The use of non-collinear mixing for nonlinear ultrasonic detection of plasticity and fatigue

This letter reports on the application of the non-collinear mixing technique to the ultrasonic measurement of material nonlinearity to assess plasticity and fatigue damage. Non-collinear mixing is potentially more attractive for assessing material state than other nonlinear ultrasonic techniques because system nonlinearities can be both independently measured and largely eliminated. Here, measurements made on a sample after plastic deformation and on a sample subjected to low-cycle fatigue show that the non-collinear technique is indeed capable of measuring changes in both, and is therefore a viable inspection technique for these types of material degradation. (C) 2009 Acoustical Society of America