Demonstration of a laser-based ultrasonic inspection system for industrial applications

Summary form only given. We have fabricated an automated, computer-controlled prototype laser-based ultrasound system, enabling inspection of real-world workpieces, including weld-joint dimensioning of rough-cut components using neural network classification, detection of inclusions in aluminum billets, hardness, and remote temperature and thickness measurements. Our system, called Compensated Laser Ultrasonic Evaluation, or CLUE, employs various forms of all-optical wavefront compensation, including nonlinear optical phase conjugation and nonsteady-state photoinduced emf.