K. Van Den Abeele

Bio: K. Van Den Abeele is an academic researcher from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ultrasonic sensor & Contact mechanics. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 46 publications receiving 693 citations. Previous affiliations of K. Van Den Abeele include Catholic University of Leuven.

Microcontact-based theory for acoustics in microdamaged materials

Abstract: A universal theory describing the wide range of mechanical and acoustic phenomena in solids with internal contacts such as rocks, concrete, ceramics and composites is quite complex to develop. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the potential to deduce the macroscopic stress–strain constitutive equation for a material as a whole starting from the microscopic hysteretic force–displacement relationship of individual asperities in contact. The material considered in the proposed model contains a large number of isotropic oriented penny-shaped cracks with rough internal surfaces. The stress–strain relationship we obtained for such a material is based on physical principles and laws. Even so, it displays close resemblance to the phenomenological Preisach–Mayergoyz model adopted for mechanical hysteresis and nonlinearity. This constitutive relationship is then used to simulate an experiment with standing acoustic waves in a resonant bar, and to compare model predictions to actual observations. We show that the most important experimentally measurable nonlinear features of these materials, such as the typical classical and nonclassical shifting behavior of the resonant frequency, the dependencies of the amplitudes of the generated harmonics, the softening due to intensive straining, and the subsequent relaxation effect (slow dynamics) can be attributed and explained in terms of the mechanics and the statistics of the internal contacts. The present model bridges the gap between three scales: macroscopic (material as a whole), mesoscopic (structure of intergranular contacts and cracks) and microscopic scale (contacts of individual asperities).

Quantification of material nonlinearity in relation to microdamage density using nonlinear reverberation spectroscopy: Experimental and theoretical study.

Abstract: High amplitude vibrations induce amplitude dependence of the characteristic resonance parameters (i.e., resonance frequency and damping factor) in materials with microscopic damage features as a result of the nonlinear constitutive relation at the damage location. This paper displays and quantifies results of the nonlinear resonance technique, both in time (signal reverberation) and in frequency (sweep) domains, as a function of sample crack density. The reverberation spectroscopy technique is applied to carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites exposed to increasing thermal loading. Considerable gain in sensitivity and consistent interpretation of the results for nonlinear signatures in comparison with the linear characteristics are obtained. The amount of induced damage is quantified by analyzing light optical microscopy images of several cross-sections of the CFRP samples using histogram equalization and grayscale thresholding. The obtained measure of crack density is compared to the global macroscopic nonlinearity of the sample and explicitly confirms that the increase in nonlinearity is linked to an increased network of cracks. A change from 1% to 3% in crack density corresponds to a tenfold increase in the signature of nonlinearity. Numerical simulations based on a uniform distribution of a hysteretic nonlinear constitutive relation within the sample support the results.

Non-destructive ultrasonic examination of root defects in friction stir welded butt-joints

Abstract: As a solid-state welding process, Friction Stir Welding (FSW) offers a variety of advantages over traditional welding processes. Problems that are typically occurring due to the cooling of the liquid phase, such as solidification cracking and formation of porosity, generally do not occur in FSW. Nevertheless, as a result of suboptimal settings of the welding process parameters and certain uncontrollable conditions, FSWs are still associated with a number of specific flaws, e.g. root flaws and wormholes. Ultrasonic non-destructive testing and evaluation techniques (NDT&E) can be used for quality assessment of friction stir welded joints. In this paper, a novel approach for the detection of root flaws is proposed using an immersion ultrasonic testing method in oblique incidence and backscatter mode. The backscattered energy C-scan images obtained after an empirical positioning and proper time gating can be straightforwardly interpreted by direct comparison with typical ‘flaw’ patterns, allowing for identification and localization of the root flaws in the weld. The method is illustrated for FSW butt joints of the AlZnMgCu (7XXX series) alloy.

Nonlinear acoustic time reversal imaging using the scaling subtraction method

Abstract: Lab experiments have shown that the imaging of nonlinear scatterers using time reversal acoustics can be a very promising tool for early stage damage detection. The potential applications are however limited by the need for an extremely accurate acquisition system. In order to let nonlinear features emerge from the background noise it is necessary to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio as much as possible. A comprehensive analysis to determine the nonlinear components in a recorded time signal, an alternative to those usually adopted (e.g. fast Fourier), is proposed here. The method is based on the nonlinear physical properties of the solution of the wave equation and takes advantage of the deficient system response scalability with the excitation amplitude. In this contribution, we outline the adopted procedure and apply it to a nonlinear time reversal imaging simulation to highlight the advantages with respect to traditional imaging based on a fast Fourier analysis of the recorded signals.

Review of Second Harmonic Generation Measurement Techniques for Material State Determination in Metals

Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge of second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements, a subset of nonlinear ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation techniques. These SHG techniques exploit the material nonlinearity of metals in order to measure the acoustic nonlinearity parameter, $$\beta $$ . In these measurements, a second harmonic wave is generated from a propagating monochromatic elastic wave, due to the anharmonicity of the crystal lattice, as well as the presence of microstructural features such as dislocations and precipitates. This article provides a summary of models that relate the different microstructural contributions to $$\beta $$ , and provides details of the different SHG measurement and analysis techniques available, focusing on longitudinal and Rayleigh wave methods. The main focus of this paper is a critical review of the literature that utilizes these SHG methods for the nondestructive evaluation of plasticity, fatigue, thermal aging, creep, and radiation damage in metals.

Recent Advances in Friction Stir Welding/Processing of Aluminum Alloys: Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties

Abstract: Friction stir welding (FSW), a highly efficient solid-state joining technique, has been termed as “green” technology due to its energy efficiency and environment friendliness. It is an enabling technology for joining metallic materials, in particular lightweight high-strength aluminum and magnesium alloys which were classified as unweldable by traditional fusion welding. It is thus considered to be the most significant development in the area of material joining over the past two decades. Friction stir processing (FSP) was later developed based on the basic principles of FSW. FSP has been proven to be an effective and versatile metal-working technique for modifying and fabricating metallic materials. FSW/FSP of aluminum alloys has prompted considerable scientific and technological interest since it has a potential for revolutionizing the manufacturing process in the aerospace, defense, marine, automotive, and railway industries. To promote widespread applications of FSW/FSP technology and ensure t...

Assessment of delay-and-sum algorithms for damage detection in aluminium and composite plates

Abstract: Piezoelectric sensors are increasingly being used in active structural health monitoring, due to their durability, light weight and low power consumption. In the present work damage detection and characterization methodologies based on Lamb waves have been evaluated for aircraft panels. The applicability of various proposed delay-and-sum algorithms on isotropic and composite stiffened panels have been investigated, both numerically and experimentally. A numerical model for ultrasonic wave propagation in composite laminates is proposed and compared to signals recorded from experiments. A modified delay-and-sum algorithm is then proposed for detecting impact damage in composite plates with and without a stiffener which is shown to capture and localize damage with only four transducers.

Review / Sythèse Nonlinear acoustic applications for material characterization: A review

Abstract: The nonlinear acoustic applications for material characterization are reviewed. The general theoretical analysis of the effects of nonlinearity, dissipation, dispersion, and diffraction on intense ...