Experiments and modelling of ultrasonic waves in composite plates under varying temperature

Interaction of ultrasonic guided waves with interfacial debonding in a stiffened composite plate under variable temperature and operational conditions

Stiffeners play a vital role in strengthening thin panels in a wide range of engineering constructions by reducing additional structural weight. However, these structures are vulnerable to issues such as interlayer delamination or skin-stiffener interfacial debonding due to high stress levels developed from external environmental conditions and operational loadings. In contrast, ultrasonic-guided wave (UGW) techniques exhibit an efficient and precise approach for monitoring discontinuities or damages in composite structures. There is a lack of research on understanding the characteristics of the interaction between UGW and interfacial debonding when in-plane edge loading and environmental factors are simultaneously taken into account. Therefore, this study is motivated by the need to develop a multiphysics numerical model which employs a commercially available finite element software, COMSOL Multiphysics®, to simulate UGW propagation in a stiffened composite plate with debonding at the plate-stiffener interface through a piezoelectric transducer under the combined influence of in-plane edge load and hygrothermal environment. The stiffened plate and piezoelectric patches are modelled with the tetrahedral element, and the bottom surface of the attached stiffener has a through-width 0.1 mm deep groove simulated for debonding. The developed FE model is validated against the results of the conducted experiments and those found in the available literature through the correlation coefficient. Further, the study conducts a comprehensive parametric investigation on stiffened cross-ply (0/90/0) laminated plates, considering variations in debonding size, in-plane load, and hygrothermal load intensity through the excitation of A0 mode. The acquired response is processed to compare the peak amplitude of various modes and energy of the waveform. Additionally, statistical indices such as normalised correlation moment (NCM) and variance of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) peak are estimated to understand the impact of various parameters on waveform. The results show that the presence of a 90° lamina in the cross-ply laminate generates a low amplitude S0 mode in the scattered response. Moreover, a mode conversion from A0 to S0 mode is observed due to perfect bonding between the plate and the stiffener, providing insights into the bonding state in the panel. Furthermore, it is found that the magnitude of the in-plane loading marginally affects the peak amplitude of various modes in the scattered response. Additionally, when temperature intensity rises, the energy and amplitude of the UGW signals acquired through piezoelectric patches positioned in a direct line with the actuator gradually increase. The NCM value enhances with debonding regardless of exposed hygrothermal condition and reduces with increasing temperature intensity. In addition, the variance of the CWT peak reduces with debonding. The findings of this research are expected to be helpful for the development of efficient algorithms for detecting damages for structural health monitoring of stiffened composite panels.

Longitudinal wave scattering in thin plates with symmetric damage considering oblique incidence

The interactions between ultrasonic waves and damage provide crucial information for developing effective damage detection techniques in various fields, including non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring, and they can be investigated through wave propagation. Then, this article presents an approach to investigate the longitudinal wave in thin plates with symmetric damage considering oblique incidence. The approach includes a strategy to determine the plate thickness reduction due to the damage presence by considering an oblique incidence of waves generated by the actuator. Modeling is developed to compute each wave packet of reflected and transmitted waves separately, which allows one to describe the wave scattering. Numerical simulations are carried out and the results show that the sensor size can be adjusted to improve the existence of damage detection and the determination of the damage depth. Results from experimental tests are presented to demonstrate the approach considering a circular actuator. The findings contribute to improving the comprehension of the interaction between guided waves and discontinuities, potentially encouraging the use of waves for damage sizing purposes rather than only for detection and improve the current state of the art in wave propagation by investigating the effects of different excitation frequencies and the influence of the damage parameters and sensor sizing on the resulting waves.

Guided wave skew velocity correction in anisotropic laminates

Guided ultrasonic wave propagation in anisotropic structures results in directional dependency of velocity and wave skewing effects that can impact the accuracy of damage detection. Phase and group velocities of the A₀ guided wave mode, propagating in a unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced laminate, were investigated experimentally and through finite element analysis. A correction for the significant offset in phase and group velocities due to wave skewing effects is illustrated for both point and short line sources, achieving good agreement with theoretical calculations assuming planar wave fronts. The influence of the line excitation length on velocity measurements is discussed.

Lead Zirconate Titanate Transducers Embedded in Composite Laminates: The Influence of the Integration Method on Ultrasound Transduction

In the context of an embedded structural health monitoring (SHM) system, two methods of transducer integration into the core of a laminate carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) are tested: cut-out and between two plies. This study focuses on the effect of integration methods on Lamb wave generation. For this purpose, plates with an embedded lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer are cured in an autoclave. The embedded PZT insulation, integrity, and ability to generate Lamb waves are checked with electromechanical impedance, X-rays, and laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) measurements. Lamb wave dispersion curves are computed by LDV using two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (Bi-FFT) to study the quasi-antisymmetric mode (qA0) excitability in generation with the embedded PZT in the frequency range of 30 to 200 kHz. The embedded PZT is able to generate Lamb waves, which validate the integration procedure. The first minimum frequency of the embedded PZT shifts to lower frequencies and its amplitude is reduced compared to a surface-mounted PZT.

A Systematic Review of Advanced Sensor Technologies for Non-Destructive Testing and Structural Health Monitoring

This paper reviews recent advances in sensor technologies for non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil structures. The article is motivated by the rapid developments in sensor technologies and data analytics leading to ever-advancing systems for assessing and monitoring structures. Conventional and advanced sensor technologies are systematically reviewed and evaluated in the context of providing input parameters for NDT and SHM systems and for their suitability to determine the health state of structures. The presented sensing technologies and monitoring systems are selected based on their capabilities, reliability, maturity, affordability, popularity, ease of use, resilience, and innovation. A significant focus is placed on evaluating the selected technologies and associated data analytics, highlighting limitations, advantages, and disadvantages. The paper presents sensing techniques such as fiber optics, laser vibrometry, acoustic emission, ultrasonics, thermography, drones, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), magnetostrictive sensors, and next-generation technologies.

Ultrasonic Testing of Mechanical Changes in a Water-Filled Pipe with Multi-Mode and Broadband Signals and Two-Level Compensation

Ultrasonic testing (UT) has been widely used for the Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of pipes due to its many favorable characteristics. However, one of the main challenges in the general use of UT for real-world pipelines is the sensitivity of this method to environmental and operational condition changes. This paper proposes a new UT method with enhanced compensation for environmental effects and operational condition changes. In particular, the effectiveness of the new method is tested in the presence of temperature variations, and changes in water flow rate inside a stainless-steel pipe. The proposed UT method uses multi-mode and broadband guided ultrasonic waves in the pipe walls, excited and received by single-element ultrasonic sensors that are spatially separated, forming a measurement zone between any pair of such transmit and receive sensors. Amplitude changes, time shifts, and frequency content variations in the ultrasonic signal due to temperature changes and water flow are evaluated and compensated for reliable UT of mechanical changes in the pipe. It is observed that spurious effects of water flow on ultrasonic response, if not properly compensated, can dominate over effects due to actual mechanical changes, but such liquid-boundary effects can be compensated effectively by the proposed time- and frequency-filtering method.