The numerical analysis of the interaction between the low-order Lamb wave modes and surface breaking cracks

Abstract

Lamb waves, as one of the types of guided waves, are extensively used for inspecting large structures as well as for structure health monitoring applications. One of the biggest benefits of guided waves is their ability to travel over long distances without much attenuation. Lamb waves are often used for inspection of piping systems and similar geometries where the dimension in the third direction is significantly smaller than the other two. No wonder that the study of the interaction of Lamb waves with particular types of geometric discontinuities is a frequent topic of research. The main aim of the proposed paper is to present the findings related to the numerical study of the interaction between low-order Lamb wave modes and surface breaking crack oriented at different angles relative to the free surface.

Keywords

• Lamb wave
• Surface breaking crack
• Normal mode theory
• Orthogonality relation