Accuracy and Convergence Using a Local Interaction Simulation Approach in One, Two, and Three Dimensions

Guided waves are utilized in structural health monitoring for identifying damage in material components. Simulations can be used to examine how elastic waves propagate in components to help in selecting measurement and data analysis techniques. In this work, the influence of grid size and the frequency sample rate on the amplitude accuracy and convergence of local interaction simulation approach/sharp interface model (LISA/SIM) numerical simulations are studied as they pertain to guided wave propagation in structural materials. These issues are studied in all three dimensions, and amplitude distortion with respect to the Courant–Friedrich–Lewy criterion is explored. The LISA/SIM enables accurate and fast modeling of localized and sharp changes in material properties across interfaces associated with heterogeneities and/ or boundaries. The validity of the simulation is demonstrated by comparing simulated responses with experimentally measured data. Additionally, Lamb wave dispersion curves are extracted through the course of the convergence study using a broadband pulse and the two-dimensional fast Fourier transform method.