Testing Samples Made of Polymer Composite Materials Using Ultrasonic Antenna Arrays

The possibility of detecting subsurface stratifications in polymer composite materials (PCMs), local zones with an increased content of pores and internal foreign inclusions (technological and operational defects), as well as integral structural disorders (shock damage) by investigating samples with artificial defects (flat-bottomed holes) using ultrasonic antenna arrays has been studied. The principal possibility of using antenna arrays with an operating frequency of 10 MHz for detecting and evaluating the parameters of discontinuities with dimensions measuring approximately one millimeter is shown. To improve the image quality of reflectors, the procedure of decorrelation of echo signals and the analysis of the coherent factor of images was used. The results of testing PCM samples after normalized impacts are presented; the results indicate good prospects for the use of ultrasonic nondestructive testing using antenna arrays (AAs).