A surface acoustic wave technique for monitoring the growth behavior of small surface fatigue cracks

The theory of Kino and Auld which relates the reflection coefficient of acoustic waves from a crack to its size is summarized. A scattering model is evaluated from this theory concerning the reflection of surface acoustic waves (SAW) from a small surface fatigue crack at a frequency such that the crack depth is much smaller than the acoustic wavelength. Acoustic predictions of crack depth are compared to postfracture measurements of depth for small surface cracks in Pyrex glass, 7075-T651 aluminum, and 4340 steel. Additionally, the minimum detectable crack depth as limited by the acoustic noise level is determined for several typical aluminum and steel alloys. The utility of SAW reflection coefficient measurements for inferring crack depth, crack growth, and crack opening behaviorin situ during fatigue cycling is discussed.