Nondestructive analysis of core-junction and joint-debond effects in advanced composite structure

Abstract This paper presents a theoretical, numerical and experimental analysis of Lamb wave propagation and joint-debond identification in an advanced composite structure with core-junction. In the process, the wave modes in the recorded sensor-signals are effectively identified based on the theoretically obtained time-history response and dispersion curves for the sample structure. In order to study the core-junction and joint-debond effects, the finite element based numerical simulations were carried out in ABAQUS and the results verified with laboratory experiments. It was observed that the presence of core-junction in the structure reduces the propagating Lamb wave mode amplitudes, whereas the presence of localized joint-debond significantly increases the modal amplitudes. The study was further extended for the analysis of variable core-junction thickness and joint-debond size effects on the amplitude difference between the baseline and affected Lamb wave signals. Finally, a baseline-free debond detection strategy is proposed for the detection of hidden joint-debond locations in the target structure.