Vol. 39, Issue 1, pp. 5-11 (2009)

Abstract

A fiber optic sensor system is developed to probe the surface texture of corroded metals. The present work is based on the principle of scattering of light by objects. A light beam from an LED source is focused onto the corroded surface. Specular and diffuse reflection of the surface is measured vertically at normal incidence of a fiber. The observed response agrees well with mechanical stylus measurements, with R² > 0.89. The fiber optic sensor system can be used to estimate the roughness of metals due to any type of corrosion without erosion. The obtained results show a consistent relationship between measured and surface roughness levels.