Measurements of coupled rayleigh wave propagation in an elastic plate

At frequencies where the thickness of an elastic plate is more than a wavelength, the propagation of the two lowest Rayleigh-Lamb modes in an elastic plate can be viewed as the propagation of a Rayleigh surface wave over two weakly coupled, surface-wave waveguides. That is, a Rayleigh wave launched on one surface gradually transfers to the other and then back. It does so in a length we call the beatlength. Measurements of the beatlength for brass plates are reported as a function of frequency and thickness. This phenomenon is readily excited and persists over a wide range of thicknesses and frequencies.