Pii: S0168-9274(01)00096-4

The modeling of elastic waves in solids and fluids is widely applied in physics and geophysics and often requires large computer codes for its realization. Despite the fact that different wave propagation problems have many similarities from the point of view of the abstract mathematical formulation, such codes are usually hard to adapt to new problems and changing requirements. In this paper we discuss a so-called coordinate-free approach for the general computer implementation of tensorfield equations. We show how it applies to the modeling of seismic waves in isotropic and anisotropic structures, sonic waves in boreholes and ultrasonic waves in poro-elastic fluid-filled materials. The results clearly indicate that the coordinate-free approach is very flexible for the implementation of various wave propagation problems.  2001 IMACS. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.