Evaluation of mechanical properties of functionally graded materials

An experimental technique for evaluating the elastic properties of function ally graded materials (FGMs) is proposed. Ultrasonic pulse-echo measurement s in conjunction with elastic impact testing permit determination of Young' s modulus, Poisson's ratio, and the mass density of the material and its lo ngitudinal variation. The details of the formulation of the technique and t he implementation issues are discussed in this paper. These techniques have been applied success fully to evaluate the properties of a model functiona lly graded material.