Title: Detection of the defects in cylindrical pipes: application to the wave finite element method

Authors: F. Bouchoucha, M. Akrout, T. Fakhfakh, M.N. Ichchou, M. Haddar

Addresses: Unit of Dynamics of the Mechanical Systems (UDSM), National School of Engineers of Sfax, BP, W3038 Sfax, Tunisia; Laboratory of Tribology and Dynamics of Systems (LTDS), Ecole Centrale de Lyon, 36 Avenue Guy de Collongues 69130, Ecully, France. ' Unit of Dynamics of the Mechanical Systems (UDSM), National School of Engineers of Sfax, BP, W3038 Sfax, Tunisia. ' Unit of Dynamics of the Mechanical Systems (UDSM), National School of Engineers of Sfax, BP, W3038 Sfax, Tunisia. ' Equipe Dynamique des Systemes et des Structures, Laboratoire de Mecanique des Solides, Genie Mecanique et Genie civil, 36 avenue Guy de collongue, BP 163 Ecole Centrale de Lyon, 69130 Ecully cedex, France. ' Unit of Dynamics of the Mechanical Systems (UDSM), National School of Engineers of Sfax, BP, W3038 Sfax, Tunisia

Abstract: In this paper, we present an inexpensive and robust tool for the vibratory monitoring of cylindrical pipes. The tool will be based on the analysis of the anomalies which affect the elastic waves travelling in the pipe. We develop a numerical approach to study the guided elastic wave propagation in tubular structures. Wave finite element method (WFEM) based on the characterisation of the elastic waves is introduced to investigate the dispersion and wave scattering in pipes. Dynamic reduction technique is employed to improve the computational efficiency. Through WFEM and using a modal decomposition, we develop the dynamical behaviour of the pipe. We study the detection of some defects which affect the junction between two adjacent pipes. The question of the mode sensitivity to the defect|s detection is considered.

Keywords: defects; vibrations; periodic waveguides; finite element method; wave FEM; cylindrical pipes; defect detection; vibration monitoring; elastic waves.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIC.2010.033209

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control, 2010 Vol.9 No.4, pp.336 - 349

Published online: 13 May 2010 *

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