Simulation of Guided Waves in a CFRP Plate at a Specific Temperature

Among the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems, Guided Waves (GW) based ones have been increasingly investigated by both research community and industry since their reliability in damage detection, requirement of a lower power consumption and capability in the monitoring of extended areas with a reduced number of transducers. However, their use in real applications is still challenging. Among the critical aspects that can compromise the effectiveness of such SHM systems in the identification of structural anomalies, the operating conditions (temperature, loads, vibration, corrosion, etc.) require a particular attention. Damage detection algorithms and methods are thought mainly by referring to lower Technology Readiness Levels, typical of laboratory conditions where real scenarios cannot be easily reproduced. For this purpose, the Finite Element (FE) models find a key role for the understanding of the physics of governing phenomena driving the GW also in scenarios closer to the real one. In this paper, an experimentally validated FE model has been used to investigate on the effects of GW propagation mechanisms in a composite plate at 65 degrees C. The effects of this inservice temperature have been highlighted by comparing GW dispersive behavior as well as polar plots with respect to the room temperature (20 degrees C). According to the results, it has been observed a decrease of GW propagation velocity at 65 degrees C.