to a pressure wave, a shear wave is generated. This shear wave is relatively unimportant for values of Poisson’s constant around 0.25, but becomes appreciable for values larger than 0.4.