How many types of waves can travel through a steel rail/rod and what is their speed?

Waves can travel through solids. How many types of waves ca travel through an steel rail/rod and what is their speed?How many types of waves can travel through a steel rail/rod and what is their speed?There are two main types. Longitudinal waves, and Transverse waves.



In the case of steel, longitudinal waves can be compared to sound waves.



In solid materials, there are three subtypes, Pressure waves, Shear waves, and Surface waves Geologists sometimes use the terms "primary," and "secondary" waves, which refer to pressure waves and shear waves respectively. In the case of a steel train rail the third subtype is surface waves, which may be compared to surface "ripples" in water.



Note that fluids like air and water cannot transmit shearing forces, so they cannot conduct shear waves. air can only conduct pressure waves, whereas water can only conduct pressure waves and surface waves.



The speed of bulk pressure waves is roughly 5,900 m/s, depending on the grade and the properties of the steel. (Note: by comparison, the speed of pressure waves in dry air at room temp is only around 343 m/s.)



The speed of shear waves is around 2,300 m/s. For surface waves, the speed is around 2,100 m/s.



Transverse waves involve the entire mass of the steel rail vibrating up-down. and/or side-side, like a tuning fork or a spring pendulum. The physical mecanisms behing these waves are differenbt from the previous types.



The speed of these waves cannot be known without knowing the exact shape of the rail. It may have different speeds in the vertical direction, versus the speed in the horizontal direction.



I should also mention torsional vibrations, which involve twisting motions of the beam, these are physically similar to transverse waves. Again, it's impossible to know the speed of torsional waves without knowing the shape of the beam.



Lastly, steel conducts electricity, so it can also transmit electromagnetic waves, The speed of these waves will be only slightly less than the speed of light in a vacuum, which is 29,792,000 m/s



So, in summary the different types of waves are: Pressure waves, Shear waves, Surface waves, Transverse waves, Torsional waves, and Electromagnetic waves.How many types of waves can travel through a steel rail/rod and what is their speed?Thank you so much for the answer.

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