EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/J30080/01
Title: OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION FOR LASER-ULTRASOUND DEFECT IMAGING IN ENGINEERING MATERIALS
Principal Investigator: Dewhurst, Professor R
Other Investigators:
Thompson, Professor GE
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Instrumentation & Analytical Science
Organisation: UMIST
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 February 1994 Ends: 31 January 1996 Value (£): 112,360
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Instrumentation Eng. & Dev.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Manufacturing
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Optical instrumentation will be developed for laser-ultrasound defect imaging in engineering materials. For ultrasonic C-scan imaging in the frequency range 1-40 MHz, the optical system will be based on a Nd:YAG laser and Ar-ion laser, using a Confocal Fabry-Perot (CFP) interferometer to sense the ultrasound. By using analogue circuitry before signal digitisation, system integration will be simplified, leading to a reduced amount of information required for imaging purposes. Acquisition time for data from each pixel will be reduced from 15 secs to a time limited by the laser repetition rate of 10,Ha. The interferometer will include a new optical detector arrangement, with light monitored simultaneous in reflection and transmission. This scheme is likely to improve overall system sensitivity by at least a factor of three. The system will be used for the non-destructive testing of engineering materials, namely adhesively-bonded aluminium joints and carbon fibre composite samples. Some C-scan images of known defects will be compared with measurements using conventional methods, from which it will be possible to assess the relative merits of laser-based ultrasound techniques.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: