Low-cost sensor system for online monitoring during laser cleaning

The self-limiting effect during laser cleaning only occurs in a limited amount of specific applications in restoration (e. g. removal of black crust from white marble). In all the other cases, a control of the removal process will be necessary either by the operator himself or by the employment of sensor equipment. Various methods, mainly spectroscopic (e. g. LIBS), have been investigated and proposed by others. Despite the fact that these have been shown to be promising, they all have in common rather high investment cost close to that of the cleaning equipment. Furthermore, this highly sophisticated control equipment is not easy to handle by conservators in practice. As an alternative low-cost method, we employed a simple photodiode to detect the scattered light from the irradiation area on the artwork surface. In many cases, this signal contains several pieces of information on the layer just being removed. The scattered radiation detected by the photodiode originates from the laser-induced plasma as well as reflected laser radiation. A separation, if necessary in order to separate the information, is possible by spectral filters. First applications during laser cleaning of corroded metal, encrusted glass and stone were promising. It has turned out that there is a distinct influence on the scattered light amplitude or even the pulse-bandwidth once the laser has removed the encrustation completely. The corresponding signal can be used in a closed loop control or for online monitoring. (C) 2003 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.