Two Scholte–Stoneley waves on doubly fluid-loaded plates and shells

Previous theoretical and experimental studies of sound scattering from plates and from evacuated cylindrical or spherical shells with one-sided water loading have demonstrated the existence of a water-borne Scholte–Stoneley wave, and its acoustic excitation, in addition to that of the Lamb-type plate or shell wave modes. For two-sided water loading two Scholte–Stoneley waves, of symmetric (S) and antisymmetric (A) nature, were predicted on plates, with only the A wave surviving for the case of one-sided loading, while for loading with two different fluids, again two such waves have been demonstrated theoretically. In the present investigation, these two Scholte–Stoneley waves are studied experimentally via short-pulse scattering from water-immersed, thin-walled cylindrical shells filled alternatingly with air, water, and alcohol, and a theoretical analysis of their dispersion curves is presented.