An Integrated Probabilistic Imaging Damage Localization Method in Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Aluminum Laminate Considering Lamb Waves Propagation Characteristics

Carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum laminate (CARALL) has excellent properties such as strong impact resistance and fracture toughness. Lamb waves are expected to provide an efficient means for non-destructive testing of CARALL. However, the complex propagation characteristics of Lamb waves in CARALL with both anisotropic and isotropic materials between layers make it difficult to accurately identify and locate the damage. We proposed an integrated probabilistic imaging method to detect the damage localization considering Lamb waves propagation characteristics. First, the relationship between the propagation velocity and direction of Lamb waves was analyzed. It was found that, unlike CFRP laminates, where Lamb waves propagate fastest along the transverse direction, Lamb waves in CARALL exhibit the highest velocity along the 45° direction. Subsequently, a damage localization algorithm considering anisotropy and integrated probability imaging was proposed. Experimental and numerical results demonstrate that the damage localization algorithm proposed in this work accurately predicted the location of damage in CARALL, and the area of damage could be characterized by the direct wave correlation coefficient of Lamb waves. This study provides a useful framework for non-destructive testing of CARALL.