The finite element method has been utilized to investigate the transient scattering of Rayleigh wave by a crack on a plate.The incident wave models and the guided waves generated by a pulsed line source are laser irradiation on the plate.Three surface-breaking cracks and three subsurface cracks are studied here.The results show that the location and the depth of cracks have measurable effects on the surface responses in time domains.The deeper surface-breaking crack will generate the more amplitude reflected wave,and the effect of the subsurface crack attributes to the vertical distance from the tip of subsurface crack to the top surface of the plate.Therefore,the waveform can be used to detect the surface breaking crack dimensions and the location position of the subsurface crack.