Abstract
We present the results of a prototype laser-based ultrasound inspection system combining a wavefront-scrubbed laser receiver with a pulsed laser ultrasonic generator. Laserbased ultrasound [1] represents a noncontact, long-standoff-distance technology to remotely inspect materials for integrity of bonds, surface treatments, thickness, defects, microcracks, and temperature. The ability to employ lasers for the diagnostic enables one to perform the inspection under harsh industrial conditions, including high temperature, radiation, and vacuum environments. The basic system involves one laser to generate acoustic modes in a material via thermoelastic and/or ablative excitation, and a second laser to sense the resultant, transient surface displacements of the workpiece, induced by the ultrasound. Neural network post-processing or rule-based algorithms can be employed to classify the detected ultrasonic signatures.
© 1996 Optical Society of America
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