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Study on Ultrasonic Guided Wave Monitoring Technology for Weld Corrosion in Rocket Tank Repeated Pressurization Tests

Rocket tank, Repeated pressurization, Ultrasonic guided wave, Weld corrosion

Special Sessions > SSL 11 New Developments in Guided Waves (GW) and Nondestructive Testing (NDT): Propagation, Design and Applications

Reusability has emerged as a prevailing trend in the development of aerospace transportation systems. To evaluate the structural reusability performance, ground testing missions involving multiple operational cycles are increasingly implemented. Consequently, the necessity for structural damage monitoring during such testing processes has become increasingly evident. For rocket tank welds, an ultrasonic guided wave–based monitoring approach tailored to repeated pressurization conditions is introduced. Using an actual rocket tank as the experimental subject, the dispersion characteristics of guided waves in the cylindrical section welds were systematically analyzed. On the basis of aliased modal guided wave signals, damage characterization metrics reflecting energy attenuation were formulated. A repeated pressurization experiment extending over a duration of more than 60 days was performed. A monitoring network employing piezoelectric smart layer sensors was established. Weld damage imaging under varying pressurization cycles was successfully accomplished, and the progressive corrosion behavior of the welds corresponding to the number of pressurization cycles was elucidated. The underlying mechanisms of weld corrosion were examined, critically corroded zones were precisely identified, and the efficacy of the proposed methodology was validated.