Hysteresis in response of nonlinear bistable interface to continuously varying acoustic loading.

In many experimental situations it is an equation of the forced relaxator and not of the forced oscillator that describes a variation in the acoustic field of the interface width (i.e. of a characteristic distance between the surfaces composing the interface). The developed theory predicts that some types of the nonlinear relaxators (depending on the structure of the nonlinear interaction force between the surfaces) exhibit hysteresis in their response to continuous acoustic loading of first increasing and then decreasing amplitude. Nonlinear (unharmonic) variation of the interface width starts at threshold amplitude of the incident sinusoidal acoustic wave, which is higher than threshold amplitude for returning to sinusoidal motion. This dynamic hysteresis (and accompanying it bistability) are possible, in particular, if the dependence of the effective interaction force on the interface width admits two quasi-equilibrium positions of the interface (bistable interface) or if the force itself is hysteretic (hysteretic interface). These theoretical predictions are relevant to some recent experimental observations on the interaction of powerful ultrasonic fields with cracks.