We study temperature changes at the reverse strain-induced martensitic transformation in a Cu–Zn–Al single crystal. Infrared thermal imaging reveals a markedly inhomogeneous temperature distribution. The evolution of the contour temperature maps enables information to be extracted on the kinetics of the interface motion.

A pulsed Nd:YAG laser with an approximately Gaussian beam shape is directed onto the surface of an aluminium sheet at an energy density below which damage by laser ablation occurs, generating Lamb waves in the sheet. The laser beam is raster scanned across the surface of the sample. The Lamb waves travel radially outwards from the generation point and are detected some distance away by an electromagnetic acoustic transducer with sensitivity to in-plane displacements of the sheet. A number of static EMATs are located around the edges of the sheet, some distance from the generation point.The presence of a crack-like defect on the sheet can be detected by either a sudden change in the ultrasonic waveform or by an enhancement in the frequency content of the waveform when the laser beam illuminates directly onto the crack.

Shear horizontal (SH) ultrasound guided waves are being used in an increasing number of non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. One advantage SH waves have over some wave types, is their ability to propagate around curved surfaces with little energy loss; to understand the geometries around which they could propagate, the wave reflection must be quantified. A 0.83mm thick aluminium sheet was placed in a bending machine, and a shallow bend was introduced. Periodically-poled magnet (PPM) electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), for emission and reception of SH waves, were placed on the same side of the bend, so that reflected waves were received. Additional bending of the sheet demonstrated a clear relationship between bend angles and the reflected signal. Models suggest that the reflection is a linear superposition of the reflections from each bend segment, such that sharp turns lead to a larger peak-to-peak amplitude, in part due to increased phase coherence.