This paper presents an in-depth study of the stress wave behavior propagating in a Rayleigh–Love rod with sudden cross-sectional area variations. The analytical solutions of stress waves are derived for the reflection and transmission propagation behavior at the interface of the cross-sectional area change in the rod, considering inertia and Poisson’s effects on the rod material. Examples solved using the finite element method are provided to verify the correctness of the analytical results. Based on the forward analysis of Rayleigh–Love wave propagation in a rod impacted by a striker rod, an impact-echo-type nondestructive testing (NDT) method is proposed to conduct defect assessment in rod-type structural components with sudden cross-sectional area changes within a cover medium. This proposed NDT method can identify the location, extension, and cross-sectional area drop ratios of an irregular zone in the rod to be inspected.

This paper studies elastic stress wave propagation generated by an impact in a system consisting of a moving striker rod and an initially stationary semi-infinite rod. This research emphasizes the role of different general impedances in affecting the response during the wave propagation process. The Rayleigh–Love rod theory is used in this research to consider lateral inertia and Poisson’s effects on longitudinal waves in rods, as these factors lead to greater stress results compared to the traditional wave equation. To solve the complex wave equations in a Rayleigh–Love rod with different general impedances, the numerical inversion of Laplace transformation is applied and verified using the results of previous research. This study demonstrates that variations in general impedances cause different wave reflection and transmission behaviors at the interface. As the wave interacts with this discontinuity of impedance, it may be amplified or attenuated, and changes in impedance can significantly affect wave propagation behaviors.

This paper presents an in-depth study of the stress wave behavior propagating in a Rayleigh–Love rod with a sudden cross-sectional area change. The analytical solutions of stress waves are derived for the reflection and transmission propagation behavior at the interface of the cross-sectional area change in the rod, considering inertia and Poisson’s effects. Examples solved by the finite element method are provided to verify the correctness of the analytical results. In addition to the forward analysis of Rayleigh–Love wave propagation in rods impacted by a striker rod, a nondestructive testing method is proposed to conduct the defect assessment in the rod type of the structure component with a sudden cross-sectional area change within a cover medium by using the measured signals at the measurable zone of the rod to be inspected.