Speed of sound in metals by the time of flight method

Abstract This work proposes a simple instrumentation, intended for experimental high school or undergraduate levels, capable of determining the speed of sound in metal bars through the flight time, i.e., the propagation time of a longitudinal pulse through the bar. The pulse is produced from a disturbance (mechanical shock) at one end of a bar, its speed is obtained by the ratio of the space traveled by the pulse and its propagation time. For steel, the value of 4.7 km/s was found, with 5.3% of total uncertainty in relation to the theoretical value.