Enter the shear modulus and the density of the material into the calculator to determine the material wave velocity.

Material Velocity Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Material Velocity.

Vm = SQRT ( G/d)
  • Where Vm is the material velocity (m/s)
  • G is the shear modulus (Pascals, Pa)
  • d is the density of the material (kg/m^3)’

To calculate the material velocity, take the square root of the ratio of shear modulus to the density of the material.

What is a Material Velocity?

Definition:

A material velocity is the measure of the speed at which shear waves propagate through a material.

How to Calculate Material Velocity?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Material Velocity.

First, determine the shear modulus. In this example, the shear modulus is found to be 500,000 Pa.

Next, determine the density of the material. For this problem, the density of the material is found to be 1500 kg/m^3.

Finally, calculate the Material Velocity using the formula above:

Vm = SQRT ( G/d)

Vm = SQRT ( 500,000/1500)

Vm = 18.257 m/s