A Novel Baseline-Free Damage Detection Method Based on Path Scanning of Lamb Waves Using Mobile Transducers

Area of Science:

• Structural Health Monitoring
• Non-Destructive Testing
• Acoustic Wave Propagation

Background:

• Lamb wave-based damage detection offers efficient structural assessment.
• Angular scattering characteristics of Lamb waves can lead to missed damage detection.
• Existing baseline-free methods face challenges with signal interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel baseline-free damage detection method for plate structures.
• To overcome the limitations of Lamb wave angular scattering in damage detection.
• To enhance the accuracy and reliability of damage localization.

Main Methods:

• A new baseline-free approach utilizing path scanning at detection region edges with mobile piezoelectric transducers.
• Extraction of damage scattering signals by removing direct and boundary reflected waves.
• Application of a delay-and-sum imaging technique for damage localization.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully located artificially fabricated crack-like damage on an aluminum plate.
• High accuracy and efficiency in damage detection were demonstrated.
• The approach effectively avoided the loss of damage information caused by scattering characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The novel baseline-free method provides a practical solution for Lamb wave damage detection, addressing angular scattering issues.
• This approach enhances the credibility of damage detection results in plate structures.
• The use of mobile transducers offers a significant advancement in structural health monitoring.