Interaction Between SH Guided Waves and Tilted Surface-Breaking Cracks in Plates.

The interaction between SH guided waves and simple defects is well understood and documented, and the SH and related torsional guided waves are commonly used in inspection. However, tilted and branching cracks, for which vertical notches are a poor approximation, are found in some environments, particularly when pipes are buried in alkaline soils. This paper studies the interaction between SH guided waves and tilted, surface-breaking cracks, investigating the effect of the tilt and depth of the defect.