Why cone models can represent the elastic half-space

In lieu of the rigorous elastodynamical approach, many problems in foundation dynamics may be solved quite accurately via simple cone models of the soil. Although these cone models are amenable to very simple analysis, they have not yet been widely accepted in engineering practice. The reservations against their use are possibly due to the fact that cones are based on non-rigorous strength-of-materials assumptions, they neglect large portions of the half-space, and cannot represent Rayleigh surface waves. These potential objections are investigated step by step and proven to be unfounded. It turns out that cone models indeed incorporate and provide valuable insight into all the salient features of rigorous solutions; the aspects omitted by cones are revealed to be of minor physical importance.