Modeling wave propagation in realistic heart geometries using the phase-field method

We present a novel algorithm for modeling electrical wave propagation in anatomical models of the heart. The algorithm uses a phase-field approach that represents the boundaries between the heart muscle and the surrounding medium as a spatially diffuse interface of finite thickness. The chief advantage of this method is to automatically handle the boundary conditions of the voltage in complex geometries without the need to track the location of these boundaries explicitly. The algorithm is shown to converge accurately in nontrivial test geometries with no-flux (zero normal current) boundary conditions as the width of the diffuse interface becomes small compared to the width of the cardiac action potential wavefront. Moreover, the method is illustrated for anatomically realistic models of isolated rabbit and canine ventricles as well as human atria.     

Modeling three-dimensional elastic wave propagation in circular cylindrical structures using a finite-difference approach

Wave propagation along circular cylindrical structures is important for nondestructive-testing applications and shocks in tubes. To simulate elastic wave propagation phenomena in such structures the governing equations in cylindrical coordinates are solved numerically. To reduce the required amount of computer memory and the computational time, the stress components are eliminated in the equilibrium equations. In the resulting coupled partial differential equations, in which only the three displacement components are involved, the derivatives with respect to spatial coordinates and time are approximated using second order central differences. This leads to the present new approach, which is both accurate and efficient. In order to obtain a stable scheme the displacements must be allocated on a staggered grid. The von Neumann stability analysis is performed and the result is compared with an existing empirical criterion. Mechanical energies are observed in order to validate the finite-difference code. Since no material damping or energy dissipation is taken into account in the equations of motion, the total energy must remain constant over time. Only negligible variations are observed during long-term simulations. Dispersion relations are used to check the physical behavior of the waves calculated with the proposed finite-difference method: Theoretically calculated curves are compared with values obtained by a spectrum estimation method, applied to the results of a simulation.     

Modeling elastic wave propagation in kidney stones with application to shock wave lithotripsy

A time-domain finite-difference solution to the equations of linear elasticity was used to model the propagation of lithotripsy waves in kidney stones. The model was used to determine the loading on the stone (principal stresses and strains and maximum shear stresses and strains) due to the impact of lithotripsy shock waves. The simulations show that the peak loading induced in kidney stones is generated by constructive interference from shear waves launched from the outer edge of the stone with other waves in the stone. Notably the shear wave induced loads were significantly larger than the loads generated by the classic Hopkinson or spall effect. For simulations where the diameter of the focal spot of the lithotripter was smaller than that of the stone the loading decreased by more than 50%. The constructive interference was also sensitive to shock rise time and it was found that the peak tensile stress reduced by 30% as rise time increased from 25 to 150 ns. These results demonstrate that shear waves likely play a critical role in stone comminution and that lithotripters with large focal widths and short rise times should be effective at generating high stresses inside kidney stones.     

Modeling of elastic wave propagation on a curved free surface using an improved finite-difference algorithm

Modelling and understanding the effect of elastic wave propagation along a curved free surface has been one of the important issues in seismic exploration[1—3], earth seis-mology[4], and non-destructive ultrasonic detection[5]. Several approaches have beenproposed for simulating wave propagation in heterogeneous media with a topographic stress-release boundary. These include finite-element methods (FEM), boundary element methods (BEM), finite-difference methods (FDM), pseudo-spectral metho…     

A nodal discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for nonlinear elastic wave propagation

A nodal discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DG-FEM) to solve the linear and nonlinear elastic wave equation in heterogeneous media with arbitrary high order accuracy in space on unstructured triangular or quadrilateral meshes is presented. This DG-FEM method combines the geometrical flexibility of the finite element method, and the high parallelization potentiality and strongly nonlinear wave phenomena simulation capability of the finite volume method, required for nonlinear elastodynamics simulations. In order to facilitate the implementation based on a numerical scheme developed for electromagnetic applications, the equations of nonlinear elastodynamics have been written in a conservative form. The adopted formalism allows the introduction of different kinds of elastic nonlinearities, such as the classical quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, or the quadratic hysteretic nonlinearities. Absorbing layers perfectly matched to the calculation domain of the nearly perfectly matched layers type have been introduced to simulate, when needed, semi-infinite or infinite media. The developed DG-FEM scheme has been verified by means of a comparison with analytical solutions and numerical results already published in the literature for simple geometrical configurations: Lamb's problem and plane wave nonlinear propagation.     

Two-dimensional acoustic wave propagation in elastic ducts

Integral transforms are employed in order to obtain a formal solution to the two-dimensional elastic-walled duct problem. The fluid inside the duct is stationary, inviscid and compressible, and is identical to the fluid outside the duct. A time-harmonic line source lies between the duct walls. With attention confined to the field inside the duct, an asymptotic analysis is implemented for high and low frequencies, yielding residues which are valid throughout the duct and branch-cut contributions which apply only in the far field.     

A stereographic display using a reflection holographic screen

We propose a method to produce a hard copy of a three-dimensional (3-D) image by a conventional high-resolution printer. Parallax information is recorded on a transparency by the printer, and a reflection-type holographic screen composed of a number of small elementary holograms is attached on the transparency. The quality of the 3-D image is investigated, and the characteristics of the proposed method are described. 3-D image of full-parallax is experimentally produced using a laser printer.     

Modeling of wave propagation in inhomogeneous media

We present a methodology providing a new perspective on modeling and inversion of wave propagation satisfying time-reversal invariance and reciprocity in generally inhomogeneous media. The approach relies on a representation theorem of the wave equation to express the Green function between points in the interior as an integral over the response in those points due to sources on a surface surrounding the medium. Following a predictable initial computational effort, Green's functions between arbitrary points in the medium can be computed as needed using a simple cross-correlation algorithm.     

Modeling of wave dispersion along cylindrical structures using the spectral method

Algorithm and code are presented that solve dispersion equations for cylindrically layered media consisting of an arbitrary number of elastic and fluid layers. The algorithm is based on the spectral method which discretizes the underlying wave equations with the help of spectral differentiation matrices and solves the corresponding equations as a generalized eigenvalue problem. For a given frequency the eigenvalues correspond to the wave numbers of different modes. The advantage of this technique is that it is easy to implement, especially for cases where traditional root-finding methods are strongly limited or hard to realize, i.e., for attenuative, anisotropic, and poroelastic media. The application of the new approach is illustrated using models of an elastic cylinder and a fluid-filled tube. The dispersion curves so produced are in good agreement with analytical results, which confirms the accuracy of the method. Particle displacement profiles of the fundamental mode in a free solid cylinder are computed for a range of frequencies.     

Hybrid compliance-stiffness matrix method for stable analysis of elastic wave propagation in multilayered anisotropic media

This paper presents the hybrid compliance-stiffness matrix method for stable analysis of elastic wave propagation in multilayered anisotropic media. The method utilizes the hybrid matrix of each layer in a recursive algorithm to deduce the stack hybrid matrix for a multilayered structure. Like the stiffness matrix method, the hybrid matrix method is able to eliminate the numerical instability of transfer matrix method. By operating with total stresses and displacements, it also preserves the convenience for incorporating imperfect or perfect interfaces. However, unlike the stiffness matrix, the hybrid matrix remains to be well-conditioned and accurate even for zero or small thicknesses. The stability of hybrid matrix method has been demonstrated by the numerical results of reflection and transmission coefficients. These results have been determined efficiently based on the surface hybrid matrix method involving only a subset of hybrid submatrices. In conjunction with the recursive asymptotic method, the hybrid matrix method is self-sufficient without hybrid asymptotic method and may achieve low error level over a wide range of sublayer thickness or the number of recursive operations.     

Numerical modeling of the reflection coefficients for the plane sound wave reflection from a layered elastic bottom

The matrix method and its numerical realization are considered in calculating the complex reflection coefficients and refraction indices of plane sound waves for geoacoustic models of the ocean bottom in the form of homogeneous elastic (liquid) absorbing layers overlying an elastic halfspace. In calculating the reflection coefficients at high frequencies or in the presence of a large numbers of sedimentary layers, a passage from the Thomson-Haskell matrix approach to the Dunkin-Thrower computational scheme is performed. The results of test calculations are presented. With the aim of developing resonance methods for the reconstruction of the parameters of layered elastic media, the behavior of the frequency-angular dependences of the reflection coefficient are studied for various geoacoustic bottom models. The structure of the angular and frequency resonances of the reflection coefficients is revealed. The dependence of the structure (the position, width, and amplitude) of two types of resonances on the parameters of the layered bottom is considered.     

Modeling of Lamb wave propagation in plate with two-dimensional phononic crystal layer coated on uniform substrate using plane-wave-expansion method

We show that the conversional three-dimensional plane wave expansion method can be revised to investigate the lamb wave propagation in the plate with two-dimensional phononic crystal layer coated on uniform substrate. We find that an imaginary three-dimensional periodic system can be constructed by stacking the studied plates and vacuum layers alternately, and then the Fourier series expansion can be performed. The difference between our imaginary periodic system and the true three-dimensional one is that, in our system, the Bloch feature of the wave along the thickness direction is broken. Three different systems are investigated by the proposed method as examples. The principle and reliability of the method are also discussed.     

Two-dimensional wave propagation in a rotating elastic solid with voids

Two-dimensional wave propagation is studied in an isothermal linear isotropic elastic material with voids rotating with constant angular velocity based on a theory of elastic material with voids developed by Ie?an (1986) in the thermoelastic context. It is found that there exist three coupled plane waves propagating with distinct phase speeds. The presence of voids and the rotation of the medium are responsible for this coupling. In the absence of voids, the classical longitudinal and transverse waves are found to be coupled through the rotation of the medium. At very large frequency or when the angular rotation is very small relative to the wave frequency the waves are decoupled and propagate with distinct phase speeds. These are (i) a longitudinal wave, (ii) a transverse wave and (iii) a longitudinal wave corresponding to the change in void volume fraction. The first two correspond to the waves of classical elasticity, while the third is new and arises from the presence of the voids. The results are illustrated graphically.     

Frequency-dependent reflection of elastic wave from thin bed in porous media

The reflection of elastic wave from thin bed in porous media is important for oil and gas reservoir seismic exploration.The equations for calculating frequency-dependent reflection amplitude versus incident angle(FDAVA) from thin bed in porous media are obtained based on porous media theory. Some conclusions are obtained from numerical analysis, specifically, slow compression wave may be ignored when considering boundary conditions in most situations; the dispersion of reflection from thin bed is much higher than that from thick layer and is periodic in frequency domain, which is affected by the thickness of thin bed, velocity, and incident angle; the reflection amplitude envelope in frequency domain decays exponentially, which is affected by the thickness of thin bed, attenuation, and incident angle; the reflection amplitude increases with thickness of thin bed increasing, and then it decreases when the thickness reaches to a quarter of wavelength.     

Analytical solution for nonlinear wave propagation in shallow media using the variational iteration method

An analytical solution is presented for nonlinear surface wave propagation. A variational iteration method (VIM) was employed and time-dependent profiles of the surface elevation level and velocity obtained analytically for different initial conditions. It is shown that the VIM used here is a flexible and accurate approach and that it can rapidly converge to the same results obtained by the Adomian decomposition method.     

Modified path integrals and complex Monte Carlo method in the statistical theory of wave propagation in dispersive media

A new representation of the Green function of a wave equation is developed as modified path integrals. The mean-squares value of the wavefield is calculated by the complex Monte Carlo method of a layer of chaotically distributed three-dimensional scatterers with a random scatter of permittivity. Collective resonance events in wave scattering have been detected.     

Modified path integrals and the complex Monte Carlo method in statistical theory of wave propagation in dispersive media

Radiophysics and Quantum Electronics -     

Flocculation and sedimentation in suspensions using ultrasonic wave reflection

This work was undertaken to help understand and interpret the ultrasonic wave reflection response of Portland cement paste as it transforms from a fluid-like suspension to a solid in the first hours after mixing. A high impact polystyrene buffer (delay line) was used to measure small changes in the P- and S-wave reflection coefficients. Two materials were studied: a non-hydrating colloidal alumina suspension whose microstructure was manipulated between dispersed and flocculated states by adjusting the pH and a coarse silica suspension that readily sedimented. The S-wave reflection coefficient clearly distinguished between dispersed and flocculated states. Sedimentation of particles in dispersed suspensions was distinguished using the P-wave reflection coefficient. Based on these findings, the observed P- and S-wave responses from hydrating Portland cement paste are interpreted in terms of flocculation and sedimentation processes.