Modal pencil method for the radiation of guided wave fields in finite isotropic plates validated by a transient spectral finite element method.

Elastic guided waves (GW) can be profitably used in non-destructive evaluation and in structural health monitoring of plate-like structures. Nevertheless, the multi-modal and dispersive behaviour of GW often leads to difficult interpretation of typically measured time-dependent signals. The development of efficient simulation tools appears necessary to better understand complex phenomena involved and to optimize testing configurations.