Guided waves in elastic plates with Gaussian section variation: experimental and numerical results

Experimental and numerical results are presented on the behavior of guided waves in elastic plates in plane strain that include a Gaussian variation of their section, located between two areas of constant thickness. The area of varying section is wide compared to the used wavelengths, which allows wave propagation inside this area. The experimental results show that an incident Lamb wave is indeed converted into an adiabatic wave inside the varying section domain. A trapped wave in the Gaussian domain is also observed, depending on the incident mode and on the Gaussian maximum height. Outside the varying section domain, conversion into different Lamb waves is observed. This conversion phenomenon is experimentally quantified by the measurement of the Lamb wave normal displacement and of its carried energy. A numerical study, based on the Finite Elements Method is performed, and successfully compared to the experimental results.     

A numerical approach for the computation of dispersion relations for plate structures using the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method

In this paper, a method is presented for the numerical computation of dispersion properties and mode shapes of guided waves in plate structures. The formulation is based on the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method. The through-thickness direction of the plate is discretized in the finite element sense, while the direction of propagation is described analytically. This leads to a standard eigenvalue problem for the calculation of wave numbers. The proposed method is not limited to homogeneous plates. Multi-layered composites as well as structures with continuously varying material parameters in the direction of thickness can be modeled without essential changes in the formulation. Higher-order elements have been employed for the finite element discretization, leading to excellent convergence for complex structures. It is shown by numerical examples that this method provides highly accurate results with a small number of nodes while avoiding numerical problems and instabilities.     

Natural beam focusing of non-axisymmetric guided waves in large-diameter pipes

The propagation of non-axisymmetric guided waves in larger diameter pipes is studied in this paper by treating the guided waves as corresponding Lamb waves in an unwrapped plate. This approximation leads to a simpler method for calculating the phase velocities of hollow cylinder guided waves, which reveals a beam focusing nature of non-axisymmetric guided waves generated by a partial source loading. The acoustic fields in a pipe generated by a partial-loading source includes axisymmetric longitudinal modes as well as non-axisymmetric flexural modes. The circumferential distribution of the total acoustic field, also referred as an angular profile, diverges circumferentially while guided waves propagate with dependence on such factors as mode, frequency, cylinder size, propagation distance, etc. Exact prediction of the angular profile of the total field can only be realized by numerical calculations. In particular cases, however, when the wall thickness is far less than the cylinder diameter and the wavelength is smaller than or comparable to the pipe wall thickness, the acoustic field can be analyzed based on the characteristics of Lamb waves that travel along a periodic unwrapped plate. Based on this assumption, a simplified model is derived to calculate the phase velocities of non-axisymmetric flexural mode guided waves. The model is then applied to discussions on some particular characteristics of guided-wave angular profiles generated by a source loading. Some features of flexural modes, such as cutoff frequency values are predicted with the simpler model. The relationship between the angular profiles and other factors such as frequency, propagation distance, and cylinder size is obtained and presented in simple equations. The angular profile rate of change with respect to propagation distance is investigated. In particular, our simplified model for non-axisymmetric guided waves predicts that the wave beam will converge to its original circumferential shape after the wave propagates for a certain distance. A concept of "natural focal point" is introduced and a simple equation is derived to compute the 1st natural focal distance of non-axisymmetric guided waves. The applicable range of the simplified equation is provided. Industrial pipes meet the requirement of wall thickness being far less than the pipe diameter. The approximate analytical algorithms presented in this paper provides a convenient method enabling quick acoustic field analysis on large-diameter industrial pipes for NDE applications.     

The propagation of Lamb waves in a plate bordered with layers of a liquid.

The influence of liquid layers on the propagation of Lamb waves in a plate of finite thickness is studied theoretically. The dispersion equations of Lamb waves in a plate bordered with layers of liquids are derived. Numerical solutions of the equations show that the phase velocity of Lamb waves changes with the thickness of the liquid layers. For the lowest antisymmetrical mode of very thin plates, the numerical results calculated from the dispersion equations are compared with those derived from the bending wave acoustic impedance approach. The limitation of the latter is discussed. Applications of Lamb waves pertinent to biosensing are also presented.     

Reliability assessment of different plate theories for elastic wave propagation analysis in functionally graded plates

The importance of elastic wave propagation problem in plates arises from the application of ultrasonic elastic waves in non-destructive evaluation of plate-like structures. However, precise study and analysis of acoustic guided waves especially in non-homogeneous waveguides such as functionally graded plates are so complicated that exact elastodynamic methods are rarely employed in practical applications. Thus, the simple approximate plate theories have attracted much interest for the calculation of wave fields in FGM plates. Therefore, in the current research, the classical plate theory (CPT), first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) are used to obtain the transient responses of flexural waves in FGM plates subjected to transverse impulsive loadings. Moreover, comparing the results with those based on a well recognized hybrid numerical method (HNM), we examine the accuracy of the plate theories for several plates of various thicknesses under excitations of different frequencies. The material properties of the plate are assumed to vary across the plate thickness according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of volume fractions of constituents. In all analyses, spatial Fourier transform together with modal analysis are applied to compute displacement responses of the plates. A comparison of the results demonstrates the reliability ranges of the approximate plate theories for elastic wave propagation analysis in FGM plates. Furthermore, based on various examples, it is shown that whenever the plate theories are used within the appropriate ranges of plate thickness and frequency content, solution process in wave number-time domain based on modal analysis approach is not only sufficient but also efficient for finding the transient waveforms in FGM plates.     

基于周向SH0导波的管道轴向缺陷定量表征

随着管道服役时间的增加,其损伤逐渐累积,最终导致泄漏或爆炸事故。引入导波在线监测管道损伤是确保其安全运行的重要保障。周向零阶水平剪切(CSH0)波具有不易频散、对管道轴向缺陷敏感等优秀特性,非常适用于管道轴向缺陷的定量表征。该文基于周向SH0导波在管道的传播特性,通过有限元模拟和试验对管道周向SH0模态导波与轴向缺陷的定量关系展开研究。结果表明:管道曲率半径越大,周向SH0模态的传播特性越接近板中SH0模态的传播特性;导波信号的反射系数和透射系数对轴向缺陷的长度和深度均呈现单调变化。依此建立了缺陷定量表征的关系云图,可用于评估缺陷尺寸。     

A numerical study on the propagation of Rayleigh and guided waves in cortical bone according to Mindlin's Form II gradient elastic theory

Cortical bone is a multiscale heterogeneous natural material characterized by microstructural effects. Thus guided waves propagating in cortical bone undergo dispersion due to both material microstructure and bone geometry. However, above 0.8 MHz, ultrasound propagates rather as a dispersive surface Rayleigh wave than a dispersive guided wave because at those frequencies, the corresponding wavelengths are smaller than the thickness of cortical bone. Classical elasticity, although it has been largely used for wave propagation modeling in bones, is not able to support dispersion in bulk and Rayleigh waves. This is possible with the use of Mindlin's Form-II gradient elastic theory, which introduces in its equation of motion intrinsic parameters that correlate microstructure with the macrostructure. In this work, the boundary element method in conjunction with the reassigned smoothed pseudo Wigner-Ville transform are employed for the numerical determination of time-frequency diagrams corresponding to the dispersion curves of Rayleigh and guided waves propagating in a cortical bone. A composite material model for the determination of the internal length scale parameters imposed by Mindlin's elastic theory is exploited. The obtained results demonstrate the dispersive nature of Rayleigh wave propagating along the complex structure of bone as well as how microstructure affects guided waves.     

Influence of the slow wave on the relation between the angular resonances and the leaky guided modes properties for a poroelastic plate embedded in water

A numerical study of the guided modes in a water-saturated poroelastic plate that obeys the Biot theory is presented. In the first part, we study the leaky guided modes and the angular resonances when the slow wave does not propagate. Two types of guided modes exist. The first ones occur from coupling of the fast longitudinal wave with the shear wave; most of them propagate whatever the frequency is, provided that it is not close to their cut-off frequencies. The leaky guided modes of the second type occur from coupling of the two longitudinal waves and the shear wave. These modes do not propagate (they are highly damped) as long as the slow wave remains diffusive. We show that the characteristics of the angular resonances can be linked to the leaky guided waves of the first type in the same way as for an elastic plate. The guided modes of the second type may not be associated to angular resonances. In the second part, we consider a thinner plate in a higher frequency range so that the slow wave can propagate. Once again its influence is studied both on the leaky guided modes and on the angular resonances.     

SH wave propagation in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic plate with an imperfect magnetoelectroelastic interface

In this paper, we investigate the SH wave propagation in a layered piezoelectric (PE) and piezomagnetic (PM) plate with an imperfect magnetoelectroelastic interface. A linear magnetoelectroelastic spring model is used to describe the weakness of the imperfect interface. On the basis of this model, dispersion curves and mode shapes of the SH waves are computed. In particular, a PZT-5A/CoFe₂O₄ composite plate is considered in the numerical examples to calculate the dispersion curves and the mode shapes for different combinations of the magnetic, electrical and elastic spring constants. The effects of the layer thickness ratio and the electric-magnetic boundary conditions on the dispersion curves are discussed in details. Our results show that for a general weak bonding case, the high modes of the dispersion curves are not monotonous in the range of small wave numbers. With the layer thickness ratio increasing, the wave velocities of the SH waves increase. The electric boundary conditions mainly determine the dispersion curves of the SH waves in the case of a small layer thickness ratio, i.e. a large thickness of the PE layer. The present results have relevant applications in the nondestructive testing and evaluation of the layered PE/PM plate-like wave devices.     

轨道板中超声兰姆波传播的有限元计算和实验*

该文针对我国高速铁路轨道板缺陷的非接触动态检测问题,研究了空气耦合超声兰姆波在轨道板中的传播规律。首先,给出了轨道板中超声兰姆波的相速度和群速度频散曲线,结果表明:随着频厚积的增加,频散现象越明显,并且A0相速度收敛于Rayleigh波的波速。然后,建立轨道板中波传播的有限元模型,计算得到兰姆波传播的群速度为2220 m/s,且二维傅里叶变换系数的较大值沿Rayleigh波的频散曲线分布。最后,在沪杭高铁嘉兴南站进行了现场测试,以8.8°倾斜角向轨道板激励产生超声兰姆波,激发产生的兰姆波模态群速度为2325 m/s,且二维傅里叶变换分析其系数的较大值沿Rayleigh波的频散曲线分布。有限元计算结果和实验结果均与理论计算结果一致。该研究为后续轨道板缺陷的非接触动态检测提供了理论依据和实验方法。     

Circumferential thermoelastic waves in orthotropic cylindrical curved plates without energy dissipation

In this article, the propagation of guided thermoelastic waves in the circumferential direction of orthotropic cylindrical curved plates subjected to stress-free, isothermal boundary conditions is investigated in the context of the Green-Naghdi (GN) generalized thermoelastic theory (without energy dissipation). The coupled wave equations and heat conduction equation are solved by the Legendre orthogonal polynomial series expansion approach. The convergency of the method is discussed through a numerical example. The dispersion curves of thermal modes and elastic modes are illustrated simultaneously. Dispersion curves of the corresponding pure elastic cylindrical plate are also shown to analyze the influence of the thermoelasticity on elastic modes. The displacement, temperature and stress distributions are shown to discuss the differences between the elastic modes and thermal modes. A thermoelastic cylindrical plate with a different ratio of radius to thickness is considered to discuss the influence of the ratio on the characteristics of circumferential thermoelastic waves.     

High order shear horizontal modes for minimum remnant thickness

Thickness mapping in aging structures suffering from corrosion is challenging especially when the structure is only partially accessible. In plates the high order shear horizontal guided wave modes all have a cutoff frequency thickness product below which they cannot propagate. This property is potentially attractive to estimate the minimum remnant thickness between two transducers. When using a source and a sensor array it is possible to control the number of modes being excited and the size of the region interrogated by the technique. Finite element simulations were used to show that by exciting multiple guided wave modes simultaneously and identifying which modes are received by a sensor array it is possible to estimate the minimum remaining thickness along the propagation path. Initial experimental results showed excellent agreement with the finite element simulations when the plate is uniform and with a thickness reduction between the source and the sensor arrays the minimum remnant thickness was underestimated by approximately 20%.     

Cumulative second-harmonic generation of Lamb waves propagating in a two-layered solid plate

The physical process of cumulative second-harmonic generation of Lamb waves propagating in a two-layered solid plate is presented by using the second-order perturbation and the technique of nonlinear reflection of acoustic waves at an interface. In general, the cumulative second-harmonic generation of a dispersive guided wave propagation does not occur. However, the present paper shows that the second-harmonic of Lamb wave propagation arising from the nonlinear interaction of the partial bulk acoustic waves and the restriction of the three boundaries of the solid plates does have a cumulative growth effect if some conditions are satisfied. Through boundary condition and initial condition of excitation, the analytical expression of cumulative second-harmonic of Lamb waves propagation is determined. Numerical results show the cumulative effect of Lamb waves on second-harmonic field patterns.     

激光超声检测带过渡圆角平板表面缺陷的数值研究

为了研究激光激发出的超声波在带过渡圆角的金属平板上的传播规律和检测表面缺陷的方法,采用有限元法模拟了该类平板中的激光超声现象,分析了表面波在圆角区域的传播规律和与表面缺陷的作用过程。数值结果表明:激光激发出纵波、横波和Rayleigh波等,其中Rayleigh波主要存在于表面mm量级,并且在过渡圆角处发生模式转换生成了直达波R′和模式转换波R_R等多种表面波;经过过渡区域后的声波在表面缺陷处发生了反射和透射现象,通过B扫图可以检测缺陷的位置。随着缺陷深度的增加,表面波的透射系数不断减小,且透射波R_t和R_st存在0.5 μs左右的到达时间差,该时间差与缺陷深度近似成线性正相关。数值结果为激光超声检测带过渡圆角的平板表面缺陷提供了有价值的参考。     

无限流体中孔隙介质圆柱周向导波的传播特性

为研究无限大流体约束的孔隙圆柱中周向导波的传播规律,分析孔隙参数对导波传播特性的影响,建立了无限流体中孔隙介质圆柱的理论模型,利用孔隙介质弹性波动理论,建立了周向导波频散方程,通过数值模拟计算得到无限流体中孔隙介质圆柱的频散曲线,探讨了圆柱半径和孔隙参数对导波传播特性的影响,并对导波的衰减特性进行了分析;通过数值计算,得到了周向导波的时域波形,讨论了孔隙参数对波形的影响.结果表明,孔隙介质圆柱半径的改变影响圆柱尺度,孔隙度的改变影响孔隙介质中体声波的波速,都对周向导波频散曲线产生一定的影响,所得到的频散曲线特征及衰减曲线与时域波形吻合.研究结果对开展无限流体中孔隙介质圆柱的超声无损评价提供了一定的理论参考.     

Investigation of the phase velocities of guided acoustic waves in soft porous layers

A new experimental method for measuring the phase velocities of guided acoustic waves in soft poroelastic or poroviscoelastic plates is proposed. The method is based on the generation of standing waves in the material and on the spatial Fourier transform of the displacement profile of the upper surface. The plate is glued on a rigid substrate so that it has a free upper surface and a nonmoving lower surface. The displacement is measured with a laser Doppler vibrometer along a line corresponding to the direction of propagation of plane surface waves. A continuous sine with varying frequencies was chosen as excitation signal to maximize the precision of the measurements. The spatial Fourier transform provides the wave numbers, and the phase velocities are obtained from the relationship between wave number and frequency. The phase velocities of several guided modes could be measured in a highly porous foam saturated by air. The modes were also studied theoretically and, from the theoretical results, the experimental results, and a fitting procedure, it was possible to determine the frequency behavior of the complex shear modulus and of the complex Poisson ratio from 200 Hz to 1.4 kHz, in a frequency range higher than the traditional methods.     

非线性兰姆波在阶梯板中传播的有限元仿真

在非线性兰姆波检测中,累积二次谐波是重要的检测信号.该文利用有限元法仿真了非线性兰姆波在阶梯板中的产生和传播过程,通过二维离散傅里叶变换分析了兰姆波的传播模态和各个模态通过波导横截面的能流大小,给出了各个模态在阶梯板中的反射、透射系数,总结了其随阶梯板厚度的变化规律.研究发现,随着台阶增高,散射效应使得兰姆波更难入射波...     

被孔隙介质约束的弹性杆中的导波*

为了研究导波在被孔隙介质约束的弹性杆结构中的传播规律,分析孔隙参数对导波传播特性的影响,本文建立了无限大孔隙介质包裹圆柱体的理论模型,利用孔隙介质弹性波动理论,分析了导波的频散曲线,以及圆柱半径和孔隙参数对于导波传播特性的影响。结果表明,在该结构中传播的纵向导波存在频散特性。内部圆柱半径的改变影响波导结构,从而影响导波传播。外部孔隙介质的渗透率对于导波频散的影响较小,孔隙度的改变影响孔隙介质体波波速,从而影响导波频散曲线的截止频率。同时,导波存在较小的衰减,且衰减随孔隙度增大而增大。这些结果对于后续开展无限大介质包裹弹性杆结构的超声无损评价提供了一定的理论参考。     

套管中模式波的响应特征

在固井质量评价中主要利用套管中模式波的幅度或衰减变化反映水泥的胶结状况,不同测井仪器在套管中激发的模式波的类型不同,研究套管中各模式波的传播特征和影响因素可充分挖掘测量数据的潜在应用价值。CBL和SBT等测井仪器在套管中主要激发拉伸波,类同于平板中的零阶对称Lamb波,水泥环封隔测井仪器的斜入射模式在套管中主要激发套管弯曲波,类同于平板中的零阶反对称Lamb波,垂直入射模式激发套管共振波,类同于平板中的高阶对称Lamb波。该文重点分析了这些模式波的衰减特征及其对微环的响应,套管弯曲波在套后耦合轻质水泥时对微环不敏感,但在套后耦合常规水泥或重水泥时,其衰减明显高于胶结良好的状况;拉伸波对微环的存在最为敏感;套管共振波对微环不敏感。     

Lamb wave extraction of dispersion curves in micro/nano-plates using couple stress theories

In this paper, Lamb wave propagation in a homogeneous and isotropic non-classical micro/nano-plates is investigated. To consider the effect of material microstructure on the wave propagation, three size-dependent models namely indeterminate-, modified- and consistent couple stress theories are used to extract the dispersion equations. In the mentioned theories, a parameter called ‘characteristic length’ is used to consider the size of material microstructure in the governing equations. To generalize the parametric studies and examine the effect of thickness, propagation wavelength, and characteristic length on the behavior of miniature plate structures, the governing equations are nondimensionalized by defining appropriate dimensionless parameters. Then the dispersion curves for phase and group velocities are plotted in terms of a wide frequency-thickness range to study the lamb waves propagation considering microstructure effects in very high frequencies. According to the illustrated results, it was observed that the couple stress theories in the Cosserat type material predict more rigidity than the classical theory; so that in a plate with constant thickness, by increasing the thickness to characteristic length ratio, the results approach to the classical theory, and by reducing this ratio, wave propagation speed in the plate is significantly increased. In addition, it is demonstrated that for high-frequency Lamb waves, it converges to dispersive Rayleigh wave velocity.