Prediction and Measurement of Lamb Wave from Debondings at Structural Features in Composite Laminates

The interaction of the fundamental anti-symmetric Lamb wave (A0) with debondings at structural features is investigated using experimental data and finite element (FE) simulations. In this study explicit three-dimensional (3D) FE simulations are employed, which allows the study of the scattered wave along different propagation directions. Good agreement between the FE predictions and the measurements are obtained that demonstrates that the 3D FE scattering model is able to accurately predict the Lamb wave scattering characteristics at debondings. The study show that the characteristics of Lamb wave reflected from the debondings at the structure feature is much more complicated than that from defects in flat composite laminates. Parameter studies show that the backward and forward scattering coefficient of Lamb wave is a function of debonding size to wavelength ratio and debonding location. This shows the potential of employing Lamb wave to identify the size and monitor the growth of the debondings. The findings of the study provide improved physical insights into the scattering phenomena, which are important to further advance damage detection techniques for complex structures made by composite laminates.