Guided electromagnetic waves for damage detection and localization in metallic plates: numerical and experimental results
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2020
Abstract
Electromagnetic waves in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency range are used in non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring applications to detect material defects such as delaminations, cracks, or inclusions. This work presents a sensing concept based on guided electromagnetic waves (GEW), in which the waveguide forms a union with the structure to be inspected. Exploiting ultra-wideband signals a surface defect in the area under the waveguide can be detected and accurately localized. This paper presents numerical and experimental GEW results for a straight waveguide focusing on the detection of through holes and cracks with different orientation. It was found that the numerical model qualitatively replicates the experimental S-parameter measurements for holes of different diameters. A parametric numerical study indicates that the crack parameters such as its orientation and width has a significant influence on the interaction of the incident wave with the structural defect. On top, a numerical study is performed for complex-shaped rectangular waveguides including several waveguide bends. Besides a successful damage detection, the damage position can also be precisely determined with a maximum localization error of less than 3%.
- Type
- Research Paper
- Information
- International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 12 , Special Issue 6: EuCAP 2019 Special Issue , July 2020 , pp. 455 - 460
- Copyright
- Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2020
References
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