Simulation And Experimental Study On Excitation Of Guided Waves On Post Insulators By Circular Array Of Piezoelectric Devices

In modern electrical power engineering, post insulators are indispensable as they fulfill the functions of supporting and isolating electric currents. During the manufacturing and service process, post insulators often bear cyclic loads and other stress effects, causing internal and surface defects such as cracks. These defects greatly affect the effectiveness of service. Ultrasonic guided waves detection has the advantages of good directionality and long propagation distances. Therefore, it is widely used in non-destructive testing of pipelines, rails, and bars. For post insulators, there is relatively little research on ultrasonic guided waves non-destructive testing. This study is based on finite element analysis and experimental verification, using a PZT-5 piezoelectric circular array to excite and receive ultrasonic guided waves at different positions, clarifying the propagation behavior of ultrasonic guided waves within post insulators. During the experiment, the excitation frequency applied to the piezoelectric devices was changed to obtain the optimal received signal. This study effectively guided the ultrasonic guided waves detection of post insulators and revealed the propagation law of ultrasonic guided waves inside complex structures such as umbrella skirts.