Use of a Simple Non-Destructive Technique for Evaluation of the Elastic and Vibration Properties of Fiber-Reinforced and 3D Fiber-Metal Laminate Composites

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess the accuracy and reliability of a simple non-destructive sonic technique for evaluating the effective elastic and vibration properties (damping coefficient) of various isotropic and orthotropic materials—in particular, of a recently developed class of 3D fiber-metal laminates (FML). Aluminum, E-glass/epoxy composite, 3D-FML, and glass-reinforced aluminum FML (GLARE) materials were considered. It is exhibited that the 3D-FML offers the greatest damping characteristics in comparison to all the considered materials. Moreover, the sonic technique, facilitated through the use of a GrindoSonic equipment, proves to produce accurate and reliable results with minimal effort. Finite element analysis is also employed to further establish the accuracy of the properties evaluated by the experimental data. The utility of the established homogenized experimental properties within the finite element framework is also discussed.