<title>Local interaction modeling for acousto-ultrasonic wave propagation</title>

Damage detection in metallic structures has been the subject of many investigations. Recent developments have shown applications of acousto-ultrasonic and Lamb wave testing. Lamb wave inspection is based on theory of longitudinal waves propagating in plates. In general, the principles of acousto-ultrasonic and Lamb wave inspection techniques are similar. Damage in a structure is identified by a change in the output signal. Previous studies show that even simple input signals can lead to complex output waves, which are difficult to interpret. It is clear that knowledge and understanding of wave propagation in analyzed structures can ease the interpretation of damage detection results. The paper reports an application of local interaction modeling of acousto-ultrasonic waves in metallic structures. The focus of the analysis is on one-dimensional interactions between different material boundaries. This includes modeling of acousto-ultrasonic waves in piezoceramic, adhesive glue and copper in an actuator/sensor configuration. The study also involves experimental validation of the simulation results. The method shows the potential for modeling of acousto-ultrasonic waves in complex media for damage detection applications.