Damage imaging for composite using Lamb wave based on minimum variance distortion-less response method

It is highly probable for the structures of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) to suffer from invisible impact damage, for which the identification of such damage is of great significance. For the purpose of damage localization, this paper proposes a minimum variance distortion-less response (MVDR) algorithm that employs linear array sensor. In addition, a near field signal model based on active Lamb wave is established and the propagation of Lamb wave is investigated in composite laminates through the method of simulation. Moreover, a damage imaging system is also set up for composites to verify the effectiveness of the MVDR algorithm. Besides, in the study, wavelet transform is used as well to extract narrowband signals and promote signal-to-noise. It is shown by the results that the proposed algorithm can accurately identify the location of damage through the method of imaging. It is concluded that the maximum error of damage identification is 1.2 cm and MVDR algorithm has great potential in the field, damage imaging of composite materials. As a result, it provides a novel idea for damage imaging of composite materials.