A new guided mode so-called minimum group velocity in viscoelastic sandwich plates: A parametric numerical study

Abstract

Zero-Group-Velocity (ZGV) guided mode has recently received particular attention because of its highly sensitive to structural changes, such as defects. Parallel to ZGV, in the present work, we introduce a new guided mode so-called Minimum-Group-Velocity (MGV) that is a remarkable phenomenon in defect detection applications. Strictly speaking, when any two phase-velocity dispersion curves of Lamb modes approach each other without overlapping, we observe this new mode in group-velocity dispersion curves. It is worth noting that this MGV mode has never been addressed in literature. We compute the Lamb-like modes in asymmetric viscoelastic sandwich plates using the Stiffness Matrix Method (SMM). We show that the change in properties of this sandwich can dramatically affect frequency ranges associated with ZGV and MGV modes. However, a linear correlation between phase velocities and this change on viscoelastic properties is discussed, where we observed an interconnection phenomenon in the dispersion curves. This interconnection happens between specific points on the dispersion curves, each corresponding to a ZGV- or MGV-mode. On the other hand, we verify that the detection of changes in level of viscoelastic properties or variations in the thickness of the buffer viscoelastic layer is possible within a limited segment of the damped mode curve.