Propagation characteristics of laser-generated like-Rayleigh waves in viscoelastic adhesive coating/substrate structures

The propagation characteristics of laser-generated like-Rayleigh waves in viscoelastic adhesive coating/substrate structures were studied.Considering the viscoelasticity of the coating and substrate,we have established the finite element models in frequency domain for the laser-generated like-Rayleigh waves in the epoxy coating/aluminum substrate,epoxy coating/brass substrate,and epoxy coating/foam substrate structures,respectively.In addition,we have investigated the waveform and propagation characteristics of the like-Rayleigh waves and studied the influences of the coating transparency,coating thickness,coating viscoelasticity,and substrate viscoelasticity on the propagation characteristics of the like-Rayleigh waves.Moreover,we have verified the results by the theoretical phase velocity and attenuation curves.The results show that the coating viscoelasticity induces the attenuation characteristics of the higher frequencies of the like-Rayleigh waves,but has little effect on the lower frequencies,and the substrate viscoelasticity has the influences on both the higher and lower frequencies of the like-Rayleigh waves,especially the lower frequencies.Furthermore,the mode and dispersive characteristics of the like-Rayleigh waves are closely related to the substrates.This study provides a useful theoretical basis for inverting mechanical parameters and evaluating the adhesive quality of the viscoelastic adhesive coating/substrate structures.

Workflow to numerically reproduce laboratory ultrasonic datasets

The risks and uncertainties related to the storage of high-level radioactive waste （HLRW） can be reducedthanks to focused studies and investigations. HLRWs are going to be placed in deep geological repositories,enveloped in an engineered bentonite barrier, whose physical conditions are subjected tochange throughout the lifespan of the infrastructure. Seismic tomography can be employed to monitor itsphysical state and integrity. The design of the seismic monitoring system can be optimized via conductingand analyzing numerical simulations of wave propagation in representative repository geometry.However, the quality of the numerical results relies on their initial calibration. The main aim of this paperis to provide a workflow to calibrate numerical tools employing laboratory ultrasonic datasets. The finitedifference code SOFI2D was employed to model ultrasonic waves propagating through a laboratorysample. Specifically, the input velocity model was calibrated to achieve a best match between experimentaland numerical ultrasonic traces. Likely due to the imperfections of the contact surfaces, theresultant velocities of P- and S-wave propagation tend to be noticeably lower than those a prioriassigned. Then, the calibrated model was employed to estimate the attenuation in a montmorillonitesample. The obtained low quality factors （Q） suggest that pronounced inelastic behavior of the clay has tobe taken into account in geophysical modeling and analysis. Consequently, this contribution should beconsidered as a first step towards the creation of a numerical tool to evaluate wave propagation innuclear waste repositories. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.