Computed time average digital holographic fringe pattern under random excitation

Appl Opt. 2021 Feb 1;60(4):A188-A194. doi: 10.1364/AO.404332.

Abstract

Time average digital holography under random excitation or square wave excitation is established as an on-site non-destructive testing tool for defect detection in large metallic and composite sandwich structures due to its high sensitivity, single exposure interferogram, and fast inspection capability. However, extensive calibration studies are necessary to corroborate the defect type and defect size with the excitation frequency range and excitation magnitude. In this paper, a method to simulate a time average digital holographic fringe pattern under random excitation is proposed with the idea to minimize the number of calibration experiments and also for better evaluation of the size and type of defect. The proposed method circumvents the requirement for a closed form expression for the complex characteristic fringe function for time average interferometry under random excitation. The computed fringe pattern is illustratively compared with an experimental time average digital holographic fringe pattern.