Damage Detection in Composite Plate Armor Using Ultrasonic Techniques

摘要

A method for crack and damage detection in ceramic composite plate armors is presented. The method uses embedded piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) transducers to characterize the vibrational modes of composite armor plates. The amplitudes of the vibrational modes of damaged and undamaged plates are shown to be distinct. The differences in the vibration modes can be exploited to detect cracks and damage. Composite armor plates for testing are damaged by impact with a certain caliber round. Data from these tests can be used to design a vehicle based system for the nondestructive testing (NDT) and health monitoring of the armor plate structural integrity.