Numerical and experimental investigation of guided wave propagation in a multi-wire cable

Abstract

Ultrasonic guided waves (UGWs) have attracted attention in the nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring (SHM) of multi-wire cables. They offer such advantages as a single measurement, wide coverage of the acoustic field, and long-range propagation ability. However, the mechanical coupling of multi-wire structures complicates the propagation behaviors of guided waves and signal interpretation. In this paper, UGW propagation in these waveguides is investigated theoretically, numerically, and experimentally from the perspective of dispersion and wave structure, contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN), and wave energy transfer. Although the performance of all possible propagating wave modes in a multi-wire cable at different frequencies could be obtained by dispersion analysis, it is ineffective to analyze the frequency behaviors of the wave signals of a certain mode, which could be analyzed using the CAN effect. The CAN phenomenon of two mechanically coupled wires in contact was observed, which was demonstrated by numerical guided wave simulation and experiments. Additionally, the measured guided wave energy of wires located in different layers of an aluminum conductor steel-reinforced cable accords with the theoretical prediction. The model of wave energy distribution in different layers of a cable also could be used to optimize the excitation power of transducers and determine the effective monitoring range of SHM.