Wave propagation in a thin walled liquid filled initially stressed tube

Wave propagation through a thin walled cylindrical orthotropic viscoelastic initially stressed tube filled with a linear elastic fluid is discussed. The influence of the initial stretch on wave propagation is studied. It is shown that initial stretch of arteries is favorable for the propagation of blood pressure pulses in mammals. The dispersion equation for the initial value problem of a semi-infinite tube is derived. It is shown that the speed of propagation and the attenuation vary with the distance from the support. The results obtained for the axial wave mode explain experimental observations, which is not possible with the results obtained for the infinite tube.