Theoretical and numerical investigations of acoustic field characteristics of shear-horizontal feature guided waves in a welded joint

This paper investigates acoustic field characteristics of shear-horizontal feature guided waves (SH-FGWs) propagating through topographic waveguides like welds and stiffeners in plate-like structures. It establishes mathematical models of second harmonic and quasi-static component (QSC) generated by SH-FGWs in a welded joint and analyzes their theoretical characteristics. Using two-dimensional semi-analytical finite element and three-dimensional finite element methods, it studies the dispersion characteristics of FGWs and acoustic field distribution at specific frequencies of SH-FGWs, as well as their nonlinear response. This study provides new physical insights into the acoustic field distribution and nonlinear response of SH-FGWs in topographic waveguides.