Wave propagation in a sensor/actuator diffusion bond model

Ultrasonic guided waves have been used increasingly in many areas of engineering applications. Often modelling studies are required in order to understand basic principles of different propagation phenomena. Various numerical methods have been used for wave propagation in complex media. This paper reports an application of two recent numerical modelling techniques for wave propagation in a diffusion bond sensor/actuator model consisting of five different layers of material. The spectral elements and local interaction simulation approach are shown to be very attractive modelling tools for guided wave propagation in complex media. Computational efficiency and the ability to model material boundaries are the major advantages of the methods. Numerical simulations are validated using a simple sensor/ actuator experiment. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.