Wave-based SHM of sandwich structures using cross-sectional waves
Abstract
The identification of structural damage in composite waveguides is a critical issue in aerospace and transportation industries. Frequently, these structures involve periodic patterns or dissipative components which considerably reduce the range, robustness and available bandwidth of ultrasonic structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques. On the other hand, wave-based methods provide more accurate informations on a defect's type, size and location than modal analysis techniques. This paper focuses on a low-frequency wave-based method for structural integrity assessment of complex waveguides. The wave finite element method (WFEM) is employed to compute the dispersion curves of non-standard cross-sectional waves (CSW) exhibiting increased strain energy. The spectral results are used to analyse the diffusion of guided elastic waves through representative localized defects in a laminated sandwich panel. To validate the diffusion model, reflection and transmission coefficients are determined for several wave pulses on typical defects using time-domain virtual experiments and cross-sectional energy acquisition. Results demonstrate that using CSW provides a sensitivity to damage up to 2.8× higher than flexural waves in the low frequency range. These results are explained by the presence of local resonances within the cross-section, producing wavelengths in the transverse direction of propagation. These waves may prove suitable for cost-effective SHM applications since they can travel long distances through heterogeneous and periodic structures.
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BibTeX
@article{droz2026wavebased,
title = {{Wave-based SHM of sandwich structures using cross-sectional waves}},
author = {Christophe Droz and Olivier Bareille and Jean-Pierre Lainé and Mohamed N Ichchou},
journal = {Structural Control and Health Monitoring},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/stc.2085},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-03372990v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Wave-based SHM of sandwich structures using cross-sectional waves
AU - Christophe Droz
AU - Olivier Bareille
AU - Jean-Pierre Lainé
AU - Mohamed N Ichchou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Structural Control and Health Monitoring
DO - 10.1002/stc.2085
UR - https://hal.science/hal-03372990v2
AB - The identification of structural damage in composite waveguides is a critical issue in aerospace and transportation industries. Frequently, these structures involve periodic patterns or dissipative components which considerably reduce the range, robustness and available bandwidth of ultrasonic structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques. On the other hand, wave-based methods provide more accurate informations on a defect's type, size and location than modal analysis techniques. This paper focuses on a low-frequency wave-based method for structural integrity assessment of complex waveguides. The wave finite element method (WFEM) is employed to compute the dispersion curves of non-standard cross-sectional waves (CSW) exhibiting increased strain energy. The spectral results are used to analyse the diffusion of guided elastic waves through representative localized defects in a laminated sandwich panel. To validate the diffusion model, reflection and transmission coefficients are determined for several wave pulses on typical defects using time-domain virtual experiments and cross-sectional energy acquisition. Results demonstrate that using CSW provides a sensitivity to damage up to 2.8× higher than flexural waves in the low frequency range. These results are explained by the presence of local resonances within the cross-section, producing wavelengths in the transverse direction of propagation. These waves may prove suitable for cost-effective SHM applications since they can travel long distances through heterogeneous and periodic structures.
SN - 1545-2255
SN - 1545-2263
ER -