A pre-stack migration method for damage identification in composite structures

Abstract

In this paper a damage imaging technique using pre-stack migration is developed using Lamb (guided) wave propagation in composite structures for imaging multi damages by both numerical simulations and experimental studies. In particular, the paper focuses on the experimental study using a finite number of sensors for future practical applications. A composite laminate with a surface-mounted linear piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) disk array is illustrated as an example. Two types of damages, one straight-crack damage and two simulated circular-shaped delamination damage, have been studied. First, Mindlin plate theory is used to model Lamb waves propagating in laminates. The group velocities of flexural waves in the composite laminate are also derived from dispersion relations and validated by experiments. Then the pre-stack migration technique is performed by using a two-dimensional explicit finite difference algorithm to back-propagate the scattered energy to the damages and damages are imaged together with the excitation-time imaging conditions. Stacking these images together deduces the resulting image of damages. Both simulations and experimental results show that the pre-stack migration method is a promising method for damage identification in composite structures.