In this article, finite element simulation about the buried defect is used to simulate the process of detecting buried
defects. We built a model similar to the reality. By using two integrated piezoelectric sensors attached to the surface of
the structure, elastic waves can be injected into the matrix structure and the sensors can also receive the echo signal. By
comparing the received echo signal of the defect structure and of an intact structure, the purpose of recognizing the
existence of defects was achieved by extracting the signal reflection caused by the defective components. A
comprehensive research based on piezoelectric actuators / sensors phased array for nondestructive testing simulating
system was done. Its aim is to build a similar model to the actual situation, and to simulate the actual situations with the
same measures to achieve the purpose of identifying the existence of defects. By building a set of active point-to-point
scanning system, we detect the damage of aluminum structure by the use of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer device,
which plays the role of actuators and sensors. In addition, an experiment based on the detection of buried defects was
carried out. The Ultrasonic flaw detector produces high-frequency and high-voltage pulse signals and it stimulates the
actuators to transmit the elastic waves into the block structure. The sensors receive the echo signals, and deal with the
echo signals based on continuous wavelet transform, and then study the distribution of time domain and frequency
domain. By comparing echo signal, the purpose of identifying the existence of defects is achieved by extracting the echo
signal caused by the defective components.
KEYWORDS: Phased arrays, Sensors, Signal detection, Structural health monitoring, Actuators, Signal processing, Received signal strength, Control systems, Detector arrays, Transducers
The aim of the present work is to develop a system of smart devices that could be permanently attached on the surface of
the structure for monitoring cracks in most aerospace structures in isolated environments. It is shown that temporal and
spatial focusing can be achieved through synthetic time-reversal array method for a linear phase array of sensors and
actuators. Numerical simulation verifies the convergence of piezoelectric phased array. Near-field and far-field radiation
pattern are also investigated to get the ultrasound field convergence plot. The scanning precision can be adjusted by
changing the size of the focus patch. A Piezoelectric phased array system performs a point-by-point scanning in which
focusing allows the inspection of large areas. Damage to the structure can be inferred if there is a significant change in
the transient response of the structure using the analysis of the amplitude of the received signal. The location of this
damaged area can be determined using the analysis of the time it reaches the transducer. By the method of synthesis of
received signal time delay from multiple sensors, we can considerably enhance the signal strength, thus reducing the
negative effects of noises to solve the tough problem of processing the echo signal. The results suggest accuracy better
than 1 mm in finding the location of crack tips.
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