Ultrasound propagation in externally stressed granular media

Experimental observations of pulsed ultrasonic transmission through granular glass beads under oedometric loading are presented. We observe in the transmitted signals the coexistence of a coherent ballistic pulse traveling through an "effective contact medium" and a specklelike multiply scattered signal. The relative amplitudes of these signals strongly depend on the ratios of the bead size to the wavelength and to the detector size. Experimental data support recent descriptions of the inhomogeneous stress field within granular media. [S0031-9007(99)08548-8].