Patent ID: 7146846

Claim:
A method for nondestructive testing of structural members in service, comprising: identifying a structural member for testing, the structural member being an elongated member having a length and being disposed in service during said testing; applying an impact to the structural member by striking the structural member at a first point along the length, thereby producing an exciting impact shock signal; sensing a response to the impact shock signal at a second point along the length, spaced from the first point; comparing the impact shock signal and the response to said impact shock signal versus a quality standard, and assessing a structural quality of said structural member as a result of said comparing; wherein the impact is applied to the structural member by striking the structural member using a weight attached to an accelerometer, and further comprising characterizing the exciting impact shock signal by a time response of the accelerometer; and, further comprising determining at least one of a linear dimension and a density of the structural member, and normalizing said comparing to account for at least one of said dimension and said density.