The influence of temperature variations on ultrasonic guided waves in anisotropic CFRP plates

• Temperature response of guided wave propagation in CFRP materials was investigated.
• Investigations focused on highly anisotropic CFRP materials.
• Model for predicting subtraction performance in SHM on such materials was developed.
• Results produced by the model generally agreed with experimental measurements.

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) materials are lightweight and corrosion-resistant and therefore are increasingly used in aerospace, automotive and construction industries. In Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications of CFRP materials, ultrasonic guided waves potentially offer large area inspection or inspection from a remote location. This paper addresses the effect of temperature variation on guided wave propagation in highly anisotropic CFRP materials. Temperature variations cause changes in guided wave velocity that can in turn compromise the baseline subtraction procedures employed by many SHM systems for damage detection. A simple model that describes the dependence of elastic properties of the CFRP plates on temperature is presented in this paper. The model can be used to predict anisotropic velocity changes and baseline subtraction performance under varying thermal conditions. The results produced by the model for unidirectional and 0/90 CFRP plates are compared with experimental measurements.