Explicit expression of polarization vector for surface waves, slip waves, Stoneley waves and interfacial slip waves in anisotropic elastic materials

•Explicit expressions of the polarization vectors are given.•They are given for Rayleigh waves, slip waves and Stoneley waves.•Unexpected results are obtained for polarization vector for interfacial slip waves.•It does not depend explicitly on material in the other half-space.•The special case of orthotropic materials is studied.

We present explicit expression of the polarization vector for surface waves and slip waves in an anisotropic elastic half-space, and Stoneley waves and interfacial slip waves in two dissimilar anisotropic elastic half-spaces. An unexpected result is that, in the case of interfacial slip waves, the polarization vector for the material in the half-space x2≥0x2≥0 does not depend explicitly on the material property in the half-space x2≤0x2≤0. It depends on the material property in the half-space x2≤0x2≤0 implicitly through the interfacial slip wave speed υυ. The same is true for the polarization vector for the material in the half-space x2≤0x2≤0.