Sparse Array (Nonlinear) Guided Wave Imaging for Localization of Damage in Composites

Abstract

Composite materials are subjected to an increasing importance in critical components commonly used for automotive, aerospace and other modern industrial sectors. Yet, these composites are quite susceptible to damages and defects which can be introduced during the manufacturing and/or operational life. Reconstruction Algorithm for the Probabilistic Inspection of Damage (RAPID) and Delay and Sum (DAS) are well-known guided wave imaging techniques capable to reveal the presence of damage in a sparse ultrasonic sensor network. In this study, several factors in RAPID are investigated to understand their influence on the quality of the reconstructed damage map for a composite laminate with an inter-ply defect. A critical comparison between RAPID and DAS is performed in terms of their accuracy and calculation cost. Finally, results are presented on a baseline-free probabilistic imaging modality by exploiting nonlinear wave/defect interactions.

Multi-type damage localization using the scattering coefficient-based RAPID algorithm with damage indexes separation and imaging fusion

“…Teng et al 25 and Gonzalez-Jimenez et al 26 also researched the probability distribution function in the traditional RAPID to improve the damage imaging accuracy. For the crack monitoring on aluminum plates and fiber breakage monitoring on composite plates, Liu et al, 27 Hettler et al, 28 Ma et al, 29 and Hwang et al 30 studied the nonlinear features of guided waves-based RAPID algorithm.…”