Analysis of elastic wave propagation through anisotropic stainless steel using elastodynamic FEM and ultrasonic beam model

The wave propagation problem in anisotropic media is modeled by the Gauss-Hermite beam and tile finite element method and their results are compared. Gauss-Hermite mettled is computationally fast and simple, and explicitly incorporates beam spreading. In the 2-D model problem chosen, the ultrasonic beam leaves a transducer, propagates through a layer of ferritic steel and through a planar interface into a region of columnar cast stainless steel with two directions. After propagation to a reference plane, comparison .if made of the time-domain waveforms predicted by tile two models. The predictions of the two models are found to be in good agreement near the center of the beam, with deviations developing as one moves away from tile central ray. These are interpreted to be a consequence of the Fresnel approximation, made in the Gauss-Hermite model.