• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.71 no.6
• /
• pp.751-761
• /
• 2019

Lamb wave technology is a promising technology in the field of structural health monitoring and can be applied in the detection and monitoring of defects in plate structures. Based on the reconstruction algorithm for the probabilistic inspection of damage (RAPID), a Lamb-based detection and evaluation method of through-thickness rectangular notches in metal plates was proposed in this study. The influences of through-thickness rectangular notch length and the angle between sensing path and notch length direction on signals were further explored through simulations and experiments. Then a damage index calculation method which focuses on both phase and amplitude difference between detected signals and baseline signals was proposed. Based on the damage index difference between two vertically crossed sensing paths which pass through the notch in a sensor network, the notch direction identification method was proposed. In addition, the notch length was determined based on the damage index distribution along sensing paths. The experimental results showed that the image reconstructed with the proposed method could reflect the information for the evaluation of notches.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.1121-1137
• /
• 2015

This study presents probabilistic-based damage identification technique for highlighting damage in metallic structures. This technique utilizes distributed piezoelectric transducers to generate and monitor the ultrasonic Lamb wave with narrowband frequency. Diagnostic signals were used to define the scatter signals of different paths. The energy of scatter signals till different times were calculated by taking root mean square of the scatter signals. For each pair of parallel paths an error function based on the energy of scatter signals is introduced. The resultant error function then is used to estimate the probability of the presence of damage in the monitoring area. The presented method with an autofocusing feature is applied to aluminum plates for method verification. The results identified using both simulation and experimental Lamb wave signals at different central frequencies agreed well with the actual situations, demonstrating the potential of the presented algorithm for identification of damage in metallic structures. An obvious merit of the presented technique is that in addition to damages located inside the region between transducers; those who are outside this region can also be monitored without any interpretation of signals. This novelty qualifies this method for online structural health monitoring.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2000

SiC particulate reinforced metal matrix composites(MMCs) are emerging as candidate materials for the automobile and aerospace industries due to their significant increase in elastic modulus and strength compared to conventional metallic materials. However, in order to make successful application of MMCs, it is very important to understand micro-failure mechanism under cyclic loading because failure mechanism of MMC is dominated by accumulation of micro-failure due to applied loading. In this study, ultrasonic Lamb wave and acoustic emission(AE) have been used to monitor microscopic damage accumulation under cyclic loading for SiC particulate reinforced metal matrix composite(SiCp/A356). It was found that the change in velocity and attenuation of ultrasonic Lamb wave due to the increase of loading cycles could be characterized by three different stages corresponding to the microscopic fracture processes. The characteristic of AE signal at each stage was analyzed and discussed by comparing with the change of ultrasonic characteristic in MMCs.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.241-262
• /
• 2011

Cast iron pipe has been used as a water distribution technology in North America since the early nineteenth century. The first cast iron pipes were made of grey cast iron which was succeeded by ductile iron as a pipe material in the 1940s. These different iron alloys have significantly different microstructures which give rise to distinct mechanical properties. Insight into the non-destructive structural condition assessment of aging pipes can be advantageous in developing mitigation strategies for pipe failures. This paper examines the relationship between the small-strain and large-strain properties of exhumed cast iron water pipes. Nondestructive and destructive testing programs were performed on eight pipes varying in age from 40 to 130 years. The experimental program included microstructure evaluation and ultrasonic, tensile, and flexural testing. New applications of frequency domain analysis techniques including Fourier and wavelet transforms of ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements are presented. A low correlation between wave propagation and large-strain measurements was observed. However, the wave velocities were consistently different between ductile and grey cast iron pipes (14% to 18% difference); the ductile iron pipes showed the smaller variation in wave velocities. Thus, the variation of elastic properties for ductile iron was not enough to define a linear correlation because all the measurements were practically concentrated in single cluster of points. The cross-sectional areas of the specimens tested varied as a result of minor manufacturing defects and levels of corrosion. These variations affect the large strain testing results; but, surface defects have limited effect on wave velocities and may also contribute to the low correlations observed. Lamb waves are typically not considered in the evaluation of ultrasonic pulse velocity. However, Lamb waves were found to contribute significantly to the frequency content of the ultrasonic signals possibly resulting in the poor correlations observed. Therefore, correlations between wave velocities and large strain properties obtained using specimens manufactured in the laboratory must be used with caution in the condition assessment of aged water pipes especially for grey cast iron pipes.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.320-326
• /
• 2011

This paper proposes a baseline-free SHM technique in which the time-reversal process of Lamb waves and the imaging method are used. The proposed SHM technique has three distinct features when compared with the authors' previously proposed one: (1) It use the reconstructed signal for damage diagnosis, without need to extract the damage signal as the difference between reconstructed signal and initial input signal; (2) It use the imaging method based on the time-offlight information from the reconstructed signal, instead of using a pattern comparison method; (3) In order to make the damage image more clear, the modified mathematical definition of damage image in a pixel is used. The proposed SHM technique is evaluated through the damage detection experiment for an aluminum plate with damage at different locations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.605-615
• /
• 2012

In this paper, guided circumferential wave propagating in an orthotropic viscoelastic cylindrical curved plate subjected to traction-free conditions is investigated in the frame of the Kelvin-Voight viscoelastic theory. The obtained three wave equations are decoupled into two groups, Lamb-like wave and SH wave. They are separately solved by the Legendre polynomial series approach. The availability of the method is confirmed through the comparison with the published data of the SH wave for a viscoelastic flat plate. The dispersion curves and attenuation curves for the carbon fiber and prepreg cylindrical plates are illustrated and the viscous effect on dispersion curves is shown. The influences of the ratio of radius to thickness are analyzed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.435-440
• /
• 2014

Contact-guided-wave tests are impractical for investigating specimens with limited accessibility and rough surfaces or complex geometric features. A non-contact setup with a laser-ultrasonic transmitter and receiver is quite attractive for guided-wave inspection. In the present work, we developed a non-contact guided-wave tomography technique using the laser-ultrasonic technique in a plate. A method for Lamb-wave generation and detection in an aluminum plate with a pulsed laser-ultrasonic transmitter and Michelson-interferometer receiver was developed. The defect shape and area in the images obtained using laser scanning, showed good agreement with the actual defect. The proposed approach can be used as a non-contact online inspection and monitoring technique.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2010.10a
• /
• pp.246-247
• /
• 2010

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2010.05a
• /
• pp.493-494
• /
• 2010

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2010.05a
• /
• pp.256-257
• /
• 2010