Development of a low frequency shear horizontal piezoelectric transducer for the generation of plane SH waves

Abstract

The shear horizontal guided wave fundamental mode (SH0) has the particularity of being the only non-dispersive plate guided wave mode. This characteristic makes this ultrasonic guided wave mode very attractive in non-destructive testing, facilitating signal processing for long range inspections. It is, however, difficult to generate only a single guided wave mode when using piezoelectric transduction. This work aims to develop a piezoelectric transducer capable of generating a virtually pure plane zeroth order shear horizontal wave. The chosen material was the PZT-5H for its dominant d15 piezoelectric constant, which makes it a perfect candidate for SH-wave generation. The transducer dimensions were optimised using an analytical model based on the Huygens' principle of superposition and the dipole pattern of a shear point source. A 3D multiphysics finite element model was then used to validate the analytical model results. Experimental validation was finally conducted with a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) system. Excellent agreement between the analytical model, finite element model and experimental validation was seen.