Understanding Micropolar Theory in the Earth Sciences I: The Eigenfrequency ω_r

Rafael Abreu , Stephanie Durand (1)

1 LGL-TPE - Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement

Even though micropolar theories are widely applied for engineering applications such as the design of metamaterials, applications in the study of the Earth's interior still remain limited and in particular in seismology. This is due to the lack of understanding of the required elastic material parameters present in the theory as well as the eigenfrequency ω_r which is not observed in seismic data. By showing that the general dynamic equations of the Timoshenko's beam is a particular case of the micropolar theory we are able to connect micropolar elastic parameters to physically measurable quantities. We then present an alternative micropolar model that, based on the same physical basis as the original model, circumvents the problem of the original eigenfrequency ω_r laking in seismological data. We finally validate our model with a seismic experiment and show it is relevant to explain observed seismic dispersion curves.

Mots clés: Timoshenko beam theory; plate theory; Cosserat theory; micropolar theory; seismology

Domaines: Planète et Univers [physics]; Sciences de la Terre

Rafael Abreu, Stephanie Durand. Understanding Micropolar Theory in the Earth Sciences I: The Eigenfrequency ω_r. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 2022, 179, pp.915-932. ⟨10.1007/s00024-021-02932-7⟩. ⟨insu-03710169⟩