Submit to Applied Sciences Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Laser Ultrasonics

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Acoustics and Vibrations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2018) | Viewed by 39163

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vitalyi E. Gusev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Laboratoire d’Acoustique de l’Université du Maine, LAUM UMR-CNRS 6613, Le Mans Université, 72085 Le Mans, France
Interests: laser ultrasonics; ultrafast light–matter interactions; nonlinear acoustics

Prof. Dr. Zhonghua Shen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Science, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: laser-based ultrasound and its applications; laser processing and its applications; laser-induced bubble dynamics; laser-induced plasma and shock waves

Prof. Dr. Todd Murray

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Interests: laser ultrasonics; material characterization; guided wave propagation; photoacoustic cavitation; imaging in scattering media

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of laser ultrasonics encompasses fundamental research on laser–matter interactions, as well as applications of opto-acoustic and acousto-optic phenomena in industry and biomedicine. Laser ultrasonics is a promising technique for the evaluation of novel materials and elastic/mechanical structures across spatial dimensions that have been realized through recent advances in materials science. New applications of laser ultrasonics in industrial applications continue to emerge as advanced manufacturing techniques are developed. The progress in laser science and development of new lasers, as well as advances in instrumentation and signal processing approaches, has broadened the reach of laser ultrasonics to include studies of ultrafast, nanoscale, and nonlinear phenomena, optical and acoustic interactions in complex and/or light-sensitive materials, and photoacoustic processes in biological media.

The goal of this Special Issue of Applied Sciences on “Laser Ultrasonics” is to provide a platform for the presentation of recent research achievements in all areas of laser ultrasonics. This issue welcomes papers from across this diverse field, from the evaluation of fundamental light-matter interactions at femtosecond temporal and nanometer spatial scales and studies of coherent phonon interactions with other excitations and particles (excitons, magnons, electrons, or bubbles) to the NDT (nondestructive testing), industrial and biomedical applications of laser ultrasonics. Topics of interest for this issue include, but are not limited to, new laser ultrasonic generation and/or detection techniques and instrumentation, signal processing approaches and inverse analysis, materials characterization and NDE (nondestructive evaluation), industrial applications, simulation and theory, and fundamental acousto-optic and wave propagation phenomena.

Prof. Dr. Vitalyi E. Gusev
Prof. Dr. Zhonghua Shen
Prof. Dr. Todd Murray
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

laser ultrasonics
non-destructive testing/evaluation
industrial and biomedical applications
advanced sensing and imaging
innovative instrumentation
nonlinear phenomena
ultrafast processes
phonons interaction with particles and excitations

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 164 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue on Laser Ultrasonics

by Vitalyi E. Gusev, Zhonghua Shen and Todd W. Murray

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(24), 5561; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9245561 - 17 Dec 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1955

Abstract

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

13 pages, 2924 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Monitoring of Thermal Aging of Aluminum Alloy via Nonlinear Propagation of Acoustic Pulses Generated and Detected by Lasers

by Mengmeng Li, Alexey M. Lomonosov, Zhonghua Shen, Hogeon Seo, Kyung-Young Jhang, Vitalyi E. Gusev and Chenyin Ni

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(6), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9061191 - 21 Mar 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2987

Abstract

Nonlinear acoustic techniques are established tools for the characterization of micro-inhomogeneous materials with higher sensitivity, compared to linear ultrasonic techniques. In particular, the evaluation of material elastic quadratic nonlinearity via the detection of the second harmonic generation by acoustic waves is known to provide an assessment of the state variation of heat treated micro-structured materials. We report on the first application for non-destructive diagnostics of material thermal aging of finite-amplitude longitudinal acoustic pulses generated and detected by lasers. Finite-amplitude longitudinal pulses were launched in aluminum alloy samples by deposited liquid-suspended carbon particles layer irradiated by a nanosecond laser source. An out-of-plane displacement at the epicenter of the opposite sample surface was measured by an interferometer. This laser ultrasonic technique provided an opportunity to study the propagation in aluminum alloys of finite-amplitude acoustic pulses with a strain up to 5 × 10⁻³. The experiments revealed a signature of the hysteretic quadratic nonlinearity of micro-structured material manifested in an increase of the duration of detected acoustic pulses with an increase of their amplitude. The parameter of the hysteretic quadratic nonlinearity of the aluminum alloy (Al6061) was found to be of the order of 100 and to exhibit more than 50% variations in the process of the alloy thermal aging. By comparing the measured parameter of the hysteretic quadratic nonlinearity in aluminum alloys that were subjected to heat-treatment at 220 °C for different times (0 min, 20 min, 40 min, 1 h, 2 h, 10 h, 100 h, and 1000 h), with measurements of yield strength in same samples, it was established that the extrema in the dependence of the hysteretic nonlinearity and of the yield strength of this alloy on heat treatment time are correlated. This experimental observation provides the background for future research with the application goal of suggested nonlinear laser ultrasonic techniques for non-destructive evaluation of alloys’ strength and rigidity in the process of their heat treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 5273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Remote Thermoelastic Characterization of Candidate Structural and Protective Coatings for Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Cooled Nuclear Reactors

by Bert Verstraeten, Jan Sermeus, Tom Van der Donck, Paul Schuurmans and Christ Glorieux

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(5), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9050915 - 04 Mar 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2517

Abstract

A laser ultrasonics approach to remotely characterize the elastic and thermal properties of a coating-substrate structure, used to protect fuel claddings in lead-bismuth eutectic cooled nuclear reactors, is presented and validated with experimental results. A transient grating geometry is used for multiple wavelength excitation of thermoelastic displacements, and laser beam deflection for detection. The value of Young’s modulus of the coating layer as calculated from the coating’s Rayleigh velocity of 190 ± 50 GPa is in accordance with a nano-indentation measurement. Using a priori knowledge concerning the density and elastic parameters of the coating and substrate, scanning the sample allows the obtaining of a coating thickness map in a fully remote, all-optical way, with an accuracy of about 4 microns for a coating of around 20-micron average thickness. Analyzing the transient thermal grating decay yields a thermal diffusivity value of

(5.0 \pm 1.6)

× 10

^{- 6}

^{2}

/s, in the range of low-carbon steels. The consistency of the results infers that the all-optical laser ultrasonics approach should be feasible for remote inspection of the quality of optically rough coated claddings in the harsh environment of a nuclear reactor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 9170 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Structural Phase Transition in Multiferroic (Bi_1−x Pr_x)(Fe_0.95 Mn_0.05)O₃ Thin Films by A Multi-Technique Approach Including Picosecond Laser Ultrasonics

by Samuel Raetz, Alexey Lomonosov, Sergey Avanesyan, Nikolay Chigarev, Elton de Lima Savi, Alain Bulou, Nicolas Delorme, Zheng Wen, Qiao Jin, Maju Kuriakose, Anthony Rousseau, Gwenaëlle Vaudel, Pascal Ruello, Di Wu and Vitalyi Gusev

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(4), 736; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9040736 - 20 Feb 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2652

Abstract

Picosecond laser ultrasonics is an experimental technique for the generation and detection of ultrashort acoustic pulses using ultrafast lasers. In transparent media, it is often referred to as time-domain Brillouin scattering (TDBS). It provides the opportunity to monitor the propagation of nanometers-length acoustic pulses and to determine acoustical, optical, and acousto-optical parameters of the materials. We report on the application of TDBS for evaluating the effect of Praseodymium (Pr) substitution on the elasticity of multiferroic (Bi_1−xPr_x)(Fe_0.95Mn_0.05)O₃ (BPFMO) thin films. The films were deposited on Si and LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrates by a sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra revealed earlier that a phase transition from rhombohedral to tetragonal structure occurs at about 15% Pr substitution and is accompanied by the maxima of remnant magnetization and polarization. Combining TDBS with optical spectral reflectometry, scanning electron microscopy, and topographic measurements by atomic force microscopy, we found that the structural transition is also characterized by the maximum optical dielectric constant and the minimum longitudinal sound velocity. Our results, together with earlier ones, suggest that BiFeO₃-based films and ceramics with compositions near phase boundaries might be promising materials for multifunctional applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 4096 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Defects Detection and Localization in Underwater Plates Using Laser Laterally Generated Pure Non-Dispersive S₀ Mode

by Qingnan Xie, Chenyin Ni and Zhonghua Shen

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9030459 - 29 Jan 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3023

Abstract

When working in humid environments, corrosion defects are easily produced in metallic plates. For defect detection in underwater plates, symmetric modes of Lamb waves are widely used because of their characteristics including long propagating distance and high sensitivity to defects. In this study, we extend our previous work by applying the laser laterally generated S₀ mode to detection and localization of defects represented by artificial notches in an aluminum plate immersed in water. Pure non-dispersive S₀ mode is generated in an underwater plate by lateral laser source irradiation and its fd (frequency·thickness) range is selected by theoretical calculation. Using this lateral excitation, the S₀ mode is enhanced; meanwhile, the A₀ mode is effectively suppressed. The mode-converted A₀ mode from the incident S₀ mode is used to detect and localize the defect. The results reveal a significantly improved capability to detect defects in an underwater plate using the laser laterally generated S₀ mode, while that using A₀ is limited due to its high attenuation. Furthermore, owing to the long propagating distance and the non-dispersion characteristics of the S₀ generated by the lateral laser source, multiple defects can also be detected and localized according to the mode conversion at the defects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1290 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Probing Globular Protein Self-Assembling Dynamics by Heterodyne Transient Grating Experiments

by Sara Catalini, Andrea Taschin, Paolo Bartolini, Paolo Foggi and Renato Torre

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9030405 - 25 Jan 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2961

Abstract

In this work, we studied the propagation of ultrasonic waves of lysozyme solutions characterized by different degrees of aggregation and networking. The experimental investigation was performed by means of the transient grating (TG) spectroscopy as a function of temperature, which enabled measurement of the ultrasonic acoustic proprieties over a wide time window, ranging from nanoseconds to milliseconds. The fitting of the measured TG signal allowed the extraction of several dynamic properties, here we focused on the speed and the damping rate of sound. The temperature variation induced a series of processes in the lysozyme solutions: Protein folding-unfolding, aggregation and sol–gel transition. Our TG investigation showed how these self-assembling phenomena modulate the sound propagation, affecting both the velocity and the damping rate of the ultrasonic waves. In particular, the damping of ultrasonic acoustic waves proved to be a dynamic property very sensitive to the protein conformational rearrangements and aggregation processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 3431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Broadband Photo-Excited Coherent Acoustic Frequency Combs and Mini-Brillouin-Zone Modes in a MQW-SESAM Structure

by Changxiu Li, Vitalyi Gusev, Emmanouil Dimakis, Thomas Dekorsy and Mike Hettich

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(2), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9020289 - 15 Jan 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3633

Abstract

A multiple quantum-well semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (MQW-SESAM) structure has been investigated by femtosecond pump-probe laser spectroscopy at a central wavelength of around 1050 nm. Coherent acoustic phonons are generated and detected over a wide frequency range from ~15 GHz to ~800 GHz. In the optical absorption region, i.e., in the multiple quantum wells (In_0.27Ga_0.73As), acoustic frequency combs centered at ~365 GHz, with a comb spacing of ~33 GHz, are generated. Most importantly, in the transparent region, i.e., in the distributed Bragg reflector, which is formed by a non-doped long-period semiconductor GaAs/Al_0.95Ga_0.05As superlattice, the mini-Brillouin-zone center, as well as zone-edge acoustic modes, are observed. The mini-zone-center modes with a fundamental frequency of 32 GHz can be attributed to the spatial modulation of the pump optical interference field with a period very close to that of the distributed Bragg reflector, in combination with the periodic spatial modulation of the electrostriction coefficient in the distributed Bragg reflector. The excitation of mini-zone-edge modes is attributed to the stimulated subharmonic decay of the fundamental center modes. Their subsequent back-folding to the mini-Brillouin-zone center makes them Raman active for the probe light. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Effective Elastic Properties of Nitride NWs/Polymer Composite Materials Using Laser-Generated Surface Acoustic Waves

by Evgeny Glushkov, Natalia Glushkova, Bernard Bonello, Lu Lu, Eric Charron, Noëlle Gogneau, François Julien, Maria Tchernycheva and Olga Boyko

Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(11), 2319; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8112319 - 21 Nov 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2811

Abstract

In this paper we demonstrate a high potential of transient grating method to study the behavior of surface acoustic waves in nanowires-based composite structures. The investigation of dispersion curves is done by adjusting the calculated dispersion curves to the experimental results. The wave propagation is simulated using the explicit integral and asymptotic representations for laser-generated surface acoustic waves in layered anisotropic waveguides. The analysis of the behavior permits to determine all elastic constants and effective elastic moduli of constituent materials, which is important both for technological applications of these materials and for basic scientific studies of their physical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Residual Stress in Laser Welding of TC4 Titanium Alloy Based on Ultrasonic laser Technology

by Yu Zhan, Enda Zhang, Yiming Ge and Changsheng Liu

Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(10), 1997; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8101997 - 20 Oct 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4365

Abstract

Laser welding is widely used in titanium alloy welding due to its high energy density, small heat affected zone, and rapid processing ability. However, problems with laser welding, such as deformation and cracking caused by residual stress, need to be resolved. In this paper, the residual stress in laser welding of TC4 titanium alloy was studied using an ultrasonic laser. The residual stress in titanium alloy plates is considered a plane stress state. A pre-stress loading method is proposed and acoustoelastic coefficients are obtained. Based on the known acoustoelastic coefficients, the transverse and longitudinal residual stresses in laser welding are measured using an ultrasonic laser. The results show that longitudinal residual stress is greater than the transverse stress. The distribution regularity of the residual stress is similar to normal welding, but the tensile stress zone is much narrower. Then, the influence of heat input and welding speed on residual stress is discussed. With increasing heat input, the welding zone widens, and the peak value of the residual stress increases. A higher welding speed should be chosen when the welding power is constant. This research has important significance for the measurement and control of residual stress in the laser welding process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1545 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Imaging Material Texture of As-Deposited Selective Laser Melted Parts Using Spatially Resolved Acoustic Spectroscopy

by Rikesh Patel, Matthias Hirsch, Paul Dryburgh, Don Pieris, Samuel Achamfuo-Yeboah, Richard Smith, Roger Light, Steve Sharples, Adam Clare and Matt Clark

Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(10), 1991; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8101991 - 19 Oct 2018

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5380

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a production technology where material is accumulated to create a structure, often through added shaped layers. The major advantage of additive manufacturing is in creating unique and complex parts for use in areas where conventional manufacturing reaches its limitations. However, the current class of AM systems produce parts that contain structural defects (e.g., cracks and pores) which is not compatible with certification in high value industries. The probable complexity of an AM design increases the difficulty of using many non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to inspect AM parts—however, a unique opportunity exists to interrogate a part during production using a rapid surface based technique. Spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS) is a laser ultrasound inspection technique used to image material microstructure of metals and alloys. SRAS generates and detects `controlled’ surface acoustic waves (SAWs) using lasers, which makes it a non-contact and non-destructive technique. The technique is also sensitive to surface and subsurface voids. Work until now has been on imaging the texture information of selective laser melted (SLM) parts once prepared (i.e., polished with

R_{a} < 0.1

μ

m)—the challenge for performing laser ultrasonics in-process is measuring waves on the rough surfaces present on as-deposited parts. This paper presents the results of a prototype SRAS system, developed using the rough surface ultrasound detector known as speckle knife edge detector (SKED)—texture images using this setup of an as-deposited Ti64 SLM sample, with a surface roughness of

S_{a} \approx 6

μ

m, were obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

26 pages, 5327 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

The Progress in Photoacoustic and Laser Ultrasonic Tomographic Imaging for Biomedicine and Industry: A Review

by Anton Bychkov, Varvara Simonova, Vasily Zarubin, Elena Cherepetskaya and Alexander Karabutov

Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(10), 1931; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8101931 - 15 Oct 2018

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 5630

Abstract

The current paper reviews a set of principles and applications of photoacoustic and laser ultrasonic imaging, developed in the Laser Optoacoustic Laboratories of ILIT RAS, NUST MISiS, and ILC MSU. These applications include combined photoacoustic and laser ultrasonic imaging for biological objects, and tomographic laser ultrasonic imaging of solids. Principles, algorithms, resolution of the developed methods, and related problems are discussed. The review is written in context of the current state-of-art of photoacoustic and laser ultrasonic imaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Ultrasonics)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Laser Ultrasonics

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (11 papers)

Editorial

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI