The curves of slowness and power flow angle (PFA) of quasi-antisymmetric (A₀) and quasi-symmetric (S₀) Lamb waves as well as quasi-shear-horizontal (SH₀) acoustic waves in thin plates of lithium niobate and potassium niobate of X-,Y-, and Z-cuts for various propagation directions and the influence of electrical shorting of one plate surface on these curves and PFA have been theoretically investigated. It has been found that the group velocity of such waves does not coincide with the phase velocity for the most directions of propagation. It has been also shown that S₀ and SH₀ wave are characterized by record high values of PFA and its change due to electrical shorting of the plate surface in comparison with surface and bulk acoustic waves in the same material. The most interesting results have been verified by experiment. As a whole, the results obtained may be useful for development of various devices for signal processing, for example, electrically controlled acoustic switchers.

The effect of a perfectly elastic nonviscous nonconducting liquid on the characteristics of a zero-order antisymmetric Lamb wave (the A ₀ wave) in a 128YX LiNbO₃ plate, whose thickness is small compared to the wavelength, is studied both theoretically and experimentally. A method for calculating the velocity and attenuation of this wave depending on the value of the parameter hf (h is the plate thickness and f is the wave frequency) is proposed. In addition, the characteristics of an A ₀ wave in a piezoelectric plate that is in contact with two different perfectly elastic nonviscous nonconducting liquids on its two sides are investigated. A possibility for the development of a proximate analyzer of liquids on the basis of such a structure is indicated.

This paper presents experimental results for the characteristics of acoustic waves propagating in a structure containing two parallel piezoelectric plates (I and II) separated by an air gap. Plate I, made of Y-X lithium niobate, contained two interdigital transducers that excited and received an acoustic wave with shear-horizontal polarization. Piezoelectric plate II, made of lithium niobate, was placed above and between the transducers, separated by a fixed gap. For its certain orientation, the amplitude-frequency characteristic showed sharply defined resonant attenuation peaks, which were situated at an equidistant separation from each other. The depth of the peaks was observed to decrease with a wider gap between the plates. It has been stated that these peaks are associated with the resonant reflections of a slot acoustic wave across the width of plate II. Experimentally determined phase velocities and electromechanical coupling coefficient for the slot wave in the structure under study are in a good agreement with theoretical values for various crystallographic orientations of plate II. A comparison between the experimental and theoretical results has allowed us to state two conditions for the slot wave to exist. The structures described may be employed for noncontact excitation of acoustic waves in the plates and for the development of various liquid, gas, and temperature sensors.