In this paper, a guided wave tomography method based on Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) is developed for accurate and high resolu- tion reconstruction of the remaining wall thickness in isotropic plates. The forward model is computed in the frequency domain by solving a full-wave equation in a two-dimensional acoustic model, accounting for higher order eects such as diractions and multiple scattering. Both numerical simulations and experiments were carried out to obtain the signals of a dispersive guided mode propagating through defects. The inversion was based on local optimization of a waveform mist func- tion between modeled and measured data, and was applied iteratively to discrete frequency components from low to high frequencies. The resulting wave velocity maps were then converted to thickness maps by the dispersion characteristics of selected guided modes. The results suggest that the FWI method is capable to reconstruct the thickness map of a irregularly shaped defect accurately on a 10 mm thick plate with the thickness error within 0.5 mm.

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Corrosion is a major safety and economic concern to various industries. In this paper, a novel ultrasonic guided wave tomography (GWT) system based on self-designed piezoelectric sensors is presented for on-line corrosion monitoring of large plate-like structures. Accurate thickness reconstruction of corrosion damages is achieved by using the dispersive regimes of selected guided waves and a reconstruction algorithm based on full waveform inversion (FWI). The system makes use of an array of miniaturised piezoelectric transducers that are capable of exciting and receiving highly dispersive A0 Lamb wave mode at low frequencies. The scattering from transducer array has been found to have a small effect on the thickness reconstruction. The efficiency and the accuracy of the new system have been demonstrated through continuous forced corrosion experiments. The FWI reconstructed thicknesses show good agreement with analytical predictions obtained by Faraday’s law and laser measurements, and more importantly, the thickness images closely resemble the actual corrosion sites.

A study of the scattering of the fundamental guided wave SH 0 at a through-thickness narrow notch directed along the wave's propagation in a plate is presented. The results are obtained from Finite Element simulations and experimental measurements. Good agreement is found between the simulations and the measurements. The results are shown for a range of crack lengths and shapes. The scattered wave field consists of the reflected and diffracted SH 0 mode and also contributions from mode conversions to the S 0 mode. It is found that the coefficient of direct reflection of the SH 0 mode has an undulating nature depending on the length of the crack. This is caused by interference phenomena that are related to the interaction of different surface wave types generated on the crack surfaces and their diffractions at both tips of the crack. It is shown that the dominating part of this reflection is generated by the delayed "Rayleigh type" surface waves reflected from the far tip of the crack.