Fibre optic polarimetric detection of Lamb waves

In this paper we describe the detection of Lamb waves by monitoring the changes in the polarimetric state of the light emerging from an optical fibre which has been either bonded to, or incorporated into, a sample plate. Results have been obtained using both isotropic materials, such as polymer sheets, or anisotropic materials such as carbon fibre composites. These results demonstrate that polarimetric analysis has the potential to provide an alternative method of detecting Lamb waves and also provides a possible method for investigating the nature of the interaction between the acoustic wave and the light propagating through the fibre.