1. Introduction
Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a valuable tool for determin-ing the integrity of materials of asphalt pavements. Among the many non-destructive tests available, the acoustic type is one of them. Acoustic systems are based on the generation of sonic or ultrasonic acoustic pulses at a point on the specimen, by tapping with a hammer or using a transmitter device, after which they are subsequently picked up by a receiver sensor that may be placed at different positions. The system is called ultrasonic when the mechanical oscillations or acoustic pulses generated are of high frequency, above 20 kHz, and sonic when frequencies range between 20 Hz and 20 kHz [1,2].
When a pulse is applied to a surface point on a solid, e.g. by an impact, the disturbance generated propagates through it in the form of three different kinds of mechanical waves: P-wave, S-wave and R-wave. P-waves are called ‘primary waves’ because they have the highest propagation speed, or ‘longitudinal waves’, since particle vibration occurs parallel to the direction of propagation of the wave [3–5]. Thus, in a solid elastic isotropic medium, the P-wave speed (CP) is related to the modulus of elasticity (E), Poisson’s ratio (n) and the density (r) as given by the