Automated Damage Assessment System for Ballistic Protective Inserts Using Low Frequency Ultrasonics

Abstract

Ballistic Protective Inserts (BPI) provide personal ballistic protection through several layers of materials such as ceramic plates and composite fibers. The complex BPI structure makes inspection with conventional nondestructive testing methods difficult. Radiography and low frequency ultrasonics are two methods that can provide information about the condition of a BPI, with respect to cracking and porosity in the ceramic plate and debonding between layers. Although both ultrasonics and radiography are sensitive to the presence of cracking and porosity, ultrasonics may be more sensitive to the presence of debonds, which makes it a powerful tool for BPI evaluation. In this paper, we discuss the development and application of an automated inspection system, which uses low frequency ultrasonics and a newly developed mathematical algorithm to assess the condition of BPI.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA481718

Entities

People

  • David Colanto
  • Didem Ozevin
  • Richard D. Finlayson
  • Valery F. Godinez-azcuaga

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Acoustic Waves
  • Acoustics
  • Algorithms
  • Composite Materials
  • Cross Correlation
  • Damage Assessment
  • Frequency
  • Inspection
  • Materials
  • Parallel Computing
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Methods
  • Ultrasonics
  • Waves
  • X Rays

Readers

  • Military Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.
  • Systems Analysis and Design