Hidden Corrosion Detection in Aircraft Metallic Structures Using Lamb Waves

The corrosion of aeronautics structures in aluminum is difficult to detect at an early stage. Lamb waves are sometimes very sensitive to this damage and can be considered as good candidates for its detection. Unfortunately, the complex time evolution of Lamb wave signals makes difficult both utilization and interpretation of their interaction with defects. This paper demonstrates that, for many reasons, the analysis based on wavelets transform is of great help for recognition of Lamb modes and allows the cartography of corroded areas.