# US 11,442,045 B2 · Method and system of non-destructive testing for composites > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,045 B2 - Document ID: US11442045B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/915,396 - Filed: 2020-06-29 - Published: 2020-10-22 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-20 - Assignees: Verifi Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Verifi Technologies, LLC - Inventors: David A. Jack; John E. Fitch; Theresa Vo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442045B2 ## CPC - G01N 29/449: {Statistical methods not provided for in G01N29/4409, e.g. averaging, smoothing and interpolation} - G01N 29/06: Visualisation of the interior, e.g. acoustic microscopy {(medical or veterinary diagnosis using sonic waves A61B8/00; representation of acoustic wave distribution G01H3/125, G01H9/002; short-range imaging systems using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/8906)} - G01N 29/341: {with time characteristics} - G01N 29/36: Detecting the response signal {, e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor} - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - G06F 2111/08: Probabilistic or stochastic CAD - G06F 2113/26: Composites - G06F 2119/02: Reliability analysis or reliability optimisation; Failure analysis, e.g. worst case scenario performance, failure mode and effects analysis [FMEA] - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Method and system are disclosed for characterizing and quantifying composite laminate structures. The method and system take a composite laminate of unknown ply stack composition and sequence and determine various information about the individual plies, such as ply stack, orientation, microstructure, and type. The method and system can distinguish between weave types that may exhibit similar planar stiffness behaviors, but would produce different failure mechanisms. Individual ply information may then be used to derive the laminate bulk properties from externally provided constitutive properties of the fiber and matrix, including extensional stiffness, bending-extension coupling stiffness, bending stiffness, and the like. The laminate bulk properties may then be used to generate a probabilistic failure envelope for the composite laminate. This provides the ability to perform non-destructive QA to ensure that individual lamina layup was accomplished according to specifications, and results may be used to identify a numerous laminate properties beyond purely structural. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving sound property data for a bonding material and a bonded material; controlling a z-start time and a z-gate time of at least one pulse-wave detector to generate ultrasonic composite scan data as a function of the sound property data for the bonding material and the bonded material; processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using a processor to identify layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material; generating a user display showing a number of layers of the bonded material and a distance between each layer; generating a user control to allow a user to select one layer of the number of layers of the bonded material; and generating a thickness associated with the selected layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the thickness is a thickness of the bonding material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding material is epoxy resin or a polymer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the bonded material is fiber. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the number of layers. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify a change in the number of layers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material further comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify a type of an individual layer. ### Claim 8 A method comprising: receiving sound property data for a bonding material and a bonded material; controlling a z-start time and a z-gate time of at least one pulse-wave detector to generate ultrasonic composite scan data as a function of the sound property data for the bonding material and the bonded material; processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using a processor to identify layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material; generating a user display showing a number of layers of the bonded material and a distance between each layer; receiving a user selection of one layer of the number of layers of the bonded material; and determining a thickness associated with the selected layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the thickness is a thickness of the bonding material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the bonding material is epoxy resin. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the bonded material is fiber. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the number of layers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions between the bonding material and the bonded material comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify a change in the number of layers. ### Claim 14 A method comprising: receiving sound property data for a matrix of bonded material; controlling a z-start time and a z-gate time of at least one pulse-wave detector to generate ultrasonic composite scan data as a function of the sound property data for the matrix of bonded material; processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using a processor to identify layer transitions in the matrix of bonded material; generating a user display showing a number of layers in the matrix of bonded material and a distance between each layer; generating a user control to allow a user to select one layer of the number of layers in the matrix of bonded material; and generating a thickness associated with the selected layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the thickness is a thickness of the bonding material. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the matrix of bonded material comprises epoxy resin. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the matrix of bonded material comprises fiber. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the number of layers. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify a change in the number of layers. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify the layer transitions further comprises processing the ultrasonic composite scan data using the processor to identify a type of an individual layer.