Bleustein-Gulyaev waves in a finite piezoelectric material loaded with a viscoelastic fluid

Abstract

A generalized analytical approach for the propagation of Bleustein–Gulyaev wave in a piezoelectric material loaded on its surface with a viscoelastic fluid is established in this paper. The Bleustein–Gulyaev waveguide surface is subjected to various glycerol concentrations. The Maxwell and Kelvin–Voigt models are used to describe the viscoelasticity of this fluid. Exact dispersion equation is obtained in the cases of both electrically short circuit and open circuit by solving the equilibrium equations of piezoelectric materials and the Stokes equation of viscoelastic fluid. The effect on the phase velocity and attenuation for several frequencies is highlighted. The influence of key parameters such as substrate thickness and fluid thickness is also studied. These investigations can serve as benchmark solution in design of Bleustein–Gulyaev wave sensors.