Impact force and moment problems on random mass density fields with fractal and Hurst effects

This paper reports the application of cellular automata to study the dynamic responses of Lamb-type problems for a tangential point load and a concentrated moment applied on the free surface of a half-plane. The medium is homogeneous, isotropic and linear elastic while having a random mass density field with fractal and Hurst characteristics. Both Cauchy and Dagum random field models are used to capture these effects. First, the cellular automata approach is tested on progressively finer meshes to verify the code against the continuum elastodynamic solution in a homogeneous continuum. Then, the sensitivity of wave propagation on random fields is assessed for a wide range of fractal and Hurst parameters. Overall, the mean response amplitude is lowered by the mass density field's randomness, while the Hurst parameter (especially, for