Detection and localization of rib detachment in thin metal and composite plates by inversion of laser Doppler vibrometry scans.

The laboratory implementation of a fault detection and localization method based on inversion of dynamic surface displacements measured by a scanned laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) was investigated. The technique uses flexural wave and generalized force inversion algorithms which have previously been demonstrated using simulated noise-free vibration data generated for thick plates with a finite element model. Here these inversion algorithms to SLDV measurements made in the laboratory on a thin nickel plate and a thin carbon fiber composite plate, both having attached reinforcing ribs with intentional de-bonding of the rib/plate interface at a specific location on each structure are applied. The inverted displacement maps clearly detect and locate the detachment, whereas direct observation of the surface displacements does not. It is shown that the technique is relatively robust to the choice of frequency and to the presence of noise.