A predictive model for ultrasonic attenuation coefficient in particulate composites

摘要

The increasing use of particulate composites in various weight sensitive applications such as aerospace and marine industries requires strict quality assurance methods. Non-destructive evaluation techniques such as ultrasound are currently used for characterization of these materials. Attenuation coefficient is one of the important parameters required for characterizing materials using ultrasound. Incorrect attenuation coefficient may lead to misdiagnosis of structures that could cause potential disaster. The present study focuses on developing a model for predicting the pulse-echo ultrasonic attenuation coefficient in particulate composites that takes into account the effect of particle size, porosity, and radius ratio. Attenuation loss from absorption, scattering, and resonance of glass particles is incorporated in the model. Interaction between the particles is neglected and the scattered energy is assumed to be entirely lost. Attenuation coefficient predicted from the model is compared with Yamakawa's model and experiment.