Guided acoustic propagation modelling for platelike multilayered structures.

In this paper a simulation model is presented for acoustic guided wave propagation, which was developed from a technique widely reported inthe literature as the 'transfer matrix method'. This model describes the phenomenon of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in stacks of anisotropic laminae in an extremely synthetic form and under a large variety of boundary conditions. Acoustic guided wave propagation is a powerful tool for Non Destructive Testing (NDT) of plate-like structures (e.g. composites or films deposited on substrates) because the dispersive nature of the propagation modes gives a signature of the actual material state. Thus the model presented in this paper can be effectively used in NDT applications.