Non-contact Detection of Ultrasonic Waves Using Fiber Optic Sagnac Interferometer

Abstract

This paper describes a fiber optic sensor suitable for non-contact detection of ultrasonic waves. This sensor is based on a fiber optic Sagnac interferometer. Quadrature phase bias between two interfering laser beams in Sagnac loop is introduced by a polarization controller. A stable quadrature phase bias can be confirmed by observing the interferometer output versus phase bias. This method eliminates a digital signal processing for detection of ultrasonic waves using Sagnac interferometer. Interference intensity is affected by the frequency of ultrasonic waves and the time delay of Sagnac loop. Collimator is attached to the end of the probing fiber to focus the light beam onto the specimen surface and to collect the reflected light back into the fiber probe. Ultrasonic waves produced by conventional ultrasonic transducers are detected. This fiber optic sensor based on Sagnac interferometer is very effective for detection of small displacement with high frequency such as ultrasonic waves used in conventional non-destructive testing.