Transient elastic impact response of slender graphite rods

Graphite rods are manufactured by extruding the mixture of calcined petroleum coke and coal tar pitch into the desired shape and baking the cooled specimens at about 800 degrees C. Cracking can occur in rods during the manufacturing process. It is useful to be able to detect the presence of such cracks in the rods prior to their being machined and put into use as electrodes or cathodes or thermal insulator. In an effort to develop a nondestructive testing approach to evaluation of the rods, transient elastic impact was determined for slender rods. Theory for solid, slender rods provided an important starting point for this work. Subsequently, numerical models were developed and simulation was used to determine the response of rods containing cracks. Experiments on graphite rods with and without cracks were conducted and the internal condition determined from the recorded signals. The rods were then cut lengthwise to reveal the internal condition and verify the predicted results. In all cases the knowledge gained from simulation allowed for the presence of cracks to be detected.