Single-Sided Ultrasonic Characterization of (Damaged) Composites having Mechanical and/or Geometrical Anisotropy

This research investigates the use of ultrasound waves for single-sided non-destructive testing and characterization of composites. The method of interest is the so-called Ultrasonic Polar Scan (UPS), which insonifies the composite from a multitude of oblique incidence angles. The resulting set of data is a representation of the mechanical state of the insonified composite. By coupling experiment to dedicated numerical models, a complete identification of both visco-elastic parameters and damage parameters of the composite is aimed for.