ULTRASONIC EVALUATION OF THE PROCESSING OF FIBER-REINFORCED METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES

Non-destructive evaluation techniques using ultrasonic shear wave and longitudinal wave interrogations have been employed to evaluate the consolidation behavior of a Ti-14Al-21Nb/SiC model composite containing a single SiC fiber. Partially and fully consolidated composite samples prepared by diffusion bonding methods were examined by these techniques, and the ultrasonic images obtained correlated with the results of metallographic characterization. A similar evaluation was carried out on a Ti-6Al-4V/SiC single-ply composite to illustrate the applicability of these techniques to composites containing high fiber volume fractions. The results indicate that ultrasonic NDE provides a quick and reliable tool for monitoring the consolidation of metal-matrix composites.