A Green's function time-domain boundary element method for the elastodynamic half-plane

The transient Green's function of the 2-D Lamb's problem for the general case where point source and receiver are situated beneath the traction-free surface is derived. The derivations are based on Laplace-transform methods, utilizing the Cagniard-de Hoop inversion. The Green's function is purely algebraic without any integrals and is presented in a numerically applicable form for the first time. It is used to develop a Green's function BEM in which surface discretizations on the traction-free boundary can be saved. The time convolution is performed numerically in an abstract complex plane. Hence, the respective integrals are regularized and only a few evaluations of the Green's function are required. This fast procedure has been applied for the first time. The Green's function BEM developed proved to be very accurate and efficient in comparison with analogue BEMs that employ the fundamental solution. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.