Leaky wave detection at air-solid interfaces by laser interferometry

A recently developed optical heterodyne interferometer is proved to be sensitive to detect ultrasonic waves leaking out from metals (and from non-metals as well) several centimeters away from the metal surface in air. This measurement is based on the detection of the optical index variation in air due to the leaky wave. Experiments were carried out using both ultrasonic leaky Rayleigh and leaky Lamb waves in the low-megahertz region. Optical measurements of these leaky wave velocities in semi-infinite materials and plates, which are related to elastic constants of the materials, showed a good correlation to the predicted values. Optical measurements of the amplitude of the leaky waves were used to obtain attenuation coefficients, which correlate to the structural integrity of the materials. Surface and near-surface defects were also detected. This optical method can be used for metals with low-reflectivity surfaces. Thus, it can be used for non-polished surfaces and can be extended for non-contact, non-destructive evaluation applications.     

3D analysis of interaction of Lamb waves with defects in loaded steel plates

The objective of the research presented here is the investigation of the interaction of guided waves with welds, defects and other non-uniformities in steel plates loaded by liquid. The investigation has been performed using numerical simulation for 2D and 3D cases by the finite differences method, finite element method and measurement of 3D distributions of acoustic fields. Propagation of the S(0) mode in a steel plate and its interaction with non-uniformities was investigated. It was shown that using the measured leaky wave signals in the water loading of the steel plate and by application of signal processing, the 3D ultrasonic field structure inside and outside of the plate can be reconstructed. The presence of leaky wave signals over the defect caused by the mode conversion of Lamb waves has been proved using the numerical modelling and experimental investigations. The developed signal and data processing enables to visualise dynamics of ultrasonic fields over the plate, and also to estimate spatial positions of defects inside the steel plates.     

Determination of stresses in slightly orthotropic plates using off-axis horizontally polarized ultrasonic shear waves

Many structural materials display a slight orthotropy when they are rolled into plate form. A theory is developed for propagation of horizontally polarized ultrasonic shear waves in the planes of (orthotropic) material symmetry of these plates. The waves propagate at an angle θ to the plate normal. If E represents a measure of the shear stress field, then pure-mode waves can be propagated if both cos² θ and sin² θ E; the polarization directions are the material symmetry axes.

The theory can be applied to ultrasonic stress measurements. The (normalized) velocity difference (acoustic birefringence) between two pure-mode SH-waves propagating in orthogonal material symmetry planes is related to stresses in the plate, and to the (initial) birefringence in the unstressed state. By making measurements of birefringence at two or more values of θ, the dependence upon the initial birefringence can be removed and information about the stresses obtained.     

Finite difference computation of acoustic scattering by small surface inhomogeneities and discontinuities

The use of finite difference schemes to compute the scattering of acoustic waves by surfaces made up of different materials with sharp surface discontinuities at the joints would, invariably, result in the generations of spurious reflected waves of numerical origin. Spurious scattered waves are produced even if a high-order scheme capable of resolving and supporting the propagation of the incident wave is used. This problem is of practical importance in jet engine duct acoustic computation. In this work, the basic reason for the generation of spurious numerical waves is first examined. It is known that when the governing partial differential equations of acoustics are discretized, one should only use the long waves of the computational scheme to represent or simulate the physical waves. The short waves of the computational scheme have entirely different propagation characteristics. They are the spurious numerical waves. A method by which high wave number components (short waves) in the wave scattering process is intentionally removed so as to minimize the scattering of spurious numerical waves is proposed. This method is implemented in several examples from computational aeroacoustics to illustrate its effectiveness, accuracy and efficiency. This method is also employed to compute the scattering of acoustic waves by scatterers, such as rigid wall acoustic liner splices, with width smaller than the computational mesh size. Good results are obtained when comparing with computed results using much smaller mesh size. The method is further extended for applications to computations of acoustic wave reflection and scattering by very small surface inhomogeneities with simple geometries.     

Acoustic studies of gradient glasses

The results of investigation of the propagation of longitudinal ultrasonic waves in glasses with a regular volume distribution of elastic properties resulting in the narrowing of a beam of ultrasonic waves at the output of the sample are presented. Such glasses have not been used in acoustics previously. They were used by us for the creation of the first samples of inhomogeneous acoustic lenses. The results obtained in the investigation of inhomogeneous acoustic lenses based on specially developed inhomogeneous glasses and methods for their production are discussed. It is shown that the noticeable effect of focusing ultrasonic waves in the range 2–14 MHz is observed already for glass samples with dimensions 10–20 mm. Other possible applications of inhomogeneous acoustic lenses, for example, as a medium for ultrasonic delay lines and acousto-optical cells, are discussed.     

Leaky Rayleigh wave investigation on mortar samples

Aggressive mineralized ground water may harm the concrete cover of tunnels and other underground constructions. Within a current research project mortar samples are used to study the effects of sulfate interaction in accelerated laboratory experiments. A nondestructive test method based on ultrasonic surface waves was developed to investigate the topmost layer of mortar samples. A pitch and catch arrangement is introduced for the generation and reception of leaky Rayleigh waves in an immersion technique allowing the measurement of their propagation velocity. The technique has been successfully verified for the reference materials aluminium, copper, and stainless steel. First measurements performed on mortar specimens demonstrate the applicability of this new diagnostic tool.     

表面粗糙度对固体内部超声背散射的影响

超声背散射法可通过多晶体金属内部的空间方差信号,实现微观结构参数的无损评价,但表面粗糙度对评价模型的精度及实用性存在显著影响.基于高斯声束理论推导垂直入射粗糙界面的纵波声场,以此研究声能的Wigner分布规律;在超声的波长远大于粗糙度的前提下,构造表面粗糙度修正系数,并建立粗糙界面的单次散射响应模型,揭示粗糙度对超声波背向散射的影响规律.用304不锈钢制备轮廓均方根值为0.159μm的光滑试块和25.722μm的粗糙试块开展超声背散射实验,结果表明模型在粗糙度修正前后均可实现光滑试块的晶粒尺寸有效评价,但未经修正的传统模型对粗糙试块的晶粒尺寸评价结果与金相法结果的相对误差高达-21.35%,而本模型的评价结果与金相法结果符合得很好,相对误差仅为1.35%.可见,本模型能有效补偿粗糙度引起的超声背散射信号衰减,从而提高晶粒尺寸无损评价的精度.     

Measurements of velocity and attenuation of leaky waves using an ultrasonic array

A new method of measuring velocity and attenuation of leaky surface waves is presented. A single focused transmitting transducer and linear receiving array in a pitch-catch arrangement are used in the proposed system. The spatial distribution of the acoustic field in the leaky wave is recorded by the array, and the parameters of the leaky wave can be obtained by processing the output waveforms. In comparison with existing material characterization systems, the mechanical scanning of the transducers is not used any more, and the measurement time is only limited by the time of the wave propagation and speed of the electronic data acquisition system.     

Acoustic wave generation by microwaves and applications to nondestructive evaluation

Although acoustic wave generation by electromagnetic waves has been widely studied in the case of laser-generated ultrasounds, the literature on acoustic wave generation by thermal effects due to electromagnetic microwaves is very sparse. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the phenomenon of microwave generation, i.e. radiation pressure, electrostriction or thermal expansion. Now it is known that the main cause is the thermal expansion due to the microwave absorption. This paper will review the recent advances in the theory and experiments that introduce a new way to generate ultrasonic waves without contact for the purpose of nondestructive evaluation and control. The unidirectional theory based on Maxwell's equations, heat equation and thermoviscoelasticity predicts the generation of acoustic waves at interfaces and inside stratified materials. Acoustic waves are generated by a pulsed electromagnetic wave or a burst at a chosen frequency such that materials can be excited with a broad or narrow frequency range. Experiments show the generation of acoustic waves in water, viscoelastic polymers and composite materials shaped as rod and plates. From the computed and measured accelerations at interfaces, the viscoelastic and electromagnetic properties of materials such as polymers and composites can be evaluated (NDE). Preliminary examples of non-destructive testing applications are presented.     

Laser generation of convergent acoustic waves for materials inspection

A laser technique for generating convergent acoustic waves is described. The optically probed Rayleigh wave in the centre of convergence shows an amplification factor of the order of 20 with respect to a collimated surface wave. Applications to the ultrasonic characterization of layered materials and to crack detection are described.     

Investigation of oscillations of biological tissues and their phantoms with model defects

The potential to create a remote, contactless, diagnostic method for biological tissues or materials with properties similar to those of biological tissues, so-called phantoms, is studied. The method is based on measurement of local oscillations of the surface of material under study under the action of acoustic and ultrasonic waves. The application of a laser-scanning vibrometer provides a means for visualization oscillations of a biological tissue phantom with model defects in the form of air bubbles, regions with higher density, and laminations, and allows determination of the positions of these defects.     

Recent advances in the amplification of surface elastic waves in layered structures

The emergence of surface elastic waves as an important area of applied research has been largely the result of the successful application of well known principles of physical acoustics rather than the discovery of new phenomena. A number of factors have contributed to the rapid growth of interest in this field, among which may be noted the recent demonstration of terminal gain in an acoustoelectric surface wave amplifier at 100 MHz, the considerable reduction of two port insertion losses, and the recognition that planar acoustic systems offer significant advantages in sophistica- ted signal processing devices such as transversal filters. Most laboratories currently engaged in surface wave work had already developed the necessary facilities and skills during a period devoted to exploring the potential of bulk elastic waves. The single crystal materials of most interest for surface waves, generally low acoustic loss strongly piezoelectric insulators, are also those that have formed the basis for much of the bulk wave work. In certain respects, then, the renais- sance for surface waves came at a most propitious time, being able to take advantage of the experi- ence gained from several years of bulk wave activity. In retrospect, it may be surprising that bulk waves were favored first or that the interest in surface waves developed so slowly after efficient transduction with the interdigital comb structure was first demonstrated. It is generally agreed that much of the experimental research being carried out at the present time would have been possible, in principle, at any time within the last decade. This applies, for example, in all of the experiments involving bulk materials where a demonstration of feasibility rather than a reduction to useful prac- tice was the principal objective.     

套管井超声导波成像系统开发与工程应用研究*

针对现有套管井检测与评价技术存在的缺陷,开展了进一步的导波成像方法与技术开发研究。对套管壁A0导波模式频散与泄漏衰减特性,以及泄漏衰减特性与管外粘结材料特性阻抗的关系进行了分析。在此基础上进行了不同粘结载荷钢板模型A0模泄漏衰减等特性以及脉冲回波厚度共振波特性的实验测试。结果显示,结合A0模式的衰减与管外粘结材料特性阻抗的测试结果,可有效定征管外粘结材料特性,进一步确定和成像管外环形空间水力联通特性。以此为基础,开发了耐温和耐压宽带超声换能器,以及检测与成像系统。通过模型井和实际井的测试,获得良好效果。     

矩形表面波探头声场的高斯声束叠加法

利用矩形压电晶片和有机玻璃楔块折射可激励出超声表面波,广泛用于固体近表面缺陷检测和材料特性测量.由于描述表面波三维声场的理论方法还鲜有报道,因而主要采用简化的表面波二维声场模型来定量分析这类问题.高斯声束模型近些年被广泛应用于解决超声体波传播的各种复杂问题,然而,目前还没有将其扩展应用到超声表面波的声场的计算中.通过结合表面波格林方程和矩形换能器的高斯声束模型,推导出基于高斯声束叠加的表面波三维声场解析解.进一步,将该方法与点源叠加的数值解进行了分析比较,计算结果表明表面波声场的高斯声束叠加方法在具有较好计算精度的同时,还具有更快的计算效率.     

Modeling nonlinearities of ultrasonic waves for fatigue damage characterization: Theory,simulation, and experimental validation

A dedicated modeling technique for comprehending nonlinear characteristics of ultrasonic waves traversing in a fatigued medium was developed, based on a retrofitted constitutive relation of the medium by considering the nonlinearities originated from material, fatigue damage, as well as the “breathing” motion of fatigue cracks. Piezoelectric wafers, for exciting and acquiring ultrasonic waves, were integrated in the model. The extracted nonlinearities were calibrated by virtue of an acoustic nonlinearity parameter. The modeling technique was validated experimentally, and the results showed satisfactory consistency in between, both revealing: the developed modeling approach is able to faithfully simulate fatigue crack-incurred nonlinearities manifested in ultrasonic waves; a cumulative growth of the acoustic nonlinearity parameter with increasing wave propagation distance exists; such a parameter acquired via a sensing path is nonlinearly related to the offset distance from the fatigue crack to that sensing path; and neither the incidence angle of the probing wave nor the length of the sensing path impacts on the parameter significantly. This study has yielded a quantitative characterization strategy for fatigue cracks using embeddable piezoelectric sensor networks, facilitating deployment of structural health monitoring which is capable of identifying small-scale damage at an embryo stage and surveilling its growth continuously.     

Acoustic properties of biaxial crystal of double lead molybdate Pb2MoO5

The acoustic properties of crystalline double lead molybdate, which are promising for acoustooptics, have been investigated. All elasticity coefficients of Pb₂MoO₅ crystal, the phase velocities of acoustic waves, and the angles between the vectors of phase and group velocities of this material have been determined. The acoustic parameters of the crystal have been calculated based on experimental data from the Schaefer-Bergmann diagrams. The phase velocity of acoustic waves along some directions has also been determined by the standard (in acoustics) echo-pulse method.     

Physically Realizable Broadband Acoustic Metamaterials with Anisotropic Density

Transformation acoustics are concentrated for the purpose of designing novel acoustic devices to tailor acoustic waves to achieve desirable characteristics. However, these devices require fluid or fluid-like materials with an anisotropic density that generally does not exist in nature. Therefore, we introduce pentamode metamaterials into an alternating multilayer isotropic medium model to build fluid-like metamaterials with an anisotropic density. A 2D acoustic bending based on transformation acoustics is established and investigated to verify our method. This idea provides a method to design broadband and physically realizable acoustic metamaterials with an anisotropic density and is meaningful for the design of acoustic metamaterials.     

Parameter sensitivity of a T-junction sea model; the importance of the internal damping loss factors

For a typical building acoustics configuration, a T-junction of plates formed by a light weight wall placed on a heavy floor, a statistical energy analysis (SEA) model is presented. Only structural systems (i.e., no acoustic wavefields) are considered. Besides bending waves also in-plane waves, quasi-longitudinal and plane transverse waves, in particular, are included in the calculation. A parametric survey is conducted on the T-junction model—for one frequency (1000 Hz) only—in order to find the sensitivity of the SEA model to the inaccuracies of its parameters. It is shown that, when using reverberation time measurements of the plates to determine the internal damping loss factors, the worst case variations of the internal damping loss factors cause variations in the junction dampings of bending waves of about one order higher than any of the other parameters. Therefore, the conclusion is that in cases where the internal damping loss factors are large with respect to the coupling loss factors, it is necessary to obtain more accurate estimates for the internal damping loss factors than are found with simple reverberation time measurements of plates.     

Point mobility of a cylindrical plate incorporating a tapered hole of power-law profile

The paper describes the results of experimental measurements of point mobility carried out on circular plates containing tapered holes of quadratic power-law profile with attached damping layers. The obtained results are compared to the developed numerical model, as a means of validation. The profiles of the tapered hole in the plates are designed to replicate near zero reflection of quasi-plane waves from a tapered hole in geometrical acoustics approximation, also known as acoustic black hole effect. The driving point mobility measurements are provided, showing a comparison of the results for a constant thickness circular plate, a constant thickness plate with a layer of damping film applied and a plate with a quadratic power-law profile machined into the center, which is tested with a thin layer of elastic damping material attached. The results indicate a substantial suppression of resonant peaks, agreeing with a numerical model, which is based on the analytical solution available for the vibration of a plate with a central quadratic power-law profile. The paper contains results for the case of free boundary conditions on all edges of the plates, with emphasis placed on the predictions of resonant frequencies and the amplitudes of vibration and loss factor.