Technique for measurements of elastic wave velocities and thickness of solid plate from access on only one side

A novel method is proposed for the simultaneous measurement of longitudinal and transverse wave velocities and the thickness of isotropic solid plates from access on only one side. Line contact transducers were placed on the same side of the specimen, and waveforms were acquired at various distances between the transducers. Longitudinal wave velocity and the thickness of the specimen can be simultaneously determined from the relationship between the transit time of the longitudinal wave mode and the ultrasonic beam path. A least-squares fitting method was employed to increase the accuracy of measurements. Transverse wave velocity also can be determined from the transit time of the mode-converted transverse wave and the corresponding beam path determined by Snell's law. Experimental results for several specimens of different materials as well as different thicknesses show good agreement with those measured by conventional methods. © 2005 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.