A Novel Baseline-Free Method for Damage Localization Using Guided Waves Based on Hyperbola Imaging Algorithm

Most imaging methods based on ultrasonic Lamb waves in structural health monitoring requires reference signals, recorded in the intact state. This paper focuses on a novel baseline-free method for damage localization using Lamb waves based on a hyperbolic algorithm. This method employs a special array with a relatively small number of transducers and only one branch of the hyperbola. The novel symmetrical array was arranged on plate structures to eliminate the direct waves. The time difference between the received signals at symmetrical sensors was obtained from the damage-scattered waves. The sequence of time difference for constructing the hyperbolic trajectory was calculated by the cross-correlation method. Numerical simulation and experimental measurements were implemented on an aluminum plate with a through-thickness hole in the current state. The imaging results show that both the damages outside and inside the diamond-shaped arrays can be localized, and the positioning error reaches the maximum for the diamond-shaped array with the minimum size. The results indicate that the position of the through-hole in the aluminum plate can be identified and localized by the proposed baseline-free method.