Ultrasonic wave propagation in progressively loaded multi-wire strands

In recent years methods based on guided ultrasonic waves gained increasing attention for the nondestructive evaluation and the health monitoring of multi-wire strands used in civil structures as prestressing tendons and stay cables. The study of wave propagation properties in such components has been challenging due to the load-dependent inter-wire contact and the helical geometry of the peripheral wires. The present paper addresses an experimental investigation on the ultrasonic wave propagation in seven-wire strands loaded at different stress levels. Wafer piezoelectric sensors are employed in a through transmission configuration for the generation and detection of stress waves. The response of the lowest-order longitudinal mode is studied at different levels of load. Those ultrasonic features, associated with the transmitted ultrasonic energy, sensitive to the variation of applied load are identified and discussed as possible means of a load monitoring.