Thick-walled structures (TWSs) are frequently utilized as primary load-bearing structures across diverse industrial sectors, illustrated by train axles. Proper health monitoring, particularly for early damage detection, is required to ensure the operational safety and structural integrity of such structures. Nonlinear elastic-wave-based structural health monitoring techniques present a potentially efficacious methodology, which relies heavily upon the understanding of nonlinear wave generation and propagation characteristics. Unfortunately, due to the complexity introduced by various wave modes in TWSs, a comprehensive understanding of nonlinear elastic waves is still lacking. Considering practical local plasticity on the surface of a TWS, this study investigates the characteristics of nonlinear elastic wave generation and propagation resulting from the fundamental surface wave-local plasticity interaction. Theoretical analyses were carried out to examine the scattering features of the generated nonlinear bulk waves based on Snell’s law. Finite element simulations were then performed to confirm the predicted scattering characteristics of the nonlinear bulk waves, with the introduction of a local material nonlinearity to replicate the plasticity in a TWS. Using the extrusion method, a local plastic zone was produced on an aluminum thick-walled beam. Experiments were finally carried out using a laser vibrometer to confirm the scattering features of nonlinear elastic waves. It was found that the nonlinear shear bulk waves are mainly generated due to the fundamental surface interaction with local plasticity. Furthermore, the generated nonlinear shear bulk waves propagate at a fixed angle towards the interior of the TWS, which can be measured on the opposite surface. The elucidation of the nonlinear elastic wave generation and propagation characteristics paves the way for an effective sensor arrangement in early damage detection applications.
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