Scattering of plane harmonic SH,SV, P and rayleigh waves by non-axisymmetric three-dimensional canyons: A wave function expansion approach

Scattering of elastic waves by three-dimensional canyons embedded within an elastic half-space is investigated by using a wave function expansion technique. The geometry of the canyon is assumed to be non-axisymmetric. The canyon is subjected to incident plane Rayleigh waves and oblique incident SH, SV and P waves. The unknown scattered wavefield is expressed in terms of spherical wave functions which satisfy the equations of motion and radiation conditions at infinity, but they do not satisfy stress-free boundary conditions at the half-space surface. The boundary conditions are imposed locally in the least-squares sense at several points on the surface of the canyon and the half-space. Through a comparative study the validity and limitations of two-dimensional approximations (antiplane strain and plane strain models) have been examined. It is shown that scattering of waves by three-dimensional canyons may cause substantial change in the surface displacement patterns in comparison to the two-dimensional models. These results emphasize the need for three-dimensional modelling of realistic problems of interest in strong ground motion seismology and earthquake engineering.