Carbon fiber reinforced laminated composites offer a strong, lightweight alternative to metals, such as steel and aluminum. Companies incorporating this high strength to weight ratio material often apply non-destructive testing methods while inspecting their product for quality assurance, but there is also a desire to extend the application space of nondestructive testing to include methods that provide information about the final part’s processed properties. Studies performed by Markham [1], Reynolds and Wilkinson [2] and Rokhlin and Wang [3] have developed ultrasound methods for determining the elastic constants associated with a part manufactured using unidirectional fiber material. The current study discusses a through transmission technique, and both the longitudinal and the shear waves are observed in a single C-scan. The technique provides insight as to how the ultrasonic wave scatters as it travels through the laminated composite. This research focuses on the experimental setup, and the criteria used for determining the proper scan parameters. In particular, results are discussed for varying water paths and transducer orientations with respect to the part surface.

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