Pitch-Catch Ultrasonic Technique for Evaluating Adhesive Bonding in Sandwich Composite Radome Structures

Sandwich composites with lightweight cores and high-stiffness facesheets are widely used in aerospace and automotive industries. Ensuring the integrity of the adhesive bond between the facesheet and core is critical for structural performance and safety. This review examines the pitch-catch ultrasonic method as a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique for assessing adhesive bonding in such structures. The paper summarizes working principles, experimental setups, advantages, limitations, and recent developments in pitch-catch technology, including guided wave and Lamb wave applications. Comparative analysis with other NDE methods and future research directions are also discussed.