3D elastic wave propagation modelling in the presence of 2D fluid-filled thin inclusions

Abstract

In this paper, the traction boundary element method (TBEM) and the boundary element method (BEM), formulated in the frequency domain, are combined so as to evaluate the 3D scattered wave field generated by 2D fluid-filled thin inclusions. This model overcomes the thin-body difficulty posed when the classical BEM is applied. The inclusion may exhibit arbitrary geometry and orientation, and may have null thickness. The singular and hypersingular integrals that appear during the model's implementation are computed analytically, which overcomes one of the drawbacks of this formulation. Different source types such as plane, cylindrical and spherical sources, may excite the medium. The results provided by the proposed model are verified against responses provided by analytical models derived for a cylindrical circular fluid-filled borehole.