Numerical simulation of ultrasonic wave propagation in inhomogeneous, general elastically anisotropic media

The ultrasonic nondestructive testing of components with inhomogeneous, anisotropic crystalline structure may encounter considerable difficulties. Due to the curved propagation paths of ultrasonic waves in these materials, inspection results may be hard to interpret. We present a numerical method for the simulation of elastic wave propagation in inhomogeneous, general elastically anisotropic media which is based on the general finite integration (FI) approach. The numerical examples given, deal with the ultrasonic impulse-echo inspection of a typical austenitic V-shaped butt weld with a spatially varying grain structure. Discussion of the results is done in comparison with those obtained from a ray tracing algorithm.