Impulse response method for defect detection in polymers: Description of the method and preliminary results

The major problem encountered in the application of polymer industrial products is the difficulty of effectively modelling and predicting material performance and service life according to applied loads and operating environmental conditions. Furthermore, the presence of defects such as voids or inclusions created during manufacturing may affect the final performance. The aim of this study is to present and investigate the development of an innovative acoustic non-destructive technique (patent pending), able to verify defects into composite laminates. The analysis was carried out in two steps: the first aims to verify if distinct phases can be recognized within a material, while the second has the purpose of testing the proposed method on defective materials ad hoc prepared.