Delamination detection in composite laminates using dispersion change based on mode conversion of Lamb waves

Abstract

A new ultrasonic propagation system has been constructed using macrofiber composite (MFC) actuators and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The MFCs and FBGs can be integrated into composite laminates because of their small size and high fracture strain. The developed system can send and receive broadband Lamb waves. In this research, this system was used to detect delamination damage in composite laminates. First, the multiple modes of Lamb waves in a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) quasi-isotropic laminate were identified by transmitting and receiving the symmetric and antisymmetric modes separately. Then, the mode conversions at both tips of a delamination were investigated through an experiment and a two-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA). A new delamination detection method was proposed on the basis of the mode conversions, and experiments were carried out on laminates with an artificial delamination. When antisymmetric modes were excited, the frequency dispersion of the received A1 mode changed, depending on the delamination length owing to the mode conversion between the A1 mode and the S0 mode. This phenomenon was confirmed through the FEA and these results prove that this new method is effective in detecting a delamination in CFRP laminates.