ABSTRACT
This chapter establishes a general formalism that can be used to describe acoustic waveguide applications, based on partial wave analysis, slowness curves, and transverse resonance. The basic idea of the partial wave method is to consider separately the different components of the plane wave solutions involved in the particular problem at hand; these will typically be either shear horizontal or sagittal wave modes. The propagation of acoustic waves in layered half spaces developed historically in the study of seismology. Problems in seismology are of ongoing interest and would justify in their own right the study of acoustic propagation in layered systems. A Stoneley wave is a sagittal interface wave between two solids that is evanescent in both media for an aluminum–tungsten combination.
