Hybrid experimental/computational approach to Time Reversal source localization in thin plates using image source method

Standard approaches to source localization usually rely on trilateration, using signals detected at multiple receiving points, with further research focused on improving localization robustness and reducing the number of sensors required. Time Reversal (TR) is a valid alternative, however it is often difficult to define a reliable hybrid (computational/experimental) approach, particularly in the case of plates where dispersive properties of the propagating waves play a crucial role to obtain focusing. In this paper, we present an analytical method that describes wave propagation in thin plates, accounting for edge reflections and dispersive properties, and validate it by comparison to experimental data. The Image Source Method (ISM), employed and extended in this study, provides an analytical means of Green's function computation through multiple edge-reflected propagation paths and proves to be reliable and fast to study propagation of Lamb waves in thin plates. A one-channel hybrid TR approach based on ISM is also proposed, utilizing experimental signals transferred to the model for backpropagation computation. In particular, the determination of the optimal signal duration to be time-reversed is discussed.