The effect of boundaries on wave propagation in a liquid-filled porous solid: III. Reflection of plane waves at a free plane boundary (general case)

A general solution is derived of Biot's field equations governing small motions of a porous solid saturated with a viscous liquid. The solution is then employed to study some of the phenomena attendant upon the reflection from a plane, traction-free boundary of each of the three body waves predicted by the equations. The problem, though more complex, bears some similarity to that of electromagnetic waves in a conducting medium, in that some of the reflected waves are inhomogeneous, planes of constant amplitude not coinciding with planes of constant phase. Analytical expressions are displayed for the phase velocities, attenuation coefficients, angles of reflection and the amplitude ratios, and explicit formulas are given for the limiting cases of low and high frequencies, representing first-order corrections for porosity of the solid and viscosity of the liquid, respectively. The paper concludes with a presentation of results of numerical calculations pertinent to a kerosene-saturated sandstone.