Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Defect Detection via Instrumented Impact in Thick-Sectioned Laminate Composites

Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation volume 36, Article number: 47 (2017) Cite this article

Abstract

The application of impact-based nondestructive inspection to thick-sectioned laminate composite parts, although widely reported, is still hampered by a number of challenges. In this article, microphone-recorded impact response variations are associated with delaminations within a variety of test specimens, building in complexity from metal to composite simulant and finally toward the application of the method to hard armor protective inserts. Defective and defect-free states are verified a priori by both operator quality inspections and X-ray computed tomography. Potential delamination-discriminating metrics are determined by signal processing of vibroacoustic data. Prior reported “tap test” metrics that focus on impact force-time histories are shown to be insufficient for thick-sections laminates. The empirical results reported herein, additionally supported by simulations, suggest that large defects may be detectible via a frequency content analysis. Method limitations, potential confounds, and the extension to the case of smaller defects is discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

References

  1. Spain, R., Schubring, N., Diamond, M.: An electronic ear for certifying reliability. Mater. Eval. Am. Soc. Nondestruct. Test. 22(3), 113–117 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Nagy, K., Dousis, D.A., Finch, R.D.: Detection of flaws in railroad wheels using acoustic signatures. J. Eng. Ind. 100(4), 459–465 (1978)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Cawley, P.: Non-destructive testing of mass produced components by natural frequency measurements. Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part B: J. Eng. Manuf. 199(3), 161–168 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Cawley, P., Woolfrey, A.M., Adams, R.D.: Natural frequency measurements for production quality control of fibre composites. Composites 16(1), 23–27 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Carino, N.J.: The impact-echo method: an overview. In: Proceedings of the 2001 Structures Congress & Exposition (2001)

  6. Cheng, C., Sansalone, M.: The impact-echo response of concrete plates containing delaminations: numerical, experimental and field studies. Mater. Struct. 26(5), 274–285 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. ASTM International: Standard Test Method for Measuring the P-Wave Speed and the Thickness of Concrete Plates Using the Impact-Echo Method. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, West Conshohocken, PA (2015)

  8. Oh, T., et al.: Improved interpretation of vibration responses from concrete delamination defects using air-coupled impact resonance tests. J. Eng. Mech. 139(3), 315–324 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zhu, J., Popovics, J.S.: Imaging concrete structures using air-coupled impact-echo. J. Eng. Mech. 133(6), 628–640 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. ASTM International: Standard Practice for Evaluating the Condition of Concrete Plates Using the Impulse-Response Method. West Conshohocken, PA (2010)

  11. Nazarian, S., Reddy, S., Baker, M.: Determination of voids under rigid pavements using impulse response method. In: Von Quintas, H.L., Bush, A.J., III, Baladi, G.Y. (eds.) Nondestructive Testing of Pavements and Backcalculation of Moduli, ASTM STP 1198, vol. 2. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia (1994)

  12. Raju, P.K., Vaidya, U.K.: Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of composites using the acoustic impact technique (AIT). In: Mitchell, M.R., Buck, O. (eds.) Cyclic Deformation, Fracture, and Nondestructive Evaluation of Advanced Materials, ASTM STP 1184, vol. 2, pp. 376–391. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia (1994)

  13. Schroeer, R.: The acoustic impact technique. Non-Destruct. Test. 3(3), 194–196 (1970)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. ASTM International: Standard Guide for Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy for Defect Detection in Both Metallic and Non-metallic Parts. West Conshohocken, PA (2013)

  15. Jüngert, A., Große, C., Krüger, M.: Local acoustic resonance spectroscopy (LARS) for glass fiber-reinforced polymer applications. J. Nondestruct. Eval. 33(1), 23–33 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Lange, Y.V.: Acoustical spectral nondestructive-testing method. Sov. J. Nondestruct. Test. USSR 14(3), 193–199 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Avitabile, P.: Experimental modal analysis. J. Sound Vib. 35, 20–31 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Chopra, A.K.: Dynamics of Structures, vol. 3. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (1995)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Luo, H., Hanagud, S.: Delamination modes in composite plates. J. Aerosp. Eng. 9(4), 106–113 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Pardoen, G.C.: Effect of delamination on the natural frequencies of composite laminates. J. Compos. Mater. 23(12), 1200–1215 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Pérez, M.A., Gil, L., Oller, S.: Impact damage identification in composite laminates using vibration testing. Compos. Struct. 108, 267–276 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Cawley, P.: Low frequency NDT techniques for the detection of disbands and delaminations. Br. J. Non-Destruct. Test. 32(9), 454–461 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Cawley, P., Adams, R.D.: The mechanics of the coin-tap method of non-destructive testing. J. Sound Vib. 122(2), 299–316 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Hsu, D.K., Barnard, D.J., Peters, J.J., Dayal, V.: Physical basis of tap test as a quantitative imaging tool for composite structures on aircraft. In: Thompson, D.O., Chimenti, D.E. (eds.) Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Symposium on Qualitative Nondestructive Evaluation. AIP Conference Proceedings, Montréal, Canada, 25–30 July, vol. 19, pp. 1857–1864. American Institute of Physics (2000)

  25. Hsu, D.K., Barnard, D.J., Peters, J.J., Hudelson, N.A.: Non-Destructive Inspections and the Display of Inspection Results. US Patent 6,327,921 B1, 11 Dec 2011. Iowa State University, Ames, IA

  26. Peters, J.J., Barnard, D.J., Hudelson, N.A., Simpson, T.S., Hsu, D.K.: A prototype tap test imaging system: initial field test results. In: Thompson, D.O., Chimenti, D.E. (eds.) Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Symposium on Qualitative Nondestructive Evaluation. AIP Conference Proceedings, Montréal, Canada, 25–30 July, vol. 19, pp. 2053–2060. American Institute of Physics (2000)

  27. Georgeson, G., Lea, S., Hansen, J.: Electronic tap hammer for composite damage assessment. In: Rempt, R.D., Broz, A.L. (eds.) Nondestructive Evaluation of Aging Aircraft, Airports, and Aerospace Hardware. Proceedings of SPIE 2945, 3 Dec, Scottsdale, AZ, vol. 2945, pp. 328–338. SPIE (1996)

  28. Georgeson, G.E.: Damage Detection Device and Method. The Boeing Company, Seattle, WA (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mitsuhashi, K., et al.: Method and Apparatus for Impact-Type Inspection of Structures. Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Tokyo (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Pfund, B.: Portable test hammer apparatus. US Patent 5,686,652, 11 Nov 1997

  31. Ibrahim, M.E.: Nondestructive evaluation of thick-section composites and sandwich structures: a review. Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf. 64, 36–48 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Cawley, P., Adams, R.D.: Sensitivity of the coin-tap method of nondestructive testing. Mater. Eval. 47, 558–563 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Carino, N.J.: Impact echo: the fundamentals. In: International Symposium Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering (NDT-CE), Berlin, Germany (2015)

  34. Fastl, H., Zwicker, E.: Psychoacoustics: Facts and Models. Springer, Berlin (2007)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  35. Wightman, F.L., Green, D.M.: The perception of pitch: the pitch of a sound wave is closely related to its frequency or periodicity–but the exact nature of that relation remains a mystery. Am. Sci. 62(2), 208–215 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Andreisek, G., et al.: The virtual tap test— a training system for wind turbine rotor blade inspectors. In: Proceedings of the 19th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (2016)

  37. Giordano, B.L., Rocchesso, D., McAdams, S.: Integration of acoustical information in the perception of impacted sound sources: the role of information accuracy and exploitability. J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 36(2), 462 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Haynes, N., et al.: Automated non-destructive evaluation system for hard armor protective inserts of body armor. In: Personal Armour Systems Symposium. International Personal Armour Committee (IPAC), Brussels, Belgium (2008)

  39. Roberson, C., et al.: Update on practical non destructive testing methods for in-service QA of ceramic body armor plates. In: Personal Armour Systems Symposium. International Personal Armour Committee (IPAC), Leeds, UK

  40. Meitzler, T.J., et al.: Crack detection in armor plates using ultrasonic techniques. Mater. Eval. Am. Soc. Nondestruct. Test. 66, 555–559 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Godínez-Azcuaga, V.F., Finlayson, R.D.: Acoustic techniques for the inspection of ballistic protective inserts in personnel armor. SAMPE 39, 8–19 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Godínez-Azcuaga, V.F., Ozevin, D., Finlayson, R.D.: Automated Damage Assessment System for Protective Inserts Using Low Frequency Ultrasonics. US Army RDECOM-NSRDEC; Physical Acoustics Corporation, Natick, Massachusetts (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Rayleigh, L.: The Theory of Sound. Unabridged, Second Revised, vol. I & II. Dover, New York (1945)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Johnson, K.L.: Mechanics, Contact, Printing, Ninth, 2003. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Cawley, P., Adams, R.: Sensitivity of the coin-tap method of nondestructive testing. Mater. Eval. 47(5), 558–563 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Cawley, P.: A high frequency coin-tap method of non-destructive testing. Mech. Syst. Signal Process. 5(1), 1–11 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Cawley, P., Theodorakopoulos, C.: The membrane resonance method of non-destructive testing. J. Sound Vib. 130(2), 299–311 (1989)

  48. Mackie, R., Vardy, A.: Applying the coin-tap test to adhesives in civil engineering: a numerical study. Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 10(3), 215–220 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Oh, T., Popovics, J.S., Sim, S.-H.: Analysis of vibration for regions above rectangular delamination defects in solids. J. Sound Vib. 332(7), 1766–1776 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Solodov, I., Bai, J., Busse, G.: Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy of defects: case study of flat-bottomed holes. J. Appl. Phys. 113(22), 223512 (2013)

  51. Esola, S., et al.: Parametric study using modal analysis of a bi-material plate with defects. In: 41st Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation. AIP, Boise, Idaho (2014)

Download references

Funding

U.S. Army Program Executive Office—Soldier (Award # W91CRB-13-P-0057) provided funding for this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Group Member, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics Department, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Shane Esola

  2. Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Department, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Ivan Bartoli

  3. Program Executive Office – Soldier, U.S. Army, Fort Belvoir, VA, 22060, USA

    Suzanne E. Horner & James Q. Zheng

  4. Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Group Director, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics Department, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Antonios Kontsos

Authors
  1. Shane Esola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ivan Bartoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Suzanne E. Horner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. James Q. Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonios Kontsos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonios Kontsos.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Esola, S., Bartoli, I., Horner, S.E. et al. Defect Detection via Instrumented Impact in Thick-Sectioned Laminate Composites. J Nondestruct Eval 36, 47 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-017-0422-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-017-0422-8

Keywords

search

Navigation