12D-3 Validity of Born Approximation for Plate Wave Scattering Problems

This paper explores the validity and application of first-order Born approximation for quantitative nondestructive evaluation (QNDE) of low-severity laminar damage in isotropic plate materials using guided plate waves. This is achieved by considering the parametric sensitivity of the absolute scattering cross-section for higher-order terms in the Born series with respect to the size and severity of cylindrical damage obstacles. Hence, the scatter directivity pattern is explicitly considered in the comparisons, as opposed to the usual approach of relating the refractive index inside the damage to the incident wavelength and obstacle size. Since advanced plate wave QNDE systems are likely to exploit scatter directivities to characterize and distinguish between different damage modes, the present comparisons provide an improved assessment of first-order Born approximation for detection and characterization of laminar damage in plates.