Acoustography Applied to the Monitoring of Impact Damage Growth in Composites under Fatigue Conditions

Summary Remarks

Acoustography provides a very powerful means of monitoring damage in composites in real-time during both static loading and long-term dynamic fatigue tests. The successful integration of the Acousto Scope and a mechanical test machine has provided a new analytical technique which significantly enhances the information that can be gained in mechanical testing. The technique shows great potential for increasing our knowledge and understanding of failure processes in composites and other materials. Acoustography is a convenient and versatile ultrasonic imaging system that is superior in a number of respects to conventional ultrasonic C-scan.