Response of a Thick Orthotropic Composite Material to Dynamic Surface Line Loads and the Application to Elastic Constant Determination

Thick composites are used in many primary structures. The determination of the elastic moduli of thick composites is important not only in characterizing ultrasonic waves for NDE, but also in prediction of load-carrying capacity of the structures. For a sufficiently thick composite, the attenuation of waves often makes echoes too weak for practical measurements. Therefore, surface measurement becomes an important method for determining the elastic moduli of a thick composite