Abstract
Though ultrasonic nondestructive testing is the best way to find defects in structures, conventional point-by-point ultrasonic testing is extremely time-consuming. Since a guided wave can propagate over long distances in a large structure, guided waves have recently attracted considerable attention as a useful mean for nondestructive evaluation for large structures. However, fundamental information such as phase velocity and group velocity dispersion curves has not been obtained for a bar with an arbitrary cross-section as rails. This study discusses on theoretical and experimental dispersion curves for a rail structure. Theoretical dispersion curves are obtained with a semi-analytical finite element method.
