Numerical Simulations in Ultrasonic Guided Wave Analysis for the Design of SHM Systems—Benchmark Study Based on the Open Guided Waves Online Platform Dataset

Abstract

Structural health monitoring (SHM) strategies based on ultrasonic guided waves are very promising regarding thin-walled lightweight structures. To study the performance of such systems, validated numerical analysis tools have to be used. For that procedure, a benchmark between two numerical methods will be presented. The first promising approach is the elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT). Miscellaneous research shows that its capability of capturing wave characteristics and interactions is advanced in various media and structures, including thin-walled composites. The second approach employs conventional shell-type finite elements following the Reissner–Mindlin theory for modelling layered composite structures. The advantage of using such finite element methods (FEM) is their high availability in general purpose simulation tools. As a reference model, the measurement data coming from the Open Guided Waves Project (OGW) was taken into account. The OGW dataset provides the experimental data of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in carbon fiber composite plates with an additional omega stringer. By using this contribution, this experiment was reproduced by simulation. The paper presents the results of a validation and motivates further research, such as in research related to the probability of detection analysis and numerical performance.