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Natural sciences
- Acoustics and acoustical devices, waves
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Engineering and technology
- Dynamics, vibration and vibration control
- Short and long fibre reinforced composites
- Destructive and non-destructive testing of materials
- Analogue and digital signal processing
Fiber reinforced polymers (or composites) have excellent specific stiffness/strength as well as corrosion resistance, which makes them very attractive for high-tech applications in aerospace, renewable energy … Though, composites are also known for their susceptibility to internal defects which might compromise their structural performance. The goal of this project is to develop a low-cost and time-efficient non-destructive inspection technique by employing elastic waves. The idea is to employ the principle of wave time-reversal coupled to decomposition techniques in order to selectively focus vibrational energy at defects. By doing so, defects will get highly active and become themselves a secondary source of nonlinear vibrations, heat and/or acoustic emission. Tracking down these secondary effects offers a unique opportunity to get an exclusive imaging of defects in materials. The study will involve both experimental and numerical research in order to get a deep understanding of the various involved physical phenomena, and to optimize the technique for the wide diversity of possible defect types in composites.