A signal processing approach for elastic wave-based structural health monitoring using active piezoelectrics

A series of digital frequency filters (DFFs) were designed to screen diverse noises and the spectrographic analysis was conducted to isolate complex boundary reflection, which obscures the damage-induced signals. The scale-averaged wavelet power (SAP) technique was applied to enhance
the measurement accuracy of Time of Flight (TOF). As an example, the propagation characteristics of elastic wave in a structural beam of square cross-section were analyzed using such an approach and verified experimentally and numerically, with the consideration of the complicated wave scatter caused by the non-ignorable section dimensions.

Assessment of delamination in composite beams using shear horizontal (SH) wave mode

Interaction of Lamb waves with structural damage can lead to wave mode conversion. In this study, the shear horizontal (SH) wave, from the mode conversion of the fundamental symmetric Lamb wave (S0), was used for quantitative identification of delamination in composite beams, based on advanced signal processing using an inverse approach. SH wave propagation under various delamination conditions in CF/EP beams made of orthotropic plain woven fabrics was simulated, and signal characteristics were extracted in terms of the concept of digital damage fingerprints (DDF). With the aid of an artificial neural algorithm, the relation between the DDF of delamination-scattered SH mode and damage parameters was calibrated, whereby the occurrence, location and size of delamination in the composite beams were assessed. The approach was experimentally validated, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of SH mode for quantitative damage evaluation of composite structures.

Riding the wave of open access : providing library research support for scholarly publishing literacy

Researchers are experiencing intense pressures to publish and increase research outputs. Recently many research funders have introduced policies and mandates related to open access, which have contributed to the increasing popularity of open access journals. Dubbed gold open access, open access journals offer researchers another publishing option. However, some publishers with questionable practices and journals of dubious quality have emerged exploiting the ‘author pays’ open access model and researchers' need to publish. Hence an ability to publish research outputs through the most appropriate outlet for a particular field is crucial for researchers in order to maximise the impact of their research. Notwithstanding the proliferation of open access journals, the literature indicates that some researchers may not have a full understanding of the operations, implications and issues around open access and other publishing issues. This understanding is known as scholarly publishing literacy. With knowledge of scholarly publishing and access to resources and tools, academic libraries and librarians are well-positioned to play an active role in providing support to researchers. This paper argues that scholarly publishing literacy should be treated as an extension of information literacy delivered through a broader research support framework. This paper presents a research librarian's perspective, and draws on literature and the author's practice to illustrate key points. Issues for further investigation are identified.