Numerical study on guided wave propagation in wood utility poles : finite element modelling and parametric sensitivity analysis

Recently, guided wave (GW)-based non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques have been developed and considered as a potential candidate for integrity assessment of wood structures, such as wood utility poles. However, due to the lack of understanding on wave propagation in such structures, especially under the effect of surroundings such as soil, current GW-based NDE methods fail to properly account for the propagation of GWs and to contribute reliable and correct results. To solve this critical issue, this work investigates the behaviour of wave propagation in the wood utility pole with the consideration of the influence of soil. The commercial finite element (FE) analysis software ANSYS is used to simulate GW propagation in a wood utility pole. In order to verify the numerical findings, the laboratory testing is also conducted in parallel with the numerical results to experimentally verify the effectiveness of developed FE models. Finally, sensitivity analysis is also carried out based on FE models of wood pole under different material properties, boundary conditions and excitation types.