A Variable Kinematic Multifield Model for the Lamb Wave Propagation Analysis in Smart Panels

Area of Science:

• Solid Mechanics
• Computational Mechanics
• Wave Propagation

Background:

• Lamb waves are crucial for structural health monitoring.
• Piezo-patches are often used for exciting and sensing Lamb waves.
• Accurate dynamic analysis of Lamb waves is essential for reliable structural assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of variable kinematic two-dimensional elements for Lamb wave dynamic analysis.
• To investigate the impact of kinematic model variations on wave propagation accuracy.
• To explore computational cost reduction strategies for Lamb wave modeling.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multi-field finite element model based on the Carrera Unified Formulation.
• Implemented variable kinematic models allowing for spatial variation in kinematic order.
• Analyzed the propagation of symmetric (S0) and antisymmetric (A0) Lamb waves in isotropic plates with piezo-patches.
• Compared numerical results with exact analytical solutions.

Main Results:

• Higher-order kinematic models significantly improve the accuracy of Lamb wave propagation analysis, with Time of Flight (TOF) errors below 1% for S0 and A0 waves under optimal meshing and time-stepping.
• Node-dependent kinematics models demonstrated the potential to reduce computational cost by up to 50% while maintaining high accuracy (error < 1%).
• The study validated the Carrera Unified Formulation for dynamic analysis of Lamb waves in mechanical and piezo-elastic plate models.

Conclusions:

• Variable kinematic finite element models offer a powerful and adaptable approach for accurate Lamb wave propagation analysis.
• The proposed node-dependent kinematics provide an efficient method for reducing computational expense in wave propagation simulations.
• This research contributes to the development of more accurate and efficient tools for structural health monitoring and material characterization using Lamb waves.