Time-domain analysis of second-harmonic generation of primary Lamb wave propagation in an elastic plate

Within the second-order perturbation approximation,this paper investigates the physical process of generation of the time-domain second harmonic by a primary Lamb wave waveform in an elastic plate.The present work is performed based on the preconditions that the phase velocity matching is satisfied and that the transfer of energy from the primary Lamb wave to the double frequency Lamb wave is not zero.It investigates the influences of the difference between the group velocities of the primary Lamb wave and the double frequency Lamb wave,the propagation distance and the duration of the primary Lamb wave waveform on the envelope shape of the time-domain second harmonic.It finds that the maximum magnitude of the envelope of the second-harmonic waveform can grow within some propagation distance even if the condition of group velocity matching is not satisfied.Our analyses also indicate that the maximum magnitude of the envelope of the second-harmonic waveform is kept constant beyond a specific propagation distance.Furthermore,it concludes that the integration amplitude of the time-domain second-harmonic waveform always grows with propagation distance within the second-order perturbation.The present research yields new physical insight not previously available into the effect of generation of the time-domain second harmonic by propagation of a primary Lamb wave waveform.     

Laser-generated thermoelastic acoustic sources and Lamb waves in anisotropic plates

The effect of anisotropy and temperature on the dispersive Lamb wave generation and propagation in a transversely isotropic thin plate has been investigated. A quantitative numerical model for the laser-generated transient ultrasonic Lamb waves propagating along arbitrary directions is presented by using a finite-element method. All factors, such as spatial and time distributions of the incident laser beam, optical penetration, thermal diffusivity, thickness of the plate, and source–receiver distance, can be taken into account. The effects on the ultrasound waveform of the size of the optoacoustic source are investigated; in the limit of strong optical absorption, a subsurface thermal source gives rise to both vertical and lateral shear tensions. The lateral shear tension is equivalent to applying a shear dipole at the top face; the amplitude of the dipole is a function of material symmetry, contrary to the isotropic case, and the character and strength of the equivalent surface stress are a function of propagation direction. The specific results for the lower anti-symmetric and symmetric mode propagation in all planar directions are presented in the thermoelastic regime; the spatial dispersion (variation of the velocity with the direction of propagation) as well as the frequency dispersion is analyzed. PACS 43.35.+d; 02.70.Dh; 42.62.-b; 78.20.Nv; 81.70.Cv     

Transient Lamb waves: comparison between theory and experiment

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the generation of transient Lamb waves inside an immersed plate by a time limited signal. The transient Lamb waves are the solutions of the characteristic equation of the plate for complex frequency and real slowness, in contrast to the leaky Lamb waves, for which the slowness is complex and the frequency is real. By using a large transducer in agreement with the real slowness assumption, the excitation of these transient Lamb waves is observed experimentally both in reflection and transmission for a tone burst excitation. Particular attention is paid to the A0 mode for which the amplitude increases exponentially in time. As a result, the total reflected waveform contains in this case a transient contribution, coming from the generation of the A0 mode, that precedes the forced regime. It is shown that there is a very good agreement between the theoretical and the experimental time exponential amplitude variations of the transient Lamb waves. For the A0 mode, the transient signal is qualitatively explained by a group velocity higher than the phase velocity.     

Excitations of thermoelastic waves in plates by a pulsed laser

The method of the eigenfunction expansion, also known as the expansion in normal modes, is employed to study numerically the axisymmetric excitation of the thermoelastic waves in plates by a pulsed laser. This method gives a systematic treatment and allows one to investigate not only the quasistatic and dynamic thermoelastic responses of pulsed photothermal deformation on the time scale of 1 s, but also the thermoelastic generation of longitudinal, transverse, and surface acoustic waves in thick materials, as well as the excitations of the Rayleigh-Lamb wave modes in thin plates. The formalism is particularly suitable for waveform analyses of the excitations of transient Lamb waves in thin plates because one needs only to calculate the contributions of several lower eigenmodes. The numerical technique provides a quantitative tool for the experimental determination of material properties, especially the mechanical and elastic properties of free-standing films and thicker sheet materials by thermoelastic detection.     

Experimental study of ultrasonic beam sectors for energy conversion into Lamb waves and Rayleigh waves

When a bounded beam is incident on an immersed plate Lamb waves or Rayleigh waves can be generated. Because the amplitude of a bounded beam is not constant along its wave front, a specific beam profile is formed that influences the local efficiency of energy conversion of incident sound into Lamb waves or Rayleigh waves. Understanding this phenomenon is important for ultrasonic immersion experiments of objects because the quality of such experiments highly depends on the amount of energy transmitted into the object. This paper shows by means of experiments based on monochromatic Schlieren photography that the area within the bounded beam responsible for Lamb wave generation differs from that responsible for Rayleigh wave generation. Furthermore it provides experimental verification of an earlier numerical study concerning Rayleigh wave generation.     

Characterization of surface properties of a solid plate using nonlinear Lamb wave approach

A nonlinear Lamb wave approach is presented for characterizing the surface properties of a solid plate. This characterization approach is useful for some practical situations where ultrasonic transducers cannot touch the surfaces to be inspected, e.g. the inside surfaces of sealed vessels. In this paper, the influences of changes in the surface properties of a solid plate on the effect of second-harmonic generation by Lamb wave propagation were analyzed. A surface coating with the different properties was used to simulate changes in the surface properties of a solid plate. When the areas and thicknesses of coatings on the surface of a given solid plate changed, the amplitude-frequency curves both of the fundamental waves and the second harmonics by Lamb wave propagation were measured under the condition that Lamb waves had a strong nonlinearity. It was found that changes in the surface properties might clearly affect the efficiency of second-harmonic generation by Lamb wave propagation. The Stress Wave Factors (SWFs) in acousto-ultrasonic technique were used for reference, and the definitions of the SWFs of Lamb waves were introduced. The preliminary experimental results showed that the second-harmonic SWF of Lamb wave propagation could effectively be used to characterize changes in the surface properties of the given solid plate.     

Nonlinear lamb waves in a metal plate with defects

Experimental results on the propagation of finite-amplitude Lamb waves in a solid plate made of polycrystalline aluminum alloy with defects are presented. The Lamb waves are recorded and visualized using a scanning laser vibrometer. The dependences of the higher harmonic amplitudes, both averaged over the plate surface and measured at a point far from the defect and at the site of the defect, on the fundamental frequency amplitude are studied. A threshold character of the higher harmonic generation and a power-law behavior of their amplitudes are revealed, the latter feature being unconventional for the nonlinearity associated with the anharmonicity of the crystal lattice of the material. The possibility of locating the distribution of individual defects from the measured spatial distribution of structural nonlinearity in the material under study is experimentally demonstrated. The results of the experiments are explained in terms of the bilinear medium model.     

压电晶片传感器监测金属薄板的腐蚀

激励压电晶片传感器产生Lamb波并用于监测金属板材的腐蚀,由信号的相关系数表征腐蚀对在板中Lamb波传播特性的影响。实验结果表明在Lamb波模态中A₀模式受腐蚀影响大,适合用于监测金属的腐蚀。Lamb波通过腐蚀区域后由于频散以及信号幅度和相位的变化对采集的损伤信号与健康状态信号的相关系数有影响。在腐蚀区域直径一定的情况下,对应的相关系数并不随腐蚀深度的增加而单调递减;在腐蚀深度一定时,相关系数随腐蚀区域直径增加而单调递减。     

A study of blast waveforms detected simultaneously by a microphone and a laser probe during laser ablation

We examine blast waves generated in air during irradiation of absorbing samples with Nd: YAG laser pulses of fluences exceeding the ablation threshold. Blast waves were detected simultaneously by a wideband microphone and a laser beam deflection probe. By a comparative analysis of both signals in the time and frequency domain we investigate characteristic features of their nonlinear waveform evolution. To explain the observed phenomena we employ the weak shock solution of the point explosion model.     

Hidden corrosion detection in aircraft aluminum structures using laser ultrasonics and wavelet transform signal analysis

Preliminary results of hidden corrosion detection in aircraft aluminum structures using a noncontact laser based ultrasonic technique are presented. A short laser pulse focused to a line spot is used as a broadband source of ultrasonic guided waves in an aluminum 2024 sample cut from an aircraft structure and prepared with artificially corroded circular areas on its back surface. The out of plane surface displacements produced by the propagating ultrasonic waves were detected with a heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Time-frequency analysis of the signals using a continuous wavelet transform allowed the identification of the generated Lamb modes by comparison with the calculated dispersion curves. The presence of back surface corrosion was detected by noting the loss of the S(1) mode near its cutoff frequency. This method is applicable to fast scanning inspection techniques and it is particularly suited for early corrosion detection.