Development of an Omnidirectional Shear Horizontal Wave Transducer for Structural Health Monitoring

In this work, an omnidirectional SH0 mode transducer is proposed. It is based on a simple arrangement of common piezoelectric ceramics attached to a steel disc, and is capable of generating a relatively high ratio of SH0 to other modes omnidirectionally. A parametric study of the components which constitute the transducer was performed through finite element modelling in order to characterize and investigate the influence of geometry on its frequency-response. The validation of modelling results was performed through the construction of two transducers with different configurations. Analysis of the relationship between the intensity of each mode generated in a plate and the characteristics of the SH0 mode emission allowed the identification of frequencies that presented the most desirable response.