Determination of uniaxial stresses in steel structures by the laser-ultrasonic method

This paper describes the experimental implementation of the laser-ultrasonic method for diagnosing mechanical compression and tensile stresses in steel structures, based on the acoustoelasticity effect. The special laser-ultrasonic transducer that ensures the laser excitation and highly sensitive piezoelectric recording of head (longitudinal subsurface) ultrasonic waves. It is shown on the example of R65 rail samples of various quality that, regardless of the structural phase state of the rail, there is one and the same linear relationship between the relative variation of the velocity of head ultrasonic waves and the absolute value of uniaxial compression and tensile stresses acting in the rail.