Speed of Sound in Solids Calculator

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Pick a preset to fill in typical elastic properties, or choose Custom to enter your own values.
Young's modulus measures how stiff the material is under uniaxial tension or compression.
GPa
Shear modulus (rigidity) describes resistance to shear deformation. For isotropic materials G = E / [2(1 + nu)].
GPa
Poisson's ratio is the negative ratio of lateral to axial strain. It must be between 0 and 0.5 for a stable isotropic solid.
Mass per unit volume of the material.
kg/m³
Optional frequency used to compute wavelength from each wave speed. Typical ultrasonic NDT frequencies are 1-10 MHz.
MHz
Longitudinal wave speed (vₗ)High wave speed (stiff metal)
5,778m/s

3-D bulk compression wave (P-wave). Fastest elastic wave in a solid.

Shear wave speed (vₛ)3,178m/s
Rayleigh wave speed (vᴿ)2,944m/s
1-D rod wave speed5,048m/s
vL / vS ratio1.818
Longitudinal wavelength5.778mm
Shear wavelength3.178mm
Longitudinal (P)5,778
Shear (S)3,178
Rayleigh surface2,944
Thin rod (1-D)5,048

P-wave speed in Steel (structural): 5778 m/s

  • The P-wave travels at 5778 m/s and the S-wave at 3178 m/s in Steel (structural).
  • The vL/vS ratio is 1.82, consistent with typical engineering alloys (1.73 to 1.87).
  • The Rayleigh surface wave at 2944 m/s is 7.4% slower than the shear wave, as expected for nu = 0.290.
  • Longitudinal waves are used in standard ultrasonic thickness gauging; shear waves are preferred for detecting vertical cracks and weld defects.

Next stepFor non-destructive testing, compare measured transit times against these computed velocities to detect defects or measure layer thickness.

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