Acoustic waves testing to evaluate the compressive strength of ceramics bricks

The present study seeks to develop a simple methodology capable of relating the propagation of acoustic waves with the compressive strength of ceramic sealing bricks. For this purpose, were captured acoustic signals generated by the impact of a steel sphere on the surface of ceramic bricks from three different origins. With the acoustic signal as a function of frequency, was possible to identify the main amplitude peak, which increases with the increase in compressive strength. Other characteristics of the acoustic signal, such as for instance a greater number of amplitude peaks presented below 5 mHz, could be also related to the compressive strength of the bricks indicating a possibility of fast and non-destructive testing.