Accurate determination of acoustic properties in metallic solids is critical for applications ranging from structural health monitoring to high-temperature transducers. This study uses resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) to characterize the evolution of elastic and acoustic properties in a series of single-phase molybdenum–rhenium (Mo–Re) alloys with rhenium contents ranging from 0 to 35 wt%. The high sensitivity of RUS to elastic moduli enables precise tracking of compositional effects on shifts in resonant frequencies corresponding to longitudinal and shear acoustic modes along with changes in the attenuation of individual resident modes. Results are compared to values obtained via nanoindentation and conventional mechanical testing, as well as metallographic verification of phase uniformity. RUS consistently captured subtle modulus changes that correlate with solute-driven alterations in lattice stiffness, highlighting the technique’s resolution and non-destructive nature. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of RUS for probing intrinsic acoustic responses in metallic systems and underscores its value in studying microstructure–property relationships where conventional methods may lack sufficient sensitivity.
Hayne et al. (Wed,) studied this question.