Delamination thickness measurement based on Stoneley wave in bilayered composite structure

Abstract

Introduction: For composite structures, delamination usually occurs at the interface. Ultrasonic guided waves have been widely used to detect the delamination. However, most researches focus on the measurement of the delamination length along the interface, and the measurement of the delamination thickness is less studied. Method: In this paper, based on the characteristic that the Stoneley wave only propagates along the interface, the reflection coefficient of interaction between Stoneley wave and delamination is used to measure the delamination thickness. The effects of delamination thickness and frequency on the reflection coefficient are investigated via dividing integral region and reciprocity theorem. Some experimental validations are carried out on two aluminum-steel bilayered composite plates with different delamination thickness. Results: It is found the reflection coefficient increases linearly at first, then its rate of increase slows down gradually, and finally becomes stable, in theory. And the experimental results can verify the theoretical relationship between the reflection coefficients and the delamination thickness. Conclusion: The variation of reflection coefficient provides a reference for the measurement of delamination thickness in Stoneley-wave-based non-destructive testing.