• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.5A
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• pp.421-431
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• 2009

This paper is the study on the verification of structural health monitoring (SHM) algorithm based on the ultrasonic guided wave. An active inspection system using Lamb wave (LW) for SHM was considered. The basic study about the application of this algorithm was performed for detecting the circular notch defect in steel plate. LW testing technique, pitch-catch method, was used for interpretation of circular notch defect with depth of 50% of plate thickness and 7 mm width. Damage characterization takes place by comparing $S_0$ mode sensor signals collected before and after the damage event. By subtracting the signals of both conditions from each other, a scatter signal is produced which can be used for damage localization. The continuous Gabor wavelet transform is used to attain the time between the arrivals of the scatter and sensor signals. A new practical damage monitoring algorithm, based on damage monitoring polygon and pitch-catch method, has been proposed and verified with good accuracy. The possible damage location can be estimated by the average on calculated location points and the damage extent by the standard deviation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2011

It is well known that stiffness of composites depends on layup sequence of CFRP(carbon fiber reinforced plastics) laminates because the layup of composite laminates influences their properties. Ultrasonic NDE of composite laminates is often based on the backwall echoes of the sample. A pair of such transducers was mounted in a holder in a nose-to-nose fashion to be used as a scanning probe on composites. Miniature potted angle beam transducers were used (Rayleigh waves in steel) on solid laminates of composites. Experiments were performed to understand the behavior of the transducers and the nature of the waves generated in the composite (mode, wave speed, angle of refraction). C-scan images of flaws and impact damage were then produced by combining the pitch-catch probe with a portable manual scanner known as the Generic Scanner ("GenScan"). The pitch-catch signal was found to be more sensitive than normal incidence backwall echo of longitudinal wave to fiber orientation of the CFRP composites, including low level porosity, ply waviness, and cracks. Therefore, it is found that the experimentally Rayleigh wave variation of pitch-catch ultrasonic signal was consistent with numerical results and one-side ultrasonic measurement might be very useful to detect the defects.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2008

The dispersion and attenuation of Lamb and Leaky Lamb waves propagating in a 1 mm-thick steel plate were investigated. For acquiring a long(or large) range inspection capability, the fundamental symmetric and anti-symmetric wave modes(S0 and A0) over law frequencies were studied. Based on the dispersion curves, as well as pitch-catch and multi-mode simulations, it was shown that the S0 mode over law frequencies is the proper mode to minimize the dispersion and attenuation. In addition, it was shown that the S0 mode couldbe easily distinguished under multi-mode simulation since it has a larger group velocity than the A0 mode.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.13-18
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• 1991

In this study, the analysis technique of fracture stress using the reflection coefficient of SAW reflected from a brittle solid with surface crack has been studied. Fracture stress of brittle solid with surface crack has been obtained by the function of the critical stress intensity factor and the maximum normalized stress intensity factor of the crack in the body. And the maximum normalized stress intensity factor of a surface crack can be inferred from a measurement of reflection coefficient of SAW. In experiment, the surface cracks ranging from 0.5mm to 0.9mm in crack depth has been made at the center of each Pyrex disc, and the SAW wedge transducer has been set up for the pitch-catch mode. It has been compared the theoretical values of the fracture stress calculated from the reflection coefficient of SAW with the values of the fracture stress measured from UTM.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.209-211
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• 2007

최근에는 탄소섬유강화복합재료(CFRP)는 우수한 기계적인 물성치와 수월한 설계특성으로 인해 우주.민간 항공산업분야 뿐만 아니라 여러분야에 응용성이 매우 높다. 그러나 CFRP 복합적층판으로 제작된 구조물은 충격손상을 받을 시에는 50-75%치 강도가 낮아지는 취약성을 가지고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에는 CFRP복합재의 구조건전성 및 결함여부를 비파괴적으로 검사 및 탐상을 하기 위해서 시도하였다. 특히, C-scanner의 수침조에서 충격손상을 받은 시험편을 집어넣어 자동 데이터 획득 시스템을 구동하여 현장응용성이 가장 높은 일 방향 초음파측정 (one-sided ultrasonic measurement) 방법인 평가기법을 제안하였다. 본 연구에서 제안한 일방향 초음파 피치캐치방법이 CFRP 복합적층판내에서 일반 수직 초음파 탐상기법보다 훨씬 민감함을 알 수 있었다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.458-465
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• 2009

In general, ultrasonic guided wave techniques that used for an evaluation of the internal defect have been applied without considering energy loss. It can be found out that the significant attenuation is observed in the signal of structure with defect by the scattering and absorption. Even in the signal acquired from defect-free structure, this attenuation can be also significant. Therefore, it is very essential to determine the Lamb wave propagation characteristics depending on modes because the dispersibility of Lamb wave can be easily influenced by the attenuation effect with frequency and thickness. For this reason, changing the propagation distance, attenuation coefficient of each Lamb wave mode needs to be investigated by the contact pitch-catch method with PZT(piezoelectric) sensors. In this paper, the experimental attenuation coefficient is measured by choosing the following three different variables; mode, thickness and plate materials. As a result, experimental attenuation coefficient is obtained as the function of variables.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.97-119
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• 2013

This paper presents numerical and experimental results on the use of guided waves for structural health monitoring (SHM) of crack growth during a fatigue test in a thick steel plate used for civil engineering application. Numerical simulation, analytical modeling, and experimental tests are used to prove that piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) can perform active SHM using guided wave pitch-catch method and passive SHM using acoustic emission (AE). AE simulation was performed with the multi-physic FEM (MP-FEM) approach. The MP-FEM approach permits that the output variables to be expressed directly in electric terms while the two-ways electromechanical conversion is done internally in the MP-FEM formulation. The AE event was simulated as a pulse of defined duration and amplitude. The electrical signal measured at a PWAS receiver was simulated. Experimental tests were performed with PWAS transducers acting as passive receivers of AE signals. An AE source was simulated using 0.5-mm pencil lead breaks. The PWAS transducers were able to pick up AE signal with good strength. Subsequently, PWAS transducers and traditional AE transducer were applied to a 12.7-mm CT specimen subjected to accelerated fatigue testing. Active sensing in pitch catch mode on the CT specimen was applied between the PWAS transducers pairs. Damage indexes were calculated and correlated with actual crack growth. The paper finishes with conclusions and suggestions for further work.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.101-113
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• 2006

Structural health monitoring results obtained with the electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance techniqueand Lamb wave transmission methods during fatigue crack propagation of an Arcan specimen instrumented with piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) are presented. The specimen was subjected in mixed-mode fatigue loading and a crack was propagated in stages. At each stage, an image of the crack and the location of the crack tip were recorded and the PWAS readings were taken. Hence, the crack-growth in the specimen could be correlated with the PWAS readings. The E/M impedance signature was recorded in the 100 - 500 kHz frequency range. The Lamb-wave transmission method used the pitch-catch approach with a 3-count sine tone burst of 474 kHz transmitted and received between various PWAS pairs. Fatigue loading was applied to initiate and propagate the crack damage of controlled magnitude. As damage progressed, the E/M impedance signatures and the waveforms received by receivers were recorded at predetermined intervals and compared. Data analysis indicated that both the E/M impedance signatures and the Lamb-wave transmission signatures are modified by the crack progression. Damage index values were observed to increase as the crack damage increases. These experiments demonstrated that the use of PWAS in conjunction with the E/M impedance and the Lamb-wave transmission is a potentially powerful tool for crack damage detection and monitoring in structural elements.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2011

This study presents a nondestructive test for underwater PVC pipes. To use guided ultrasonic waves, specially denoted by cylindrical Lamb waves, a test setup was made in a water tank using the pitch and catch mode and specimens were made to give artificial cutouts located in the circumferential direction of the pipes. Total three states of damaged levels were considered to see how the guided waves interact with the defects. For the experimental adjustments, three different pipe diameters (60, 90, 114 mm) were tested, and two factors - incident angle (10 and $40^{\circ}$) and distance (50 and 200 mm) - were tried. From the results, regardless of the diameters and two experimental factors, it is shown that the degrees of defects were recognized through amplitude and arrived time of the very first part of the received cylindrical Lamb waves. Between amplitude and arrived time, it is found that the amplitude gives more sensitive results.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2004

A preliminary study of the behavior of ultrasonic guided wave mode in a pipe using a comb transducer for maintenance inspection of power plant facilities has been verified experimentally. The mode identification has been carried out in a pipe using the time-frequency analysis methods such as the wavelet transform(WT) and the short time Fourier transform (STFT), compared with theoretically calculated group velocity dispersion curves for longitudinal and flexural modes. The results are in good agreement with analytical predictions and show the effectiveness of using the time-frequency analysis method to identify the individual modes. It was found out that the longitudinal mode(0,1) is less affected by mode conversion compared with the other modes. Therefore, L(0,1) is selected as an optimal mode for the evaluation of the surface defect in a pipe.