Device and method for determining the elasticity of soft-solids

A method for determining the elasticity of a soft-solid, the method comprising:

• using a wave source for exciting low-amplitude audible frequency waves in a selected location of a free surface of the soft-solid whose elasticity is to be determined;
• recording the time-traces of the surface displacement with a plurality of contact vibration sensors that are linearly arranged and equally spaced to each other, wherein the distance between the point at which the waves are being excited and the nearest sensor is the same as the distance between sensors;
• computing the phase velocity of the surface wave by estimating the phase-shift between sensors and a reference signal sent to the source;
• and
• converting the phase velocity to an elasticity value by using an inversion algorithm,
• wherein the soft-solid is a transversely isotropic solid, and
• wherein the inversion algorithm takes into account near-field effects and the propagation direction of surface waves and employs:
• a dispersion curve comprising a range of frequencies, or
• a single frequency value.