Relationships between elastic constants

Although only 2 independent elastic constants are required to complete the properties of
an isotropic elastic medium, there are many different constants from which to choose. Most
of these constants arise as constants of proportionality between stress and strain for various
loading conditions. For example, the ratio of hydrostatic stress (pressure) to volumetric
strain (dilatation) is

, which is given the name of bulk modulus and the symbol

The elastic constants are:

Lames constant
Shear modulus; sometimes G is used instead of
Poisson's ratio
Young's modulus
Bulk modulus
cL is bulk longitudinal-wave speed

cT is the bulk shear-wave speed

cR is the rayleigh-wave speed

2v
( E 2 )
2
vE
3Kv 3K(3K-E)

(cL2 2cT2 ),
1 2v
3 E
3
(1 v)(1 2v) 1 v
9K E

E
3
1 2v
1 2v
3KE
(K )
3K

cT2 ,
2(1 v) 2
2v
2 2v 9 K E

C11
2
cL

C55

cT

cR

3cL2 4cT2
c 2 2

cL cT

2
T

To these we may add the following combinations that appear frequently: