Resonant acoustic spectroscopy at low Q factors

The application of resonant acoustic spectroscopy to rock, building materials, and materials with cracks is hindered by the substantial mechanical losses in these materials and by the overlapping of the individual resonance responses. The paper describes a method for the determination of the resonance frequencies in low-Q materials in the presence of a strong overlapping of resonances. The effect of cracks on the values of the resonance frequencies and Q factors is studied experimentally.