Acousto-ultrasonic technique for nondestructive evaluation of composite materials. A review. Pt. 1

In a two part study, a review based on the emerging technique of determining the acousto-ultrasonic stress wave factor is presented. In Part I, the principles and applications of the method are described. Some of the key publications on acousto-ultrasonic which use the technique for material strength correlation and damage assessment in fibre reinforced composites are outlined. In Part 2, further applications of the method along with its advantages and limitations, and possible means of improvement will be discussed. (orig.)