Abstract
The present paper examines the application of low frequency Lamb waves for the detection of delaminations in composite laminates. Surface mounted piezoelectric devices were excited with a tone burst of few cycles generating a propagating stress wave along the structure. Experiments were carried out on composite beam specimens, for which wave propagation distances over 2 m were achieved and artificially induced delaminations as small as 1 cm2 were successfully identified. The feasibility of employing piezoelectric devices for the development of smart structures, for which a small and lightweight transducer system design is required, has been demonstrated. Finite element results of wave propagation in wide plates are also presented.
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