Transient ultrasonic guided wave simulation in layered composite structures using a hybrid wave and finite element scheme

Abstract

A guided wave simulation method for layered composites based on the wave and finite element scheme is presented. An approach for calculating complex displacement fields such as those generated from piezoelectric transducers is developed. The scattering of waves from different types of defects is computed. A rigorous energy based criteria is proposed for model order reduction. All calculations are carried out in the frequency domain and an inverse discrete fourier transform is performed to get the time domain result.Numerical examples of a multi-layered composite beam are performed to assess the performance and validate the methodology. Three types of damages are simulated namely a notch, a transverse crack and an internal delamination. The results are validated against finite element simulations and are found to be in excellent agreement. Moreover the approach is found to be orders of magnitude faster compared to finite element simulations.

Direct Calculation of the Group Velocity for Two-Dimensional Complex, Composite and Periodic Structures Using a Wave and Finite Element Scheme

“…It has a number of implications for setting up a guided wave simulation, such as the maximum element size in the wave propagation direction and the maximum time step increment allowed. Normally, there should be at least 10 elements per wavelength and the wave should not propagate more than one element distance in a single time step [25]. The knowledge of c g as a function of frequency for a wave mode helps with fixing these parameters a priori with sufficient degree of confidence.…”

“…It combines FE and periodic structure theory to model wave propagation in periodic structures. It has been used in a number of research areas like structural identification [23], damage detection [24], multi-scale wave propagation [20], transient wave propagation [25], and wave steering in composites [26].…”

Guided Waves-Based Damage Identification in Plates Through an Inverse Bayesian Process

“…The 𝑆-matrix thus completely characterizes the scattering characteristics of ultrasonic waves at defects [31,32]. Malik [33] proposed a wave finite element based approach for complete transient simulation of ultrasonic guided waves in one-dimensional wave guides. A model reduction strategy is adopted to select the wave propagation mode based on the energy conservation of the finite size defects in the structure, thereby reducing the calculation time.…”

Lamb Wave Scattering Analysis for Interface Damage Detection between a Surface-Mounted Block and Elastic Plate

“…The SAHA is based on the boundary integral equation method [ 31 ] and the spectral element method (SEM) [ 32 ]; these two methods meet in the contact area, where the traction vector is unknown. One can see that the SAHA is based on an idea similar to the so-called global–local approach, where a semi-analytical technique is employed to discretize a semi-infinite or elongated area and the FEM discretizes the “local” portion, which contains scatterers of various kinds, including stiffeners [ 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”