traditional nondestructive evaluation (nde) of bonding flaws has generally used either ultrasound or x-rays as a directed energy source to image or otherwise detect the discontinuity of an improper bond. while this approach has broad applicability, it is inadequate where the material is highly attenuating or anisotropic, or when it is impossible to achieve an adequate interrogation due to geometrical constraints. these difficulties are seen in materials such as the silica fiber composites used for the thermal protection tiles on the space shuttle orbiter, insulating rubber liners used for solid rocket motors, and rubber or foam coating materials. this paper discusses a method for determining bond condition in these types of materials by exciting the component as a whole and analyzing its micromechanical response. the concept is that the bond region forms a boundary of a physical system whose dynamic response is governed by a deterministic set of equations of motion. as the boundary conditions change, the system response will change. the problem then reduces to verifying that a given dynamic response can be uniquely correlated with a specific bond condition. this approach has a distinct advantage in that it can potentially survey the bond condition of a component or region with a single rapid measurement and provide the basis for a ''go/no-go'' decision. 2 refs., 5 figs. (era citation 14:013346)