Embedded Ultrasonics With Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Thin-Wall Structures

The capability of embedded piezoelectric water active sensors (PWAS) to perform in-situ ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is explored. Laboratory tests are used to prove that PWAS can satisfactorily perform Lamb wave transmission and reception. Subsequently, pulse-echo method for crack detection in an aircraft panel is illustrated. For large area scanning, a PWAS phased array is used to create the embedded ultrasonics structural radar (EUSR). In conclusion, opportunities for implementation into structural health monitoring applications and further research needs are discussed.