ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the one-dimensional propagation of linear waves in nonhomogeneous media. It uses the Bloch-Floquet method the derives the dispersion equation analytically. The chapter then provides two numerical example and presents the results graphically in the form of dispersion curves and the wave attenuation coefficients for the composites of steel-aluminium and carbon-epoxide plastic-steel. Processes of propagation of waves in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous medium are qualitatively different. In composite materials the local reflection and refraction on the boundaries of the components separation implies the waves dispersion on the microlevel. The latter phenomenon can be described with a help of the homogenization method of a higher order, and hence reliable solution of the problem can be obtained for the long wave analysis. The practical advantage of the homogenization approach is displayed in the cases when the exact dispersion equations are not known. A solution suitable for short waves can be found using the Bloch-Floquet approach.
