Propagation of guided waves in bonded composite structures with tapered adhesive layer

Adhesively bonded composites are becoming increasingly important in engineering applications due to its advantages for structural repair and integrated manufacturing of advanced composite structures. Characteristics of guided waves propagation in bonded composite structures with tapered adhesive layer are investigated in this paper. Hamilton’s principle and a semi-analytical finite element method are combined to study the wave propagation problem numerically that account for different properties of adhesive layer. Several adhesive bonded composite models are analyzed, including dimensions of adhered joints, local separation of adhesive and material degradation. Dispersion curves of different bonded states are studied numerically by accounts for effects of varying adhesive thickness. Results provided some suggestions in selecting more suitable mode for interrogating of adhesive bonded composite with different states.