Generalized scattering matrix method for Lamb wave scattering analysis at cascaded notches

A thorough understanding of the scattering mechanism of Lamb waves at discontinuities is of interest for quantitative evaluation of structural properties and mode control. This study extends the generalized scattering matrix method to investigate the interaction of straight crested Lamb waves with multiple cascaded rectangular notches. Based on the orthogonality and completeness of Lamb modes, the mode matching method is utilized to determine the scattering matrices of downward and upward step discontinuities. After that, the generalized scattering matrix method is employed to determine the scattering matrices of a single rectangular notch and the recurrence relations between the scattering matrices of n + 1 cascaded notches and those of n cascaded notches. Finally, the scattering matrices of multiple cascaded notches can be easily obtained taking advantage of the recurrence relations. As the number of cascaded notches increases, more and sharper peaks appear in the scattering coefficient curves. The finite element simulations conducted in the time domain validate the theoretical results for cascaded notches with identical or different depths, which demonstrate that this method can be applied to find the scattering coefficients at piece-wise periodic or nonperiodic waveguides. The generalized scattering matrix method may have potential applications in quantitative nondestructive evaluation and mode control.