Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Testing | Intelligent Measurements and Evaluation Laboratory | SIU

This ultrasonic NDE technique is a non-contact method of inspecting non-homogeneous materials using air as a coupling agent.  Air-coupled ultrasonic testing (ACUT) has proven to be an efficient and cost effective NDE method in determining and characterizing defects in C/C composites.  The experimental approach includes shear wave, plate wave, pseudo pulse-echo, and through transmission configurations.  The air-coupled transducers are driven by a high-energy rectangular tone burst signal.  The receiver probe has a built-in low noise preamplifier as well as a narrow-band filter unit.  The combination of these allows low-noise amplification.  As a result, no additional averaging of the signal is required and fast scanning is possible.  In addition, C-scan air-coupled instrument and software combines the ultrasonic pulser/receiver with the motion control and data acquisition by using the same bus.  Rather than collecting just amplitude, it saves complete A-scans for each single pixel of the C-scan image.  Post-processing of the C-scan allows the varying gate positions and other parameters, after the scanning process.

Capability:

1. Shear wave, plate wave, pseudo pulse-echo, and through transmission measurements.
2. Data collected through Airstar Bondline software.
3. AS 2100 pulser / receiver.
4. Air-couple transmitter and receiver: 50 kHz - 500 kHz
5. Scan frame: 2570mm long X 2070mm wide X 1000mm high.
6. Full motion control: motorized X-, Y- and Z- axes.
7. Circular scan, any diameter disks adjustable.
8. Accurate A-scan, B-scan and C-scan.

Application:

1. Composites, Ceramics, and Polymers.
2. Carbon/Carbon composites.
3. Carbon/Epoxy composites.
4. Graphite-epoxy sandwich panels.
5. Automotive clutch facings.
6. Automotive brake pads.
7. Asphalt concrete.
8. Pultruded materials, wood, and rubber (tires).