Phased array methods for damage detection

Hui Zhang

Phased array methods are a promising approach to damage detection by enabling guided wave steering and beam focusing leading to improved localization and sizing of structural damage. Due to the costs and challenges to addressing piezoelectric arrays in parallel, most phased array methods actuate piezoelectric elements one at a time in round-robin fashion with postprocessing algorithms used to synthetically steer and focus the guided waves. Here we investigated true parallel excitation and sensing of ceramic piezoelectric actuators in a standard structural health monitoring data acquisition system without requiring highly specialized and expensive ultrasonic data acquisition equipment.

The schematic drawing of the phased array system are shown below

here.

The experimental testing of phase array of d31 type of piezoelectric transducers underway

here.

For more information about the algorithm and features, please check the following references.

References

  1. Wentao Wang, Hui Zhang, Jerome P. Lynch, Carlos E. S. Cesnik, Hui Li, “Numerical and experimental simulation of linear shear piezoelectric phased arrays for structural health monitoring”, Proc. SPIE 10169, Nondestructive Characterization and Monitoring of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, and Civil Infrastructure (2017).

  2. Wentao Wang, Hui Zhang, J. P. Lynch, C. E. S. Cesnik, Hui Li, “Experimental and numerical validation of guided wave phased arrays integrated within standard data acquisition systems for structural health monitoring”, Struct Control Health Monit (2018).