Guided Lamb waves for identification of damage in composite structures: A review

The guided Lamb wave is widely acknowledged as one of the most encouraging tools for quantitative identification of damage in composite structures, and relevant research has been conducted intensively since the 1980s. The main aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review on the state of the art of Lamb wave-based damage identification approaches for composite structures, addressing the advances and achievements in these techniques in the past decades. Major emphasis is placed on the unique characteristics and mechanisms of Lamb waves in laminated composites; approaches in wave mode selection, generation and collection; modelling and numerical simulation techniques; signal processing and identification algorithms; and sensor network technology for practical utility. Representative case studies are also briefly described in terms of various experimental validations and applications.