Ultrasonic experiments were carried out in an ultrasonic scanning
Machine using two identical transducers placed in pitch-catch
arrangement, one acting as the transmitter while the other one as
the receiver, as shown in Fig. 1. Identical transducer pairs at two
frequencies (1 and 3.5 MHz) were used for generating and receiving
Lamb waves. Incident angles of the transducers required for
generating Lamb modes were calculated from the dispersion curve
(Fig. 2) as described below.
Dispersion curves for a 0.16 in (4.06 mm) thick plate used in our
experiments are shown in Fig. 2. Phase velocities for different Lamb
modes can be obtained from the dispersion curves at the desired
frequency. For a plate immersed in a liquid (water in our case) with
acoustic wave speed cf (cf = 1.49 km/s in water at room temperature)
the angle of inclination (h) of the ultrasonic transducer required
for generating a specific Lamb mode having phase velocity
(vPH) = cL can be obtained from Snell’s law as shown below [20],