Unidirectional shear horizontal wave generation by periodic permanent magnets electromagnetic acoustic transducer with dual linear-coil array

Shear horizontal (SH) waves are commonly generated by periodic permanent magnet (PPM) electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) in metallic media. Conventional PPM EMATs generate ultrasonic waves, which simultaneously propagate both forwards and backwards. This can be an undesirable characteristic, since the backward wave can be eventually reflected, reaching the receiver transducer where it can mix with the signal of interest. This limitation can be overcome using two side-shifted PPM arrays and racetracks coils to generate SH waves in a single direction. That design relies on the EMAT’s wavefront diffraction to produce constructive and destructive interference, but produces unwanted backward travelling side-lobes. Here we present a different design, which uses a conventional PPM array and a dual linear-coil array. The concept was numerically simulated, the main design parameters were assessed and the unidirectional EMAT was experimentally evaluated on an aluminum plate, generating the SH0 guided wave mode nominally in a single direction. The amplitude ratio of the generated waves at the enhanced to the weakened side is above 20 dB. Since the wavefronts from the two sources are perfectly aligned, no obvious backward side-lobes are present in the acoustic field, which can significantly reduce the probability of false alarm of an EMAT detection system.