The Stoneley-Scholte wave: Combination of three inhomogeneous plane waves

A new method, based on analysis of interface waves, and in particular on the Stoneley-Scholte wave, propagating at the water/sediment interface, is under consideration for acoustical characterization of marine sediments. These media are generally very attenuating. Therefore, the Stoneley-Scholte wave is studied at the ideal fluid/viscoelastic solid boundary, in order to get good agreements between laboratory modelling and information from sea trials. A theory for interface waves is developed using the inhomogeneous plane wave approach. The Stoneley-Scholte wave is thus regarded as a linear combination of one evanescent plane wave in the fluid and two heterogeneous plane waves in the solid