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This paper investigates the method for water ingress detection in an aluminum honeycomb sandwich structure by laser ultrasonics. To clarify the propagation of Scholte waves generated at the solid-liquid interface, the theoretical dispersion curves in the water-aluminum layered structure are calculated by the global matrix method. Using a laser ultrasonic visualizing inspector, the guided wave propagation in the wavefields has been visualized, which shows the mode conversion behaviors occurring in the water ingress area. The clarification of mode conversion is then investigated by the finite element method. The Scholte modes at the solid-fluid interface and the Lamb modes in the face sheet are interconverted because of the change in the waveguide structure. Wavenumber filter reconstruction and the resulting energy maps are applied to illustrate the mode conversion in the wavefields and to detect the water ingress area. Results show that the appearance of the water layer contributes to the mode conversion behaviors during the guided wave propagation in the honeycomb sandwich structure, which offers the potential for water ingress detection based on the mode conversion behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal instability due to temperature fluctuations, sensor degradation, and debonding introduces additional amplitude loss in the detected signals during acousto-ultrasonic detection, which may be falsely attributed to defects in a structure. First, we determined that the amplitudes of both high-frequency and low-frequency Lamb waves decrease after propagation through a damaged area. Then, we found that the amplitude ratio of such waves not only exhibits a downward trend but is also immune to fluctuations in the input signals. A qualitative numerical expression was proposed to explain this phenomenon, and preliminary experiments were conducted to demonstrate that the amplitude ratio is an effective parameter for mitigating instability in signal detection. Particularly, the number of impacts on a composite laminate was evaluated with respect to changes in the input signal amplitude. Notably, this method can be further simplified by designing a dual-frequency input signal. After conclusively validating the performance of the novel method in a composite subjected to temperature fluctuations, we conclude that the proposed acousto-ultrasonic detection method is robust in mitigating signal instability, and that it yields reliable information for damage evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for determining the elastic constants of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film is examined. Topics include the calculation of the PET film's acoustic reflection coefficient, and the use of an ultrasonic microspectrometer.