The thesis deals with one major question: is it possible, using one piezoelectric sensor/vibrator, to detect a hard inclusion in a silicone rubber phantom? The question was approached with an open mind and the task was subdivided into three clearly identifiable parts: characterization of the piezoelectric sensor/vibrator (paper I), creating a model of the visco-elastic properties of a tissue-like material (phantom) in contact with the sensor/vibrator (paper II), and to detect the presence of a hard inclusion in the phantom (paper III). All vibrations of the sensor/vibrator and phantom was modeled using a finite element method (FEM). To minimize the computational time and to maximize the FEM model's ability to correctly reproduce the vibrations, a two-dimensional model system consisting of a cylindrical piezoelectric sensor/vibrator, emitting radial elastic waves in to a cylindrical disk-shaped phantom, was chosen. The piezoelectric sensor/vibrator was characterized using a parameter tuning procedure using harmonic overtones. The procedure enables tuning of the electro-elastic parameters of the sensor/vibrator so that the measured and calculated impedance frequency responses match. Silicone rubber was chosen as a phantom to mimic soft tissue. The properties of the phantom was modeled using a fractional derivative visco-elastic model. The hyperelastic effect at the first radial resonance of the sensor vibrator was corrected for by a compensating function. The high frequency complex visco-elastic modulus of the silicone rubber was determined using the transitions of standing Lamb waves in the phantom. The presence of a ring-shaped inclusion in the phantom, of polyamide, was detected using the change of the transitional Lamb wave patterns in the phantom. The tuning of the PZT5A1 sensor/vibrator parameters yielded a match between the calculated and the measured impedance spectra better than 0.54%. The average, complex, elastic modulus of three silicone rubber, Silgel 612, samples were: (0.97 + 0.009i) GPa  at 100 kHz and (0.97 + 0.005i) GPa at 250 kHz. The presence of a polyamide inclusion, PA6GPE, was detected in the phantom using multiple frequency footprints. / Denna avhandling berör frågan: är det möjligt, med en piezoelektrisk sensor/vibrator, att detektera ett hårt objekt inneslutet i en fantom av silikongummi? Frågan närmades utan begränsningar och uppgiften delades upp i tre tydliga delar: karaktäriseringen av den piezoelektriska sensorn/vibratorn (paper I), skapa en modell av det viskoelastiska uppförandet hos ett vävnadsliknande material (fantom) som står i kontakt med sensorn-/vibratorn (paper II) och att detektera förekomsten av ett hårt objekt inneslutet i fantomen (paper III). En finit element modell (FEM) skapades för att beräkna vibrationerna hos sensorn/vibratorn och fantomen. För att minimera beräkningstiden och maximera modellens förmåga att återge vibrationer på ett korrekt sätt, så skapades ett tvådimensionellt modellsystem bestående av en cylindrisk piezoelektrisk sensor/vibrator i kontakt med en cylindrisk fantom av silikongummi. Sensorn/vibratorn skickar radiella elastiska vågor in i fantomen. Den piezoelektriska sensorn/vibratorn karakteriserades med hjälp av en procedur som anpassar parametervärden med hjälp av övertoner. Proceduren möjliggör en justering av parametervärdena så att uppmätta och beräknade impedansspektra överensstämmer. En 'fractional derivative' modell av de viskoelastiska egenskaperna hos silikongummit skapades. De hyperelastiska egenskaperna vid första radiella resonansen blev kompenserade med hjälp av en sigmoidformad funktion. Den komplexa viskoelastiska modulen bestämdes för höga frekvenser med hjälp av transitioner hos stående Lambvågor i fantomen. Närvaron av ett hårt ringformat objekt i fantomen detekterades med hjälp av förändringar i mönstret hos de stående Lambvågorna. Justeringen av de piezoelektriska parametrarna hos elementet PZT5A1 gav som mest en skillnad på 0.54% mellan uppmätta och beräknade impedansspektra. Medelvärdet hos tre prov av silikongummit Silgel 612 av den komplexa elastiska modulen uppmättes till (0.97 + 0.009i) GPa  vid 100 kHz och (0.97 + 0.005i) GPa vid 250 kHz. Närvaron av ett hårt objekt, gjort av polyaramid (PA6GPE), detekterades i fantomen med hjälp av multifrekvensiella fotavtryck.

Laser ultrasonics has been used to measure the bending stiffness of paper products by measuring the dispersion of ultrasonic plate waves. In laser ultrasonics, ultrasound can be generated by absorption of pulsed laser spot while detection can be carried out by Laser Doppler Interferometry. The research presented in this paper describes a new method to detect ultrasonic plate waves using a recently developed acoustic transducer, more specifically an optical Micro ElectroMechanical System (MEMS) microphone with broadband capability. The MEMS device operates as a non-contact proximity probe placed less than ¼ a millimeter away from the plate. The signals are detected with a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) in which the back electrode of the capacitive transducer on a transparent substrate is shaped as an optical diffraction grating. The displacement of the transducer membrane is determined using an optical interferometer. By applying voltage to deflect the membrane electrostatically, the detection sensitivity is kept at an optimum level. The main purpose of the research presented herein was to test this MEMSs ability to detect ultrasonic waves propagating through paper, to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and to calibrate the device in order to quantify the limitations on sensitivity in the context of the detection of ultrasound in paper. Similar tests were conducted for comparison with a modified Mach-Zehnder Interferometer, a more traditional method used for laser ultrasonic detection, and its results are presented in this paper.

In one of the non-destructive testing techniques, Lamb waves, because of its ability to propagate a long distance and being hard to attenuate, can detect a wide range of area. However, due to its multimodal and dispersive characteristics, identifying the signals of defects during the test is often difficult. Time reversal method, a self-focusing technique, can offset the dispersion of Lamb waves and effectively focus on the spatial and temporal domain. This study applies the finite element method to stimulate the propagation of Lamb waves on an aluminum plate, selecting four sets of frequency-thickness products and two excitation types to excite the single-mode or multimode Lamb waves. This study aims to discuss the effects of modal and dispersion on the focus of the time reversal methods. The results show that 2 MHz-mm and in-plane excitation can produce numerous, more dispersive modals with the best focus effect. If we applied the time reversal method to testing the defects of Lamb waves, and the defects are circular and longitudinal notches, then, according to the results, the reflection signal amplitude of the circular defects can be highly increased. According to the test results of small-sized notches, the time reversal method cannot effectively improve the detecting ability of this defect.

The application of laser generated ultrasonics was first demonstrated in the mid-seventies and has shown good potential when applied to isotropic materials. However, its use with composite materials is still in the early stages of development. This study explores the potential for application of laser generated Rayleigh and Lamb waves in graphite/epoxy composites. Numerical results are obtained by the solution of the wave equations using assumed solutions, and enforcing the boundary conditions. Experimentally, Rayleigh and Lamb waves were generated by a Q-switched ruby laser in the ablation regime and detected by piezoelectric pinducers which permitted accurate phase velocity measurements. The Rayleigh wave velocity was measured at various directions relative to the fiber direction and results were found to agree closely with numerical predictions. The increase of surface wave velocity using thin plates could be useful for the application of delamination detection in thick composites and an increase of Rayleigh wave attenuation could indicate damages caused by impact. Also, surface waves can reflect from small surface cracks. Therefore, laser generated surface waves, particularly along the fiber direction, have high potential for application in non-destructive testing. Lamb wave experiments were conducted in aluminum plates and gave distinctive signals, but there were some difficulties in detecting the precise arrival of each Lamb wave mode for the graphite/epoxy composite plates. / Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (M. S.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Jacobs, Laurence; Committee Member: Kim, Jin-Yeon; Committee Member: Qu, Jianmin. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Thesis (M. S.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Laurence J. Jacobs; Committee Member: Jianmin Qu; Committee Member: Jin-Yeon Kim. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

L'essor des cristaux phoniques (CP) , structures constituées d'un arrangement périodique de différents matériaux dans des domaines d'applications variés tient principalement aux propriétés exceptionnelles qui permettent le contrôle de la propagation des ondes. Des travaux récents se sont intéressés à l'accordabilité en fréquence des CP. Notamment en insérant des matériaux actifs, il a été montré qu'il était possible de moduler la position en fréquence ou la largeur de bandes interdites sans avoir à changer la géométrie du CP. Dans ce contexte, on étudie la propagation d'ondes de Lamb dans une plaque piézoélectrique homogène couverte par des électrodes disposées périodiquement sur les deux faces. Différentes conditions aux limites électriques (CLE) ont imposées sur ces électrodes afin d'agir sur la dispersion des ondes de Lamb. On montre expérimentalement et numériquement que l'application de ces CLE permet des couplages de modes de Lamb de mêmes symétries ou de symétries différentes. / One of the most important properties of phononic crystals (PCs) is their ability to prohibit the propagation of acoustic waves in specific frequency ranges called band gaps (BG). Bragg scaterring and mode hybridization are the two principal known mechanisms for BG nucleation. Recently, the interest for BG tunability has grown rapidly. This study concerns the development of a piezoelectric PC that is able to generate and control the propagation of guided Lamb waves, thus offering tunability of the band structure. A piezoelectric plate covered by ID periodic arrangement of thin electrodes is investigated. It is shown that the application of various electrical boundary conditions (EBCs) on the electrodes allows to change the effective properties of the piezoelectric plate. The dispersion of the waves is then electrically tuned and, depending on the applied EBCs, we demonstrate experimentally and numerically the possibility of opening Bragg or hydridization gaps in the subwavelength regime.

Le rayonnement d'une source ultrasonore située sur l'une des interfaces d'une plaque anisotrope est étudié. Le calcul du tenseur de Green est effectué dans le cas général d'un problème 3D. Une décomposition en multiples réflexions /réfractions, constituant une série de rayons au sein de la plaque, est utilisée pour une comparaison théorie-expérience dans le cas d'un mono cristal de Cuivre. La vitesse de phase et la vitesse d'énergie sont mesurées en fonction de la fréquence ou de la direction d'observation, pour une plaque de carbone-époxy unidirectionnels, et comparées avec la théorie. / The ultrasonic radiation from a source located on one of the interfaces of an anisotropic plateis studied. The calculation of the Green tensor is performed in the general case of a 3Dproblem. Decomposition into multiple reflections /refractions, as a series of rays in the plate,is used for comparison between theory and experiment in the case of a single crystal of copper. The phase velocity and energy velocity are measured in terms of frequency ordirection of observation, for a plate of unidirectional carbon-epoxy, and compared withtheory.

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a process of implementing a damage identification procedure for mechanical, aerospace and civil engineering infrastructure. Any change in the geometric properties, boundary conditions and behavior of material is defined as damage of these systems. In the past 10 years, there has been an accelerated increase in the amount of research related to SHM [1]. Hence, the increased interest in SHM to a wide range of industries and its correlated capability for significant life-safety and economic benefits has motivated the need for this thesis topic. The objective of this thesis study was to explore SHM approach to monitor and detect a change and/or damage in plates using Lamb wave propagation and surface response to excitation. First, the endurance of sensors and the adhesive used was evaluated. Next, the experimental data from the prepared samples was collected, compared, and evaluated. The obtained results indicated the severity and location of the defects.

Delamination is currently a largely undetectable form of damage in composite laminate materials. This thesis will develop a method to more easily detect delamination damage within composite materials. Using finite element analysis modeling and lab testing, a new method from interpreting the results obtained from existing structural health monitoring techniques is developed. Lamb waves were introduced and recorded through an actuator and sensors made of piezoelectric material. The data was then analyzed through a novel data reduction method using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Using the data from FFT, the idea of covariance of energy change was developed. By comparing the covariance of energy change in beams with differing delamination size, thickness and depth, correlations were able to be developed. With these correlations, the severity and of damage was able to be detected.