Research on multiple damage localisation based on fusion of the Lamb wave ellipse algorithm and RAPID algorithm

Current damage localisation methods often require many sensors and complex signal processing methods. This paper proposes a fusion algorithm based on elliptical localisation and the reconstruction algorithm for probabilistic inspection of damage (RAPID) to locate and image multiple damages. Experimental verification of the damage algorithm was conducted. An ultrasonic probe was used to excite Lamb signals on an aluminium alloy plate, the ultrasonic response signals at different positions within the plate under multiple damages were measured and the constructed algorithm was employed to image the damage location. In the experiment, this method improved localisation efficiency by excluding invalid sensing paths in the sensor network, saving 31.32% of computational time. When some sensors in the sensor network were damaged, this algorithm ensured a positioning accuracy with a positioning error of 5.83 mm. Finally, the algorithm was used to locate multiple damages in the sensor network and the results showed the good robustness of the algorithm.