Laser-Generated Guided Waves for Damage Detection in Metal-Lined Composite-Overwrapped Pressure Vessels

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Non-Destructive Testing
• Acoustics

Background:

• Composite-overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) are critical in aerospace and energy sectors.
• Assessing damage, such as interfacial debonding and impact, is crucial for COPV integrity.
• Guided waves offer a promising non-destructive evaluation (NDE) method for complex structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize laser-generated guided waves in COPVs for damage assessment.
• To investigate the influence of interfacial debonding and impact damage on wave dispersion.
• To develop a method for detecting impact damage using wavefield analysis.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of COPV dispersion characteristics using an eigenfrequency approach.
• Experimental verification using a scanning laser-ultrasonic system with 1 kHz repetition rate.
• Local wavenumber estimation method applied to the L(0, 1) mode for damage detection.

Main Results:

• Interfacial debonding significantly alters theoretical dispersion curves.
• The L(0, 1) mode's wavenumber is sensitive to impact damage.
• Experimental dispersion curves confirmed the metal-composite interface was unbonded.
• The local wavenumber estimation method successfully detected impact damage.

Conclusions:

• Laser-generated guided waves are effective for characterizing COPVs and detecting damage.
• Dispersion curve analysis is sensitive to interfacial debonding and impact.
• The developed wavenumber estimation method provides a viable approach for localized damage detection in COPVs.