Theoretical study of the generation of screw dislocations for Rayleigh and Lamb waves in isotropic solids

Phase singularities are generic structures which occur in all wave fields, and they are characterised by an inability to assign a value to the phase. Screw dislocations are a particular kind of phase singularity where the phase possesses a helical structure, with the singularity at the centre of the helix. In this paper we show that it is possible to generate screw dislocations on the surface of elastic isotropic solids by means of the interference of three Rayleigh waves or three Lamb waves. The dispersive character of Lamb waves leads to more complicated behaviour, which may in turn result in greater potential for applications.