Application Cases

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have become vital materials in the aerospace industry due to their high specific stiffness and fatigue resistance. However, their internal defects are often concealed, and damage evolution is complex, posing challenges for traditional non-destructive testing techniques. Although guided wave testing technology has been applied to defect detection in CFRP plates, conventional methods such as the RAPID algorithm rely heavily on baseline data and exhibit limited effectiveness in anisotropic CFRP plates. Therefore, to address the limitations of traditional composite damage detection methods in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability to complex environments, this study proposes an intelligent defect reconstruction technique that integrates an improved empirical mode decomposition-fast probability damage detection algorithm with a U-net model. The aim is to enhance the accuracy and reliability of structural health monitoring for composite materials, constructing a comprehensive solution encompassing "theoretical modeling, algorithm optimization, and intelligent reconstruction."

Experiment Name: Experimental Study on E-RAPID Imaging of Through-Hole Defects in CFRP Plates

Experimental Principle:
To explore the effectiveness of the improved E-RAPID algorithm on CFRP materials, this study leverages existing laboratory equipment to establish a complete structural health monitoring system for experimental validation of CFRP material damage detection. Pre-fabricated through-hole defects were introduced on prepared CFRP plates. A suitable sensor array was employed to generate a Hamming-window-modulated five-cycle excitation signal using a signal generator. A power amplifier was used to drive the piezoelectric ceramic transducers, exciting Lamb waves on the plate surface. The response signals were collected in real-time via an oscilloscope connected to a PC, where data storage and post-processing were performed. This experiment investigates the feasibility of the improved E-RAPID algorithm for damage localization in composite plates and explores its practical effectiveness for simulated damage, aiming to provide a new approach for damage localization in CFRP structural health monitoring.

Experimental Block Diagram:

Experimental Setup Photo:

Experimental Procedure:
With laboratory support and equipment, a comprehensive experimental platform for CFRP material damage detection was established. An appropriate excitation signal was selected, and its central frequency was determined based on the dispersion curves of the relevant materials and experimental validation. After amplification by the power amplifier, the signal drove PZT transducers to excite Lamb waves propagating in the CFRP plate. Simultaneously, the pre-arranged sensor array collected response signals carrying damage information in real-time, which were uploaded to a PC via an oscilloscope for data storage. Further signal processing using the improved E-RAPID algorithm was also performed on the PC. Two CFRP plates with identical material parameters and geometric dimensions of 800 mm × 800 mm × 2 mm were prepared for the experiment. One plate served as a defect-free reference for baseline signal collection, while the other was pre-fabricated with a 10 mm through-hole defect. In a two-dimensional coordinate system established with the lower-left corner of the plate as the origin, the defect coordinates were (500, 500). The piezoelectric sensors (PZT) were designed as circular discs with a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm, with silver-plated electrodes and coaxial wires connected via precision spot welding. The complete experimental platform included a Tektronix AFG1062 function signal generator, an Aigtek ATA-2022H high-voltage amplifier, a PicoScope 5000 series digital oscilloscope, and a PC.

Application Areas:

• Aerospace: Provides efficient technical solutions for structural health monitoring of aerospace composite materials.

• Rail Transportation: Applicable to CFRP lightweight body designs for high-speed trains.

• New Energy Vehicles: Suitable for quality inspection of CFRP components in new energy vehicles.

• General Composite Material Non-Destructive Testing: Applicable to defect detection in thin-plate structures of other composite materials.

Product Recommendation: ATA-2000 Series High-Voltage Amplifier

Figure: ATA-2000 Series High-Voltage Amplifier Specifications

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