Scattering of Love wave from an interface crack in a viscoelastic waveguide layer bonded to a piezoelectric substrate: an analytical estimate and numerical validation

This study uses an analytical method to examine the scattering of a Love wave from an interfacial crack in a thin lossy media (viscoelastic material) that serves as a waveguide layer attached to an unbounded loss-less media (piezoelectric material). The viscoelastic material is modeled using the Kelvin-Voigt equation. Phase velocity and attenuation have been calculated by equating the real and imaginary parts of the dispersion relation to zero, respectively, due to the complex wave number of viscoelastic material. Using the integral transform approach and the dislocation density function, the scattering field close to the crack tip is determined, resulting in a Cauchy singular integral equation of the first type. It has been transformed into a system of linear algebraic equations using Gauss-Chebyshev numerical integration. It has been investigated how frequency, waveguide layer thickness, and viscoelastic material loss factor affect phase velocity and Love wave attenuation. The mode-III dynamic stress intensity factor at the left and right crack-tip is investigated for various thicknesses of the waveguide layer and loss factor of viscoelastic material. The outcomes were verified using numerical data from the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6 FEA software. The findings are fundamental and could be used in the design of particular sensors.