Statics and dynamics of structural interfaces in elasticity

The concept of structural interface possessing finite width and joining continuous media is presented. Mechanical effects differentiating this model from conventional zero-thickness interfaces are explored for static and dynamic problems. In the static case, the thickness of the interface introduces an additional characteristic length, providing a parameter which can serve different design needs, for instance, may be employed to obtain neutral coated inclusions. In the dynamic case, a number of effects arise, related to the inertia of the interface. In particular, examples demonstrate that the design of inertial properties of the interface may be useful to produce sharp filters of elastic waves.