Broadband guided wavefield dataset for damage detection in an omega-stiffened GFRP aerospace panel

Description This dataset contains full wavefield measurements of broadband elastic guided wave propagation acquired using scanning laser Doppler vibrometry (SLDV). The measurements were performed on an omega-stiffened glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) aerospace panel with artificially introduced damage. The wavefield data represent out-of-plane velocity responses recorded over a dense spatial grid and captured in the spatiotemporal domain. The dataset enables research on non-destructive testing (NDT), guided wave analysis, and machine learning-based diagnostics. Experimental setup Wavefield measurements were conducted using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer system (Polytec PSV-400). Broadband guided waves were excited using a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) driven by long-duration chirp signals (160 μs) with frequency content ranging from 5 kHz to 250 kHz. The excitation signals were generated by an arbitrary waveform generator and amplified prior to actuation. The scanning head was integrated with a data acquisition system and controller, enabling automated measurements over a predefined grid. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), each measurement point was recorded 20 times and subsequently averaged. Specimen description The test specimen is a rectangular omega-stiffened GFRP panel with dimensions: 520 mm (x-direction) 900 mm (y-direction) 1 mm (thickness) The structure consists of two adhesively bonded laminates: a flat laminate, an omega-stiffened laminate. Each laminate is composed of three layers of woven glass fiber fabric. The bonding was performed using an epoxy adhesive. A circular PZT transducer (10 mm diameter, 0.2 mm thickness, NCE51 material) was bonded near the center of the stiffener-side laminate using cyanoacrylate adhesive. Damage scenario Artificial damage was introduced in the form of: two circular Teflon inserts simulating barely visible impact damage (BVID), a band-shaped debonding region located on the right side of the panel. Scanning parameters Scanning area: 430 mm × 573 mm (flat section of the panel) Spatial grid resolution: 279 × 365 points Temporal resolution: 2048 samples per point Data structure The dataset is stored as a three-dimensional matrix: Axes: X (spatial) Y (spatial) Time (temporal) Each entry corresponds to the averaged out-of-plane velocity at a given spatial location and time instant. Potential applications The dataset can be used for: guided wave propagation analysis, damage detection and localization, barely visible impact damage (BVID) studies, development and validation of SHM algorithms, machine learning and deep learning applications (e.g., wavefield-based feature extraction, digital twins). Keywords guided waves, SLDV, SHM, GFRP, composite structures, BVID, delamination, wavefield imaging, non-destructive testing