Ultrasonic surface crack characterization on complex geometries using surface waves

The characterization of surface cracks on complex geometries using surface waves is investigated numerically and experimentally. The specimen geometry is implemented in a finite difference code by approximation of the contour using a Cartesian grid. In the experiments the out-of-plane surface displacement is measured by means of a heterodyne laser interferometer. Good agreement is shown by comparison of the calculated out-of-plane displacement with experimental results for both cracked and non-cracked specimens. The crack depth is measured down to a size of 0.7 times the surface wavelength using a time delay approach. The many Rayleigh pulses propagating after the crack can be separated from the other modes by a filtering procedure based on the surface wave propagation velocity. Only a detailed analysis of the scattering phenomenon using the simulation allows an identification of the transmitted pulse required for crack depth measurement. Application of the method to a specimen with a real fatigue crack shows a systematical error possibly due to the inclined crack profile.