Evaluation of the Structural Integrity of Granular Composites by Ultrasonic Techniques

The development of the mechanical strength of composite materials which are consolidated by cementaceous bonds has been monitored by observation of the ultrasonic properties over the evolution of bond growth. The granular nature and weak bonding of these materials produce high attenuation of the ultrasonic signal and observation is difficult, particularly in larger structures. In order to obtain ultrasonic parameters with high resolution and to overcome the effects of grain scattering, a system based on a minicomputer and array processor has been implemented which provides time and frequency-domain processing and aperture synthesis. This ultrasonic data provides a reliable measure of the structural integrity of these materials