Patent ID: 8185327

Claim:
A system for testing a composite workpiece, the system comprising: at least one ultrasonic testing transducer configured to be mounted to a surface of a composite workpiece and configured to transmit ultrasonic energy to the composite workpiece and to receive reflected ultrasonic energy from the composite workpiece as the composite workpiece is subjected to mechanical loading wherein the mechanical loading subjects the composite workpiece to a plurality of fatigue cycles; an ultrasonic pulser and receiver operatively coupled to the at least one ultrasonic testing transducer; and a computing system operatively coupled to the ultrasonic pulser and receiver, the computing system including: a data acquisition component configured to acquire data from the ultrasonic pulser and receiver; and a data analysis component configured to: analyze the acquired data to identify a change in the reflected ultrasonic energy in response to an increasing number of the plurality of fatigue cycles, wherein the change in the reflected ultrasonic energy indicates at least one potential failure condition of the composite workpiece; and track a change in size of the at least one potential failure condition of the composite workpiece as a number of fatigue cycles increases.