Nonlinear Elastic Wave NDE I. Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy and Slow Dynamics Diagnostics

The nonlinear elastic response of materials (e.g., wave mixing, harmonic generation) is much more sensitive to the presence of damage than the linear response (e.g., wavespeed, dissipation). An overview of the four primary Nonlinear Elastic Wave Spectroscopy (NEWS) methods used in nonlinear damage detection are presented in this and the following paper. Those presented in this paper are Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NRUS), based on measurement of the nonlinear response of one or more resonant modes in a test sample, and Slow Dynamics Diagnostics (SDD), manifest by an alteration in the material dissipation and elastic modulus after application of relatively high‐amplitude wave that slowly recovers in time.