Surface waves attenuation by a two‐dimensional elastic band gap crystal

Experiments on the attenuation of Rayleigh waves in a marble quarry by a periodic array of cylindrical holes, in a honeycomb and in a triangular distribution, are reported. The results are explained in terms of elastic wave crystals, and compared to theoretical calculations performed with scalar waves. The possibility of application to the attenuation of surface waves in seismic movements is also discussed.