Abstract
Laser-generated ultrasonic wave is employed as a standard acoustic emission (AE) source to calibrate sensors. Characteristics of ultrasonic wave concerning its genera tionefficiency and directivity were investigated. By covering a transfer block with water layer, a unipolar planar pulse with 80 ns duration was efficiently generated. The surface excitation was interrogated by an optical interferometer, and subsequently measured by AE sensors. Comparing these outputs, the sensitivity of AE sensors can be determined in the wide frequency range. Experimental results on five commercial sensors are demonstrated.
