Volume 13, Issue 2, 2004

On the Young’s modulus measurements of Ceramic and Carbon Fibres using elastic wave propagation techniques. Comparison against quasi-static tensile tests

V. Kostopoulos*, T. H. Loutas, G. Sotiriadis

Applied Mechanics Lab, Dep. of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics, University of Patras, Greece

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed

(Received 6/03; accepted 12/03)

Abstract

The Young’s modulus determination of different types of ceramic fibres using both conventional quasi-static tensile tests and non-destructive elastic wave propagation techniques is the scope of the present work. A sufficient number of tensile tests were conducted on a number of different types of fibres such as carbon, Al2O3 and SiC fibre bundles and the elastic modulus was obtained. In parallel a method to determine the elastic modulus via a non-destructive approach was of primary concern due to the uncertainties of the conventional approach. To this direction the acousto-ultrasonics method proved quite capable to provide time-of-flight measurements in a rather simple experimental setup. The results seem remarkably close to the manufacturer’s data and verify the method’s applicability. Both techniques are analytically described with the emphasis lying on the non-destructive one. Deviations obtained from the conventional approach are thoroughly discussed and the advantages of the non-destructive technique are highlighted.