Experiments have been conducted with a Q-switched ruby laser to study
thermoelastic generation of Lamb waves in plates. The objective of thi
s study was to resolve experimentally the various modes that propagate
in a thick plate after absorption of a short laser pulse at its upper
surface. The methodology consists of acquiring several laser-generate
d waveforms at various points on the plate. These waveforms are proces
sed with a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform, in space and time,
to obtain the dispersion curves of the plate, in wave-number and frequ
ency. The technique can be used to determine which modes propagate in
the structure as well as their relative amplitudes. This method, which
is commonly used in structural acoustics, has not previously received
much attention in laser ultrasonics even though it is particularly we
ll adapted for measuring dispersion curves, because optical methods al
leviate the problem of irreproducible coupling that exists with conven
tional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers.