Love waves on a half-space with a gradient piezoelectric layer by the geometric integration method

The propagation of Love waves on an elastic homogeneous half-space with a piezoelectric gradient covering layer is studied by the geometric integration method in this article. First, the state transfer equation of a Love wave is derived from the governing equations and constitutive relations. Then, the transfer matrix of the state vector is obtained by solving the state transfer equation of a Love wave and then the stiffness matrix is obtained. By combining transfer matrices and the stiffness matrices of the gradient covering layer and the homogeneous half-space, the total surface stiffness matrix of a Love wave is obtained. Lastly, the application of the electrically open circuit and short circuit conditions and mechanically traction-free conditions gives the frequency dispersive relation of a Love wave. For the gradient covering layer, the material constants at the bottom of the covering layer may be greater or smaller than that at the top of the covering layer. The two situations and three kinds of gradient profiles for each of these two situations are investigated. The numerical results show that the Love wave speed is sensitive to not only the material constants at the bottom and the top of the covering layer, but also the gradient profiles of the covering layer.