Local Interaction Simulation of Guided-wave Propagation in Composite Plates

Composite structures are being extensively used in the modern industries because of their superior strength to weight ratio, high stiffness, and long fatigue life. The ability to tailor the material properties along different directions also increases the avenues of composites material application. The ever-increasing demand for composite structures and the need to ensure the structural integrity necessitates the development of sustainable and efficient structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. Guided wave (GW) methods offer an attractive solution for SHM due to their tunable sensitivity to different defects and their ability to interrogate large structural surfaces. Because of the anisotropy present in the composite materials, the development of the SHM methods is significantly more complex and challenging than in the case of isotropic materials. This paper presents numerical simulations based on the local interaction simulation approach (LISA) to characterize the propagation of GW in laminated composite plates.