Rp. Dalton et al., The potential of guided waves for monitoring large areas of metallic aircraft fuselage structure, J NOND EVAL, 20(1), 2001, pp. 29-46
The potential for long-range propagation of ultrasonic guided waves through
metallic aircraft fuselage structure has been investigated using dispersio
n analysis and numerical modelling, validated by experiment. In order to sa
tisfy the pressing need for integrated structural health monitoring of agei
ng metallic aircraft, it is likely that an active guided wave system based
on current technology must feature efficient propagation over distances of
at least Im with an attenuation of not more than about 40dB/m. Propagation
was examined across free skin, tapering skin, skin loaded with sealant and
paint, double skin jointed with either sealant or adhesive, and lap and str
inger joints, which together adequately characterise metallic monocoque fus
elage construction. Whilst the simple and tapering skins allow long range p
ropagation of non-dispersive modes with little reflection at the transition
to tapering skin, the attenuation caused by application of a sealant layer
generally leaves no viable modes. Guided wave propagation through double s
kin features the inevitable generation of twin modes with similar phase vel
ocity, which interact with each other during propagation. This interaction
crucially determines the efficiency of propagation across narrow joints and
effectively precludes propagation across a succession of joints. This work
leads to the conclusion that an active aircraft system that relies on guid
ed wave propagation of more than Im is not feasible, whereas localised guid
ed wave monitoring of structurally significant areas is a more practical ap
proach.