Lamb-Wave-Based Multistage Damage Detection Method Using an Active PZT Sensor Network for Large Structures.

Area of Science:

• Structural Health Monitoring
• Non-Destructive Testing
• Materials Science

Background:

• Lamb wave propagation is sensitive to structural damage.
• Piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) transducers are effective for Lamb wave excitation and sensing.
• Accurate signal processing is crucial for damage detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a multistage damage detection method for quantitative assessment of structural integrity.
• To improve the accuracy of damage location and size estimation using Lamb waves.
• To present a baseline-free damage detection approach.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) transducers for Lamb wave excitation and sensing.
• Applying Continuous Wavelet Transformation (CWT) with Gabor wavelet for signal processing.
• Implementing a three-stage detection process involving center and corner transducer excitation.
• Employing outer tangent circle and least-squares methods for quantitative damage assessment.

Main Results:

• The multistage method accurately quantifies damage location and size.
• The approach does not require baseline signals, simplifying practical application.
• Detection cell size significantly influences the accuracy of damage quantification.
• Sequential stages progressively improve damage detection and size estimation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Lamb-wave-based multistage method offers a robust and accurate solution for structural damage detection and quantification.
• This baseline-free technique enhances the reliability of structural health monitoring systems.
• Further optimization of detection cell parameters can lead to even higher accuracy.