This contribution is focused on investigations concerning the damage diagnostics of surface structures using Lamb waves. Based on finite element calculations the potential feasibility for the detection of delaminations, inclusions or cracks have been investigated. For the actuator and sensor material a thin PVDF foil has been used, which is applied to the corresponding component. The advantage of these foils over piezoceramics is that they are also applicable to arbitrarily curved surfaces and their stiffness is compatible with polymer laminates. By evaluating the signals of well-defined arrangements of the electrodes and the generated Lamb waves, existing defects can be identidied. Their exact localization becomes possible with the help of runtime calculations.

Date Published: 8 March 2014
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 9061, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2014, 906105 (8 March 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2042770

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9061:
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2014
Jerome P. Lynch; Kon-Well Wang; Hoon Sohn, Editor(s)