Plate-like Structures Research Articles

Guided wave tomography for quantitative thickness mapping using non-dispersive SH0 mode through geometrical full waveform inversion (GFWI)

Guided wave tomography plays a significantly important role in quantitatively mapping thickness variations in plate-like structures and pipelines in the petrochemical industry for accurate measurement of corrosion, as guided waves enable rapid screening of large areas without needing direct access. Several inverse algorithms have been implemented in guided wave tomography; however, almost all of them use a primary assumption: the three-dimensional (3D) guided wave thickness reconstruction is simplified as a two-dimensional (2D) acoustic wave velocity inversion, which is then mapped to thickness variation using the dispersive nature of guided waves. Although this assumption simplifies the inverse procedure, it makes it impossible to use non-dispersive modes in reconstructions. Geometrical full waveform inversion (GFWI) is promising to overcome this limitation since it can reconstruct corrosion profiles through geometry optimization using a data-fitting procedure, where velocity-to-thickness mapping is not needed. In this work, GFWI-based guided wave tomography is developed in plate-like structures, and is applied to reconstruct thickness maps in a series of corrosion defects using the non-dispersive SH0 mode, demonstrating high performance and achieving an improved reconstruction resolution.

Research on the fusion imaging method of sign coherence and time reversal for Lamb wave sparse array

Time-reversal imaging struggles to detect plate-like structures due to interference from Lamb wave mode conversion and the processing demands, leading to less effective outcomes. This paper proposes a sign coherence factor and time reversal fusion (SCF-TR) imaging method based on amplitude and phase estimation. This method removes the coherence of array signals during signal reversal and refocusing. It reintroduces the sign coherence component to reduce interference from non-target scattered waves and partially overcome the constraints imposed by the Rayleigh criterion. The method allows imaging at a resolution smaller than the wavelength of Lamb and enhances the quality of the resulting images. In addition, a sparse array design utilizing the White Shark Optimisation Algorithm (WSO) is proposed to streamline the SCF-TR calculation process. This design utilizes sparse full matrix data to improve imaging efficiency. The experimental results show that for single blind hole defects, the SCF-TR method improves the array performance metrics and signal-to-noise ratio by 22.46% and 42.50%, respectively, compared to the TR method. For multiple asymmetric blind hole defects, when the defect size exceeds the resolution threshold, SCF-TR accurately reflects the position and morphology of defects smaller than the wavelength. When the defect size is below the resolution threshold, SCF-TR achieves super-resolution imaging. The sparse array designed using the White Shark Optimization algorithm demonstrates good sidelobe characteristics, effectively reducing sidelobe noise without reducing the array aperture. Moreover, the SCF-TR imaging time is reduced by approximately half while maintaining imaging accuracy.

Physical Sensors Based on Lamb Wave Resonators

A Lamb wave is a guided wave that propagates within plate-like structures, with its vibration mode resulting from the coupling of a longitudinal wave and a shear vertical wave, which can be applied in sensors, filters, and frequency control devices. The working principle of Lamb wave sensors relies on the excitation and propagation of this guided wave within piezoelectric material. Lamb wave sensors exhibit significant advantages in various sensing applications due to their unique wave characteristics and design flexibility. Compared to traditional surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) sensors, Lamb wave sensors can not only achieve higher frequencies and quality factors in smaller dimensions but also exhibit superior integration and multifunctionality. In this paper, we briefly introduce Lamb wave sensors, summarizing methods for enhancing their sensitivity through optimizing electrode configurations and adjusting piezoelectric thin plate structures. Furthermore, this paper systematically explores the development of Lamb wave sensors in various sensing applications and provides new insights into their future development.

Damage detection and localization in plate-like structures using sideband peak count (SPC) technique

This paper addresses the critical issue of detecting and localizing damage in plate-like structures, which are commonly encountered in aerospace, marine and other engineering applications. To address this challenge, the current study introduces the sideband peak count (SPC) technique as the foundation for diagnostic imaging for damage detection in plate structures. The proposed damage detection algorithm requires only a limited number of sensor responses, streamlining the detection process. It does not rely on a reference baseline, thereby enhancing its efficiency and accuracy. This approach enables rapid and precise identification of damage and its location within the plate structure. To validate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed method, finite element simulation results are utilized. These results demonstrate the capability of the proposed technique to accurately detect and localize damage, providing a promising solution for enhancing the structural health monitoring of plate-like structures in various engineering domains.

Sound transmission loss of constrained layer damping composites featuring elastic plates embedded with acoustic black hole

This paper preliminarily investigates the influence of an elastic layer with an acoustic black hole (ABH) on the airborne sound insulation of a constrained layer damping (CLD) composite plate. ABHs represent a continuous impedance reduction in a local area of the structure, achieved by reducing material thickness. They efficiently dampen structure-borne sound in plate-like structures, resulting in excellent airborne sound attenuation performance. In the CLD composite structure, a damping layer is inserted between the elastic layers. This configuration achieves noise reduction and provides excellent airborne sound attenuation performance. By incorporating an ABH on one side of the elastic layer within the constrained damping composite structure and utilizing the damping layer as the terminal damping material for ABH, we achieve a lightweight structure with outstanding airborne sound insulation performance. Using finite element numerical calculations, we assess the airborne sound transmission loss of ABHs embedded within the CLD plate. Our analysis compares their transmission losses within the frequency range of 10 to 4000 Hz under normal-incidence and random incidence acoustic field excitations. While the ABH does not enhance the overall sound isolation performance of the CLD plate, it significantly improves the sound isolation dip at the resonance frequency.

Damage detection by means of broadband local wavenumber estimation in plate-like structures

This short communication evinces the ability of the CFAT methodology [Q. Leclère, JSV, 2015] to detect and characterize thickness-loss defects on homogeneous flat panels. A contactless measurement of the velocity field of an aluminium plate is performed by scanning laser vibrometry, from which the equivalent rigidity (apparent bending stiffness) is locally estimated within a wide frequency band in the ultrasonic domain. The method allows imaging thickness-reduction defects on the hidden face of an aluminium plate up to several hundreds of kilohertz. The first part details the experimental protocol, followed by a second enhancing the identification of the wavenumbers of symmetric S_0 and antisymmetric A_0 modes. The comparison with theoretical Lamb waves dispersion curves reveals the precision of the method. Finally, the methodology validates the possibility to precisely estimate the local material thickness and as a consequence the location, size and depth of a reference defect in the shape of a flat bottom hole (assuming homogeneous material properties of the plate).

A Hybrid GAN-Inception Deep Learning Approach for Enhanced Coordinate-Based Acoustic Emission Source Localization

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to coordinate-based acoustic emission (AE) source localization to address the challenges of limited and imbalanced datasets from fiber-optic AE sensors used for structural health monitoring (SHM). We have developed a hybrid deep learning model combining four generative adversarial network (GAN) variants for data augmentation with an adapted inception neural network for regression-based prediction. The experimental setup features a single fiber-optic AE sensor based on a tightly coiled fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer formed by two identical fiber Bragg gratings. AE signals were generated using the Hsu-Nielsen pencil lead break test on a grid-marked thin aluminum plate with 35 distinct locations, simulating real-world structural monitoring conditions in bounded isotropic plate-like structures. It is demonstrated that the single-sensor configuration can achieve precise localization, avoiding the need for a multiple sensor array. The GAN-based signal augmentation expanded the dataset from 900 to 4500 samples, with the Wasserstein distance between the original and synthetic datasets decreasing by 83% after 2000 training epochs, demonstrating the high fidelity of the synthetic data. Among the GAN variants, the standard GAN architecture proved the most effective, outperforming other variants in this specific application. The hybrid model exhibits superior performance compared to non-augmented deep learning approaches, with the median error distribution comparisons revealing a significant 50% reduction in prediction errors, accompanied by substantially improved consistency across various AE source locations. Overall, this developed hybrid approach offers a promising solution for enhancing AE-based SHM in complex infrastructures, improving damage detection accuracy and reliability for more efficient predictive maintenance strategies.

Ultrasonic imaging of concrete-embedded corroded steel liners using linear and nonlinear evaluation

ABSTRACT This study explores the efficacy of horizontally polarised shear (SH) waves in ultrasonic inspection of concrete-embedded steel liner plates, focusing on corrosion detection. SH-waves are found to significantly improve the localisation and potential dimensional assessment of embedded plate-like structures compared to compressional (P) waves, as evidenced by SH C-scans. Anomalies corresponding to severe corrosion are discernible in SH C-scans, whereas they are minimally visible in P-wave scans. Nonlinear evaluation explores harmonic-based imaging, including second harmonic generation (SHG) and third harmonic generation. Nonlinear SH-wave evaluation accurately locates the most severely corroded embedded plate, whereas comparative P-wave evaluations fail. However, potential FFT sidelobe contamination in the results warrants consideration. These results suggest a promising use for nonlinear waveform distortion in SH-wave-based corrosion detection though conclusive evidence of the source of SHG is uncertain. Experiments utilised an automatic scanner system for consistent control. The concrete specimen investigated herein contained pre-corroded plates which hint at heightened nonlinear effects when corrosion occurs post-embedment due to corrosion-induced cracking. These findings encourage further investigation into SH-waves for nonlinear ultrasonic detection of concrete-embedded steel liner plates and the development of instrumentation tailored to such methods.

A frequency steerable electromagnetic acoustic transducer

Abstract Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) are convenient for non-destructive evaluation of plate-like structures since they can generate, without the need for contact with the medium under test, different types of ultrasonic guided waves. Guided-wave EMATs usually generate waves omnidirectionally or in a principal propagation direction. Beam steering is desirable in several applications, such as in inspections of large-area structures. This is usually achieved with several independently controlled elements forming a phased array. Alternatively, mono-element transducers with directional-dependent spectral content can steer the generated wave beam by altering the frequency of the excitation signal. A piezoelectric transducer with this characteristic, namely a frequency steerable acoustic transducer, was previously proposed. Its design was addressed in the wavenumber domain, leading to unconventional transducer shapes, but still reproducible with a piezoelectric patch, albeit unfeasible to implement as an EMAT. Here, we propose a new kind of EMAT, namely, frequency steerable EMAT (FSEMAT), whose design is addressed in the spatial domain in order to ensure its physical realization with a coil-magnet arrangement whilst still effectively presenting steering capability. The novel EMAT was designed to generate the A 0 Lamb wave mode in a frequency range from approximately 100 to 600 kHz. The FSEMAT was fabricated and experimentally evaluated in an aluminium plate at different frequencies within the designed frequency range, where each frequency corresponded to a specific propagating direction with high directivity, assessed by half-power beam widths of approximately 10 degrees. Furthermore, its theoretical directivity was computed by means of a wavenumber spectrum-based model, and showed good agreement with experimental results. The new transducer allows great flexibility effectively providing beam steering with a single EMAT.

Coarse-grained WC–6Co hardmetals with dual-scale and plate-like WC structures fabricated by convention powder metallurgy process

In this work, coarse-grained WC–6Co hardmetals featuring dual-scale and plate-like structures were successfully fabricated via conventional powder metallurgy process using W, ultrafine WC, Co and carbon black as raw materials. The investigation focuses on the effects of two critical factors, sintering temperature and ultrafine WC powder content, on the microstructures, densities, and mechanical properties. The results demonstrate that increasing the sintering temperature accelerates the growth of WC grains via 2D nucleation growth mechanism, thus enhancing the plate-like structure of WC grains. The addition of ultrafine WC powder reduces the mean WC grain size and eliminates the preferential orientation of WC grains because of its separating effect on coarse WC grains. Moreover, the dual-scale and plate-like structures can be achieved with sufficient ultrafine WC content (≥ 20 wt%) and adequate sintering temperature (≥ 1500 °C). Notably, the coarse-grained WC–6Co alloy sintered at 1550 °C with the addition of 20 wt% ultrafine WC powder exhibits good comprehensive mechanical properties: hardness of 1493 ± 7 HV30, transverse rupture strength of 2698 ± 58 MPa and fracture toughness of 16.93 ± 0.65 MPa·m1/2.

Thickness-extensible higher order plate theory with enforced C1 continuity for the analysis of PEEK medical implants

Plate-like structures had been thoroughly studied in literature over years to reduce the computational space from 3D to 2D. Many of these theories suffer either from satisfying the free traction condition or thickness extensibility in addition to the consistency of transverse shear strain energy. This work presents a higher order shear deformation thickness-extensible plate theory (eHSDT) for the analysis of plates. The proposed eHSDT satisfies the condition of free traction as other theories do but it also satisfies the condition of consistency of transverse shear strain energy which is neglected by many theories in the area of plates and shells. The implementation of the proposed theory in displacement-based finite element procedure requires continuity of derivatives across elements. This necessary condition was achieved using the penalty enforcement method for derivative-based nodal degrees of freedom across the standard 9-nodes Lagrange element. The theory was tested for elastic bending deformation of Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) which is one of the basic materials for medical implants. The theory showed good accuracy compared to experimental data of the three-points bending test. The present eHSDT was also tested for different conditions with a wide range of aspects ratios (thin to thick plates) and different boundary conditions. The accuracy of the proposed eHSDT was verified against exact solutions for these conditions which showed the advantage over other approaches and commercial finite element packages.

Nonlinear ultrasonic Lamb wave phased array imaging based on hybrid array and time-reversal of harmonic

Fatigue cracks, as one of the early performance deteriorations of plate-like structures, are critical to be detected in a timely manner to prevent further failures and disastrous accidents. But the intimate contact of crack interfaces is difficult to form a significant scattering field of traditional ultrasonic Lamb waves, resulting in the insensitivity of Lamb wave phased array-based imaging methods to crack imaging. To break through the detecting limitations of conventional Lamb wave phased array, the nonlinear Lamb wave-based phased array method is first proposed to realize fatigue crack imaging, which is achieved by a new form of phased array with hybrid elements, signal processing for harmonic enhancement and time-reversal based harmonic field focusing. The hybrid array is designed for efficient transmission and capture of fundamental wave and harmonics, and Pulse-inversion technology and continuous wavelet transform filter are used to extract and enhance second harmonic response, and the images are obtained by the time domain topological energy imaging algorithm. Finally, the imaging results of barely visible fatigue cracks and through-holes in metallic plate structures using linear and nonlinear Lamb wave-phased array are compared. The nonlinear ultrasonic Lamb wave-phased array demonstrates excellent capability of fatigue crack imaging.

Detection of deposits adhered on the back surface of plate-like structures using a scanning laser source technique

An imaging technique using a scanning laser source (SLS) was applied to detect deposits inside pipes, which are necessary for the safe decommissioning of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Experimental results showed that the more firmly adhered the deposit on the back surface of a flat plate, the clearer it is to obtain an image of the deposit. This result is as expected because the imaging by an SLS technique is dependent on the bending stiffness of the thin plate structure. Furthermore, even epoxy putty as large as 50 mm in diameter adhered to the inner surface of the pipe could be imaged, and even when the receiver device was changed from a piezoelectric device to a non-contact laser doppler vibrometer, the image of the deposit could be obtained properly with some degradation of the image due to the effect of a lower signal-to-noise ratio.

Counter-directional mixing of longitudinal guided waves to localize multiple micro-damages in a pipe

Abstract Nonlinear guided wave has been considered as an effective means to detect early micro-damage in structures. In particular, the guided wave mixing technique has received great attention due to its ability to effectively isolate nonlinearity of measurement system and to localize micro-damage. Previous research mostly focuses on guided wave mixing in plate-like structures, and the research on guided wave mixing in pipes is very limited. Recent studies have been conducted on the co-directional mixing of guided waves in pipes. However, this mixing method is difficult to accurately localize multiple micro-damages because of the large mixing zone. In order to overcome these shortcomings, this study was carried out to investigate the counter-directional mixing of longitudinal guided waves in a pipe. Finite element simulations were performed on the counter-directional mixing of two primary guided waves in the pipe, and the generation of harmonic at the sum frequency was observed. The combined harmonic was used for the characterization and localization of two micro-damages in the pipe. The results show that by controlling the mixing zone of the two primary guided waves, micro-damage areas with an axial separation of 30mm can be effectively localized, which significantly improves the resolution of multiple micro-damages compared with the co-directional mixing method. Meanwhile, the relationship between the size of the mixing zone and the localization accuracy is discussed. This study provides a promising means for multiple micro-damages detection in pipes.

Broadband acoustic waves in plate-like structures for acoustic material characterisation

Abstract Guided acoustic waves can be used for a multitude of different testing and material characterisation purposes. The options for evaluation are especially plentiful if a method for broadband excitation, e.g. thermoelastic excitation using focused, pulsed laser radiation, is used, and if the distance between excitation and detection of the acoustic waves can be varied. In this contribution, methods to infer different quantitative material properties from the recorded spatiotemporal measurement data are presented, ranging from isotropic elastic properties to parameters describing absorption for complex absorption models.

Ultrasonic guided wave-based probabilistic diagnostic imaging method with Single-Path-Scattering sparse reconstruction for Multi-Damage detection in composite structures

Plate-like carbon fiber composite structures are essential for equipment such as spacecraft and rail vehicles. These structures are exposed to long-term cyclic loads and harsh environmental conditions, leading to damage of unknown location and quantity. Ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) detection technology shows promise for evaluating the structural performance of composite structures due to its advantages of high precision, high speed, and real-time capabilities. However, multi-damage scattering sources interfere with and superimpose the received signals when multiple damages coincide. This interference can lead to artifacts in probability imaging methods that rely on features such as amplitude and time of flight (TOF). This paper proposes a single-path-scattering sparse reconstruction-based probabilistic diagnostic imaging (SSR-PDI) method. Firstly, a Lamb dictionary with time shift is constructed. Each actuator-receiver path is treated as a target signal, enabling the approximate separation and extraction of multiple scattering waves from different damages. It mitigates the “curse of dimensionality” associated with the sparse reconstruction (SR) method. Secondly, a new ring-shaped damage probability distribution is proposed based on the sparse representation matrix’s time mapping and amplitude weighting. The experimental results demonstrate that the SSR-PDI method effectively mitigates issues related to multi-damage detection, specifically false negatives/positives and localization errors arising from the superposition of scattering sources.

Admittance-based equivalent circuit modeling of multi-patch piezoelectric energy harvesting plate

Abstract Harvesting energy from mechanical vibration using piezoelectric material is a common method to power small electronics and batteries. Implementation of multiple piezo-patches to plate-like structures increases the power capacity and frequency bandwidth of the energy harvester since multiple patches can capture more vibrational modes of the dense plate dynamics. To optimize the harvested electrical output using advanced harvesting circuits, equivalent circuit modeling (ECM) is a useful technique for representing the entire electromechanical system in circuit- simulator-software (LTspice). The ECM technique based on finite-element (FE) simulation has been used for plate-like structures with only one single-piezo-patch-harvester in the literature. However, when multiple patches are integrated into a plate-like structure, their coupling can cause charge cancelation, resulting in complex dynamics that cannot be handled by the existing ECM methods. This paper presents three new methodologies for extracting a multi-mode ECM of the harvesters (e.g.: multi-patch piezo-harvesters integrated into a plate), using an admittance-based system identification approach utilizing FE results. The first method incorporates the ECM of multi-patch harvester into a single ECM, so called OGC. It includes a circuit branch where multiple patches have only one ECM branch for each vibration mode, which requires less equivalent circuit elements and hence less computational cost. The second and third so-called respective ground uncoupled (RGU) and respective ground coupled (RGC) ECM methods generate circuit branches for each piezo-patch and for each vibration mode, whereby their electrical connection (e.g. parallel or series) is later configured in LTspice. The RGU method provides a general multi-patch modeling approach while RGC method provides ECM parameters for each patch simultaneously when they are all connected which is the case in network harvester analysis. The ECMs of parallel multi-patch harvesters are validated by system-level FE simulations. The proposed admittance-based ECM methods are reliable for deriving the system parameters of multi-patch harvesters.

Crucial role of extracellular polymeric substances from anammox sludge in wastewater phosphorus recovery via magnesium phosphate crystallization

The magnesium phosphate (Mg-P) crystallization based on anaerobic ammonia oxidation is of interest for simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment due to cost-effectiveness. Understanding the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in crystal growth is pivotal for bio-induced Mg-P crystallization. In this work, the effects of EPS in Mg-P crystallization were thoroughly investigated. Results indicated that EPS decreased the initial crystallization rate but slightly improved the final crystallization yield. The maximum removal efficiencies of Mg and P ions increased by 2.8 % and 3.1 %, respectively, when EPS concentration was 80 mg/L. Additionally, the presence of EPS enhanced Mg3(PO4)2·10 H2O production and facilitated the formation of larger rhombic plate-like structures crystals (maximum particle size increased by 215 %). Analysis of EPS composition changes during the crystallization process and characterization of the final crystals suggested that tryptophan-like proteins preferentially involved in the Mg-P crystallization process, while β-sheet proteins potentially influencing crystal morphology. Furthermore, the formation of phosphate ester groups, hydrogen bonding, and COOH-Mg2+ complexes were considered triggering factors for the interaction between EPS and Mg-P crystals. This study elucidated the underlying mechanism of EPS on Mg-P crystallization, further enhancing the understanding of the interaction between inorganic mineralization processes and microorganisms.

N–ZnO/g-C3N4 nanoflowers for enhanced photocatalytic and electrocatalytic performances

In this study, CNNZO (N–ZnO/g-C3N4) nanocomposites were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and characterized using XRD, FTIR and FESEM. The resulting N–ZnO nano-needles and plate-like structures, anchored onto g-C3N4 agglomerates, formed distinctive nano-flower topography. CNNZO demonstrated superior photocatalytic activity compared to CN and N–ZnO, achieving ∼98 % degradation of Methylene Blue, 85.53 % of Methyl Green and 87.29 % of Methyl Orange under visible light irradiation within 90 min. This enhanced performance is attributed to the unique morphology of CNNZO, which promotes efficient charge carrier transfer and inhibits recombination. Additionally, CNNZO exhibited improved electrocatalytic activity with smaller HER and OER potentials. This study underscores the potential of CNNZO nanocomposites as effective catalysts for the degradation of organic contaminants and hydrogen and oxygen evolution for energy production.

A nonlinear breathing crack model for characterization of chaotic dynamics of damaged large-amplitude vibrating plates

Large-amplitude vibrating plates (LVPs) inherently exhibit intricate chaotic behaviors stemming from geometric nonlinearity. Such chaotic dynamics could be substantially influenced by the occurrence of a breathing crack, characterized by a cyclic opening and closing process. However, current models for breathing cracks primarily focus on beam-like structures and often rely on the assumption of periodic dynamical responses, which is inadequate for depicting the chaotic vibrations experienced by cracked LVPs. To that end, this study presents a novel nonlinear breathing crack model (NBCM) to precisely characterize the breathing effect on chaotic dynamics of large-amplitude vibrating plates containing a parallel part-through breathing crack. By refining the line spring model and devising a mathematical expression for crack parameters and dynamical responses, the NBCM-based governing equation for cracked LVPs is derived with a Duffing type expression having a quadratic term. Through the utilization of the harmonic balance method and the Hilbert–Hughes–Taylor algorithm, both analytical and numerical dynamic responses of the cracked LVP based on the NBCM are obtained. Comprehensive nonlinearity analyses are then conducted, including hardening nonlinearity, breathing nonlinearity, and bifurcation nonlinearity. Comparison results demonstrate the superiority of the presented nonlinear breathing crack model in characterizing the chaotic dynamics of LVPs with breathing cracks. Accordingly, the presented NBCM shows significant potential for identifying abnormalities within practical engineering plate-like structures when considering the effects of crack breathing.