Detection of kissing bond type defects and evaluation of the bonding quality in metal/adhesive/composite structures by a wavenumber-frequency insensitive SH mode

Abstract

This work focuses on the non-destructive evaluation of the bonding quality in different metal/adhesive/composite samples and on the detection of defects simulating a kissing bond, using Shear Horizontal (SH) guided waves. A predictive 2D numerical model, called interphases model and based on finite elements method describing the interface substrate/adhesive by a very thin layer, is developed. Various samples with different adhesion levels obtained by modifying the cohesive and adhesive aspects or including a defect representing a kissing bond are investigated. An experimental study is performed with non-contact ElectroMagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT) in excitation and reception. As the wavenumber-frequency sensitive SH modes to the adhesion quality shown by the numerical predictions are not easy to generate experimentally, the analysis of the behaviour of the SH modes is based here on their amplitude. Results show that it is possible to differentiate between the adhesion levels due to different epoxy conversion, the presence or absence of an adhesion promoter or a pollution by a release agent, as well as the detection of the defect.