Simplified Green's function for surface waves in quasi-incompressible elastic plates with application to elastography

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Surface wave elastography is a promising technique for assessing soft solid elasticity, particularly in agrifoods.
• Current methods face challenges in relating surface wave speed to shear wave speed due to comparable wavelengths and sample sizes.
• The development of portable devices for food quality assessment is hindered by the complexity of elasticity estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simplified Green's function model for soft solid elastic plates.
• To enable accurate retrieval of shear elasticity from near-field surface wave measurements.
• To validate the model using experimental data from phantoms and food products.

Main Methods:

• A simplified Green's function model was developed for soft solid elastic plates.
• Near-field surface wave measurements were employed to collect data.
• Experimental validation was performed on agar-gelatin phantoms, cheese, and bovine liver samples.

Main Results:

• The proposed model successfully retrieves shear elasticity from near-field measurements in soft solids.
• Experimental results with phantoms and food samples showed good agreement with the model's predictions.
• The study identified areas for improvement, including the incorporation of diffraction and viscosity.

Conclusions:

• The simplified Green's function model offers a viable approach for estimating shear elasticity in soft solids using near-field elastography.
• This method has significant potential for non-destructive quality control in the agrifood industry.
• Further refinement of the model to include diffraction and viscosity effects could enhance its accuracy and applicability.