Radiation field calculations of pulsed ultrasonic transducers: Part 1: Planar circular,square and annular transducers

The exact equation to describe the propagation of ultrasonic pressure waves in a lossless, homogeneous medium was evaluated assuming pulse-excited radiators. Acoustical field patterns were studied using the dimensions and shape of the transducer, the ultrasonic frequency and number of cycles within the pulse as parameters. The results emphasize the influence of the number of cycles and piston shape on interference phenomena within the near-field and on beam-narrowing effects in the intermediate range between near- and far-field. The following transducer shapes are studied: planar circular, planar square and planar annular.     

Analysis of acoustic directivity of spherical cap transducers

In order to study the acoustic radiation from the spherical cap transducer,a theoretical model is used by solving the wave equation in spherical coordinates using the method of separation of variables,based on the spherical harmonic Fourier transform and boundary condition.The calculation formulas for the far field radiated pressure and directivity of spherical cap are derived.Some theoretical results are presented in the form of far-field directivity patterns of the spherical cap transducer for various polar angles of the spherical cap,radii of sphere baffle and operating frequencies.Both the diameter of the sphere baffle and the wavelength determine the directivity of acoustic radiation from a spherical cap.When the frequency is lower or the wavelength is longer than the diameter of the sphere baffle,the acoustic radiation from a spherical cap is omnidirectional.With the increase of the frequency or the diameter of the sphere baffle,the acoustic radiation from a spherical cap is more directional and the beamwidth more tends to spherical cap angle.Furthermore,the ripple in the beam is more obvious.The high frequency spherical cap transducer was fabricated and the directivity pattern was tested and the measurement data is shown to coincide with the theoretical results.This research can provide a guideline for designing the spherical cap transducers and arrays.     

球冠型换能器声辐射指向性分析

为了研究球冠型换能器的声辐射特性,在分离变量法求解球面坐标系下波动方程的基础上,采用基于球谐基傅里叶变换及边界条件的求解模型,给出了球冠型换能器声辐射的远场声压计算表达式和远场指向性表达式;仿真计算了球冠换能器的远场指向性随球冠极角、球半径及振动频率变化的特性,球冠所在球障板的直径和介质中声波的波长比决定着球冠声辐射指向性,在低频或波长大于球障板直径时,球冠声辐射呈无指向性,随着频率的增高即波长的减小或者球障板直径的增大,球冠声辐射的指向性越明显,波束开角越趋向于球冠的开角,而且波束开角内出现波浪状起伏越明显;试制了高频球冠型换能器基阵,测试了换能器基阵300 kHz的指向性,测试结果与理论计算相符合,验证了理论计算表达式的正确性,可为设计球冠型换能器及基阵提供理论指导。      

Model-based optimization of ultrasonic transducers

Numerical simulation and automated optimization of Langevin-type ultrasonic transducers are investigated. These kind of transducers are standard components in various applications of high-power ultrasonics such as ultrasonic cleaning and chemical processing. Vibration of the transducer is simulated numerically by standard finite element method and the dimensions and shape parameters of a transducer are optimized with respect to different criteria. The novelty value of this work is the combination of the simulation model and the optimization problem by efficient automatic differentiation techniques. The capabilities of this approach are demonstrated with practical test cases in which various aspects of the operation of a transducer are improved.     

Load characteristics of high power sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers

Based on the equivalent circuit theory, the load characteristics of high power piezoelectric ultrasonic sandwich transducers are studied. Two types of loads are studied. One is liquid load as in ultrasonic cleaning, and the other is solid load as in ultrasonic drilling and machining. The effect of load and structure of the transducer on the resonance frequency of the transducer is analyzed. It is shown that the effect of load on the resonance frequency of sandwich transducers with different structures is different. For liquid load as in ultrasonic cleaning, the effect of the load on the resonance frequency of the sandwich transducer with symmetrical structure is the largest. It is the smallest for the transducer with its displacement node in the back metal cylinder. For solid load as in ultrasonic drilling and machining, the effect of the load on the resonance frequency of the sandwich transducer with its displacement node in the front metal cylinder is the largest. It is also the smallest for the transducer with its displacement node in the back metal cylinder. On the other hand, for some applications, such as ultrasonic drilling, when the lateral dimension of the tool is much less than that of the transducer, its effect on the resonance frequency of the transducer is small. The conclusions are useful in designing vibrating systems for different ultrasonic applications.     

热疗用聚焦超声换能器的研究

本文通过数值计算及实际测量,研究了凹球面声透镜聚焦换能器及凹球面自聚焦换能器产生的声场,证实此两种聚焦方式均可获得理想的聚焦效果,但自聚焦方式更适合高强度聚焦超声(HIFU)加热治疗。     

Interface evolution of a particle in a supersaturated solution affected by a far-field uniform flow

The effect of far-field uniform flow on the morphological evolution of a spherical particle in a supersaturated solution affected by a far-field uniform flow is studied by using the matched asymptotic expansion method. The analytical solution for the interface shape, concentration field, and interface velocity of the particle growth shows that the convection induced by the far-field uniform flow facilitates the growth of the spherical particle, the upstream flow imposed on the particle enhances the growth velocity of the interface when the flow comes in, the downstream flow lowers the growth velocity of the surface when the flow goes out, and the interface morphology evolves into a peach-like shape.     

基于球壳内壁反射的球形换能器自易校准方法

基于球形换能器发射的脉冲球面声波及其在同心球壳内壁的反射,应用机电互易定理,导出了在球面波发射回波声场中,用于校准球形换能器的互易常数.以此为基础,提出一种使用封闭球壳反射器的自易校准方法,通过一次测量即可得到球形换能器的5个基本电声参数.进一步,将自易法校准所得的电压灵敏度换算成平面波声场中定义的标准灵敏度,给出了换...     

Improving the air coupling of bulk piezoelectric transducers with wedges of power-law profiles: A numerical study

An air-coupled ultrasonic transducer is created by bonding a bulk piezoelectric element onto the surface of a thick plate with a wedge of power-law profile. The wedge is used to improve the ultrasonic radiation efficiency. The power-law profile provides a smooth, impedance-matching transition for the mechanical energy to be transferred from the thick plate to the air, through the large-amplitude flexural waves observed in the thinnest region of the wedge. The performance of the proposed transducer is examined numerically and compared to that of a design where the piezoelectric element is isolated and where it is affixed to a thin plate of uniform thickness. The numerical analysis is first focused on the free-field radiation of the transducers. Then, time-reversal experiments are simulated by placing the transducers inside a cavity of arbitrary shape with some perfectly reflecting boundaries. In addition to time-reversal mirrors, the proposed concept could be integrated in the design of phased arrays and parametric arrays.     

Equivalent circuits and directivity patterns of air-coupled ultrasonic transducers

Air-coupled transducers for producing ultrasonic radiation in gases are studied. The transducer consists of a circular thin plate in flexural vibration and a sandwich longitudinal electromechanical vibrator that is attached to the center of the plate. The lowest-order axially symmetric flexural vibrational mode of a circular thin plate is analyzed. The equivalent circuits of the circular plate in flexural vibration and the compound transducer are presented and the frequency equation is derived. The radiated ultrasonic field of the circular thin plate in flexural vibration is calculated and the directivity pattern is obtained theoretically. Some transducers of this type are designed according to the frequency equation, and their resonance frequencies are measured. The measured resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the theoretical results, and the calculated radiation ultrasonic field is also in good agreement with the measured results of a previous work.     

Brushed-on piezoelectric transducers

Design considerations and operation of vibration-sensitive transducers that are brushed into place are described. These transducers are made of a slurry of crushed piezoelectric ceramic and a liquid binding material that becomes rigid upon exposure to the air. The resulting hard coating is electroded and polarized in place prior to its use as a vibration-detecting transducer. The parameters for optimum particle size, concentration and electrode shape are determined for transducers that are suitable for detecting vibration. Feasibility of the technique is determined by its use in detecting ultrasonic vibration of small rigid members. The technique permits deposition of coats less than 1mm thick with a particle concentration of up to 77 percent of active material. The sensitivities obtained are compared to those of solid piezoelectric materials.     

Acoustical fields from rectangular ultrasonic transducers for non-destructive testing and medical diagnosis

Theoretical results are given for pressure and intensity in the acoustical field produced by rectangular ultrasonic transducers. Comparison between the fields of square, circular and rectangular transducers is made showing that the field of a rectangular transducer, by comparison with that produced by square and circular transducers, may be divided into three zones rather than two: the very nearfield, the nearfield and the farfield. Some experimental results are shown confirming the general shape of the predicted curves. Emphasis is put on the difficulty of interpreting quantitative ultrasonic results with rectangular probes.     

Advantage analysis of PMN-PT material for free-flooded ring transducers

The acoustic radiation characteristics of free-flooded ring transducers made of PZT4 and PMN-PT materials are calculated and compared.First,the theoretical formulae for free-flooded ring transducers are studied.The resonant frequencies of a transducer made of PZT4 and PMN-PT materials are calculated.Then,the transmitting voltage responses of the free-flooded ring transducers are calculated using the finite element method.Finally,the acoustic radiation characteristics of the free-flooded ring transducers are calculated using the boundary element method.The calculated results show that the resonant frequencies of the free-flooded ring transducer made of PMN-PT are greatly reduced compared with those made of PZT4 with the same size.The transmitting voltage response of the transducer made of PMN-PT is much higher than that of the transducer made of PZT4.The calculated 3-dB beamwidth of the acoustic radiated far-field directivity of the free-flooded ring transducer made of PZT4 at the resonant frequency 1900 Hz is 63.6 and that of the transducer made of PMN-PT at the resonant frequency 1000 Hz is 64.6.The comparison results show that the free-flooded ring transducer made of PMN-PT material has many advantages over that made of PZT4.The PMN-PT is a promising material for improving the performance of free-flooded ring transducers.     

Comparative study of wide-band ultrasonic transducers

The relative performance of several types of ultrasonic transducer are assessed using reproducible acoustic transients generated from Q-switched Nd:YAG laser pulses incident on an aluminium alloy sample. A laser interferometer, a capacitance transducer, two types of electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), and a broad-band piezoelectric transducer are examined as detectors. The comparison includes a study of their rise-times, and typical signal-to-noise ratios. In the case of the interferometer and capacitance transducer, displacement measurements are shown to be highly consistent with theory.     

New technology for the design of advanced ultrasonic transducers for high-power applications

A new high-frequency ultrasonic transducer for wire bonding has been conceived, designed, prototyped and tested. In the design phase an advanced approach was used and established. The method is based on the two basic principles of modularity and iteration. The transducer is decomposed to its elementary components. For each component an initial design is obtained with finite elements method (FEM) simulations. The simulated ultrasonic modules are then built and characterized experimentally through laser-interferometry measurements and electrical resonance spectra. The comparison of simulation results with experimental data allows the parameters of FEM models to be iteratively adjusted and optimized. The achieved FEM simulations exhibit a remarkably high-predictive potential and allow full control on the vibration behavior of the ultrasonic modules and of the whole transducer. The new transducer is fixed on the wire bonder with a flange whose special geometry was calculated by means of FEM simulations. This flange allows the converter to be attached on the wire bonder not only in longitudinal nodes but also in radial nodes of the ultrasonic field excited in the horn. This leads to a nearly complete decoupling of the transducer to the wire bonder, which has not been previously obtained. The new approach to mount ultrasonic transducers on a welding-device is of major importance not only for wire bonding but also for all high-power ultrasound applications and has been patented.     

Optimization of ultrasonic transducers

The so-called KLM-model for ultrasonic transducers is employed to optimize transducer design. Some new performance characteristics are defined which change monotonically with design parameters. These characteristics are based on the area of the envelope of the echo waveform produced by the transducer and of the corresponding amplitude spectrum. The efficiency of the transducer is defined by the round trip energy factor. The performance characteristics are used in a composite performance measure, which is then employed as a criterion in the optimization procedure. Two transducers are investigated: for medical imaging purposes and for spectral analysis of clinical echograms. The influence of electrical matching, backing impedance, matching layer impedance, bond line thickness and series induction on the optimized transducers is investigated.     

厚度模压电超声换能器无源声学材料研究进展*

厚度模压电超声换能器作为超声波发射、接收以及电信号间转换的载体,是超声成像与检测系统的核心器件,一般由压电层、匹配层和背衬层3部分组成。超声换能器的性能一定程度上决定着整体超声设备的性能,影响了其在工业、医学、军事等领域的应用。该换能器的关键性能指标(带宽、灵敏度)除了受到压电层的影响,还与匹配层、背衬层等无源声学材料的设计密切相关。该文综述了近年来厚度模压电超声换能器无源声学材料(匹配层、背衬层和声透镜)的研究进展,提出了当前该类材料面临的难题和解决途径,并对其未来发展方向进行了展望。     

Ultrasonic measurement of gas flow using electrostatic transducers

Ultrasonic gas flowmeters typically use narrowband piezoelectric transducer arrangements for interrogating the flow of gas in a pipe. In this work, the suitability of broadband electrostatic transducers operating at frequencies of up to 1 MHz for ultrasonic measurement of gas flow has been investigated. The transit time method of ultrasonic gas flow measurement was adopted and experiments were carried out using a laboratory test rig capable of producing a range of gas flowrates up to 17.5 m/s. The test rig also allowed easy interchange of different prototype flowmetering sections. Times of flight of ultrasonic waves interrogating the gas flow were measured using separate send/receive electrostatic transducer arrangements. Two flowmeter configurations were considered. The first interrogated the flow at 45 degrees in contra-propagating upstream and downstream directions. The second consisted of an up-stream interrogation at 45 degrees to the gas flow and an interrogation made normal to the flow direction. k factors correlating the fluid velocity along the ultrasonic path with the mean fluid velocity in the pipe were calculated using experimental ultrasonic data and anemometer measurements. All transducer configurations were numerically modelled using the computational fluid dynamics software package FLOTRAN (ANSYS Inc.). Theoretical gas flow velocities for both transducer arrangements were subsequently compared with experimental values and found to be in excellent agreement. A flow-dependent frequency shift of the received ultrasonic signals was also observed simultaneously with the transit time measurement.     

Influence of acoustic impedance of multilayer acoustic systems on the transfer function of ultrasonic airborne transducers

In different solutions of ultrasonic transducers radiating acoustic energy into the air there occurs the problem of the proper selection of the acoustic impedance of one or more matching layers. The goal of this work was a computer analysis of the influence of acoustic impedance on the transfer function of piezoceramic transducers equipped with matching layers. Cases of resonance and non-resonance matching impedance in relation to the transfer function and the energy transmission coefficient for solid state-air systems were analysed. With stable thickness of matching layers the required shape of the transfer function can be obtained through proper choice of acoustic impedance were built (e.g. maximal flat function). The proper choice of acoustic impedance requires an elaboration of precise methods of synthesis of matching systems. Using the known matching criteria (Chebyshev's, DeSilets', Souquet's), the transfer function characteristics of transducers equipped with one, two, and three matching layers as well as the optimisation methods of the energy transmission coefficient were presented. The influence of the backside load of the transducer on the shape of transfer function was also analysed. The calculation results of this function for different loads of the transducer backside without and with the different matching layers were presented. The proper load selection allows us to obtain the desired shape of the transfer function, which determines the pulse shape generated by the transducer.     

A miniature pulser-preamplifier for ultrasonic transducers

In order to avoid difficulties experienced with conventional ultrasonic systems using several feet of shielded cable to connect transducer and electronics, a miniature pulser-preamplifier was developed to fit the transducer holder. Its characteristics proved superior to most devices in common use.