Fast beating null strip during the reflection of pulsed Gaussian beams incident at the Rayleigh angle

It is well known that harmonic bounded Gaussian beams undergo a transformation into two bounded beams upon reflection on a solid immersed in a liquid. The effect is known as the Schoch effect and can be found at the Rayleigh angle for thick plates and at the different Lamb angles for thin plates. Here, a study is made on the effect of pulsed Gaussian beams reflected on solids. It is found experimentally that the Rayleigh wave phenomenon still generates two reflected bounded beams, whereas Lamb wave phenomena do not generate this effect. This fact may be explained intuitively by realizing that the Rayleigh phenomenon is a coincidental phenomenon that is generated in situ, whereas the Lamb wave phenomenon is a non-coincidental phenomenon that is generated only after incident sound is influenced by both sides of a thin plate. Another explanation is the fact that Rayleigh waves are not dispersive, whereas stimulation and propagation of Lamb waves is frequency dependent. A pulse contains many frequencies and therefore only a fraction of the incident pulse is transformed into a Lamb wave. In this paper, numerical simulations are performed that show that actually the Schoch effect does occur neither for Rayleigh waves, nor for Lamb waves. As a matter of fact, a pulse, incident at the Rayleigh angle, generates two reflected lobes with a null zone of a different kind. The null zone is beating several times during the passage of each pulse. This results in a 'null zone' having a lower mean intensity than any of the two lobes, still less outspoken than for the case of harmonic incident bounded beams. This effect does only occur for Rayleigh wave generation and is much less outspoken for Lamb wave generation.     

Effect of the surface free energy on the behaviour of surface and guided waves

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the surface free energy upon the propagation of the eigenmodes of structures, by studying successively (a) the Rayleigh wave for an elastic half-space, (b) the Lamb waves for an elastic layer, and (c) the guided modes for a tri-layer structure (e.g., metal/adhesive/metal). The surface free energy is a parameter which appears in the jump conditions of stresses and displacements at each interface, and which consequently modifies the eigenmodes, solutions of the boundary conditions system. As expected, the Rayleigh wave is dispersive and its velocity increases when the surface free energy increases. In the same way, the velocity of Lamb waves also increases except at normal angle of propagation where the surface free energy does not arise. Moreover, near the Rayleigh angle, the behaviour of the A₀ and S₀ Lamb modes varies strongly according to the surface free energy. Similar results are observed for the tri-layer structure.     

Selective generation of ultrasonic Lamb waves by electromagnetic acoustic transducers

In this paper, we describe a modal expansion approach for the analysis of the selective generation of ultrasonic Lamb waves by electromagnetic acoustic transducers(EMATs). With the modal expansion approach for waveguide excitation, an analytical expression of the Lamb wave's mode expansion coefficient is deduced, which is related to the driving frequency and the geometrical parameters of the EMAT's meander coil, and lays a theoretical foundation for exactly analyzing the selective generation of Lamb waves with EMATs. The influences of the driving frequency on the mode expansion coefficient of ultrasonic Lamb waves are analyzed when the EMAT's geometrical parameters are given. The numerical simulations and experimental examinations show that the ultrasonic Lamb wave modes can be effectively regulated(strengthened or restrained) by choosing an appropriate driving frequency of EMAT, with the geometrical parameters given. This result provides a theoretical and experimental basis for selectively generating a single and pure Lamb wave mode with EMATs.     

Guided waves in elastic plates with Gaussian section variation: experimental and numerical results

Experimental and numerical results are presented on the behavior of guided waves in elastic plates in plane strain that include a Gaussian variation of their section, located between two areas of constant thickness. The area of varying section is wide compared to the used wavelengths, which allows wave propagation inside this area. The experimental results show that an incident Lamb wave is indeed converted into an adiabatic wave inside the varying section domain. A trapped wave in the Gaussian domain is also observed, depending on the incident mode and on the Gaussian maximum height. Outside the varying section domain, conversion into different Lamb waves is observed. This conversion phenomenon is experimentally quantified by the measurement of the Lamb wave normal displacement and of its carried energy. A numerical study, based on the Finite Elements Method is performed, and successfully compared to the experimental results.     

Cumulative second-harmonic generation of Lamb waves propagating in a two-layered solid plate

The physical process of cumulative second-harmonic generation of Lamb waves propagating in a two-layered solid plate is presented by using the second-order perturbation and the technique of nonlinear reflection of acoustic waves at an interface. In general, the cumulative second-harmonic generation of a dispersive guided wave propagation does not occur. However, the present paper shows that the second-harmonic of Lamb wave propagation arising from the nonlinear interaction of the partial bulk acoustic waves and the restriction of the three boundaries of the solid plates does have a cumulative growth effect if some conditions are satisfied. Through boundary condition and initial condition of excitation, the analytical expression of cumulative second-harmonic of Lamb waves propagation is determined. Numerical results show the cumulative effect of Lamb waves on second-harmonic field patterns.     

A feasibility study of the use of bounded beams resembling the shape of evanescent and inhomogeneous waves

Plane waves are solutions of the visco-elastic wave equation. Their wave vector can be real for homogeneous plane waves or complex for inhomogeneous and evanescent plane waves. Although interesting from a theoretical point of view, complex wave vectors normally only emerge naturally when propagation or scattering is studied of sound under the appearance of damping effects. Because of the particular behavior of inhomogeneous and evanescent waves and their estimated efficiency for surface wave generation, bounded beams, experimentally mimicking their infinite counterparts similar to (wide) Gaussian beams imitating infinite harmonic plane waves, are of special interest in this report. The study describes the behavior of bounded inhomogeneous and bounded evanescent waves in terms of amplitude and phase distribution as well as energy flow direction. The outcome is of importance to the applicability of bounded inhomogeneous ultrasonic waves for nondestructive testing.     

有限入射声束在液固界面声反射的数值研究

采用将有限声束分解为一系列平面波的方法，对液固界面声束的声反射问题进行了数值研究，结果表明，当声束入射角为瑞利疲激角时，反射声速有明显位移；当声束在液固界面“掠射”时，反射声速显著变宽，文中还讨论了束宽对反射声速横截面上声场分布的影响。     

多通道超声兰姆波检测板状结构中的裂纹

超声兰姆(Lamb)波在结构缺陷检测方面愈来愈受到重视,但目前Lamb波的应用局限于单信号源激励,单通道接收的方法,容易受到噪声干扰,其后续的信号分析处理也比较复杂。本文旨在采用多通道Lamb波对板状结构中的裂纹进行定量分析与诊断。在铝板的表面凿刻出不同深度的凹槽作为裂纹,通过线阵换能器采集在一定传播距离内的多通道Lamb波信号,并采用二维傅里叶变换分析在不同深度的裂纹下,Lamb波模式能量的变化规律。结果表明,相对于完好铝板中的Lamb波信号,裂纹的存在会使Lamb波发生模式转换现象,并且转换模式能量百分比随裂纹深度的增加而线性增加。其结果为Lamb波评价板状结构中的裂纹状况提供了一种可能的方法。     

Backscattering enhancements from Rayleigh waves on the flat face of a tilted solid cylinder in water

When the face of a finite solid elastic cylinder is ensonified by an acoustic wave, a variety of backscattering contributions associated with acoustic wave coupling into elastic waves are observed. A significant backscattering enhancement is observed for tilts such that the acoustic wave is incident on the face of the cylinder in the vicinity of the coupling angle for launching Rayleigh waves across the face. The observed backscattering indicates that the Rayleigh waves are reflected at the edge of the face and subsequently radiate acoustic waves in the backscattering direction. The measured backscattering is compared to an approximate theoretical prediction. Approximating the focusing of the Rayleigh wave after reflection at the (circular) edge by a Gaussian beam pressure distribution on the cylinder's face yields simple expressions for the amplitude which are consistent with the measurements. In the vicinity of end-on incidence, other backscattering contributions due to the reflection of waves traveling down the length of the cylinder are observed. There is also evidence of a face-traversing longitudinal wave for slightly tilted cylinders.     

铝板中Lamb波检测的实验研究

Lamb波在传播过程中具有频散及多模态特性,若相关参数选择不当,会导致在实际应用中信号相互叠加而无法识别。本文基于Lamb波的频散曲线是其频散方程实数解分布的特点,采用二分法绘制了铝板中Lamb波的频散曲线、波结构曲线和入射角曲线。根据曲线选择S0模态的Lamb波对1mm厚铝板中不同类型的缺陷进行检测。实验结果表明,S0模态的Lamb波对裂纹型缺陷和贯穿型缺陷十分敏感,但对于裂纹型缺陷,其幅值变化并不与缺陷大小成线性关系,并且S0模态Lamb波的声场指向性十分集中,在偏离声束轴线时无法检测到缺陷。     

Upconversion of whistler waves by gyrating ion beams in a plasma

A gyrating ion beam, with a ring-shaped distribution in velocity, supports negative energy beam modes near the harmonics of beam gyro-frequency. An investigation of the non-linear interaction of high-frequency whistler waves with the negative energy beam cyclotron mode is made. A non-linear dispersion relation is derived for the coupled modes. It is shown that a gyrating ion-beam frequency upconverts the whistler waves separated by harmonics of beam gyro-frequency. The expression for the growth rate of whistler mode waves has been derived. In Case 1, a high-amplitude whistler wave decays into two lower frequency waves, called a low-frequency mode and a side band of frequency lower than that of pump wave. In Case 2 a high-amplitude whistler wave decays into two lower frequency daughter waves, called the low-frequency mode and whistler waves. Generation mechanism of these waves has application in space and laboratory plasmas.     

Detection of cracks in metal sheets using pulsed laser generated ultrasound and EMAT detection

A pulsed Nd:YAG laser with an approximately Gaussian beam shape is directed onto the surface of an aluminium sheet at an energy density below which damage by laser ablation occurs, generating Lamb waves in the sheet. The laser beam is raster scanned across the surface of the sample. The Lamb waves travel radially outwards from the generation point and are detected some distance away by an electromagnetic acoustic transducer with sensitivity to in-plane displacements of the sheet. A number of static EMATs are located around the edges of the sheet, some distance from the generation point. The presence of a crack-like defect on the sheet can be detected by either a sudden change in the ultrasonic waveform or by an enhancement in the frequency content of the waveform when the laser beam illuminates directly onto the crack.     

基于时间反转理论的聚焦Lamb波结构损伤成像

从理论和实验上研究了时间反转法在频散和多模式的Lamb波结构健康检测方面的应用.当Lamb波在包含有损伤的板类结构中传播时,损伤的存在表现为一个被动波源.采用分布式传感器网络,基于传递函数的观点,通过推导由损伤这个被动波源产生的时间反转波场幅值的表达式,证实了当观察点位于损伤位置时,时间反转波场的幅值最大.为验证时间反转方法的聚焦效应,提出了一种适合于分布的激励/接收传感器网络的成像方法,该方法可以对损伤定位并近似确定损伤尺寸.结合有限元的实验结果显示了Lamb波检测信号的能量可在损伤处聚焦,表明时间反转     

基于群速度失配的超声兰姆波二次谐波的时域测量方法

考虑到发射和接收换能器对超声兰姆波时域二次谐波信号所带来的不可避免的影响,提出一种基于基频与二倍频兰姆波群速度失配的超声兰姆波二次谐波的时域测量方法。当基频与二倍频超声兰姆波的相速度匹配而群速度失配时,在超声兰姆波传播过程中所发生的二次谐波信号,在时域上可与源于斜劈换能器的二次谐波信号相分离。采用仅源自于基频兰姆波的时域二次谐波的积分振幅,定量描述兰姆波二次谐波的发生效率。以铝板中传播的兰姆波为例,给出了时域二次谐波的具体测量过程。本文提出的测量方法放宽了超声兰姆波二次谐波的测量条件,且扣除了换能器对二次谐波信号所带来的影响,所测得的二次谐波信号完全来自于基频兰姆波时域信号的二次谐波发生效应。      

The reflection of bounded inhomogeneous waves on a liquid/solid interface

Fourier analysis and normal mode theory are used to describe the reflection of bounded inhomogeneous waves on a liquid/solid interface. Nonspecular reflection phenomena in the Rayleigh angle are studied in detail. In this way, an explanation is given for the Rayleigh dip phenomenon for positive inhomogeneity factors and the related result of a reflection coefficient larger than unity when the sign of the inhomogeneity factor is reversed. In the limit of large beamwidths, the reflection coefficient predicted by the infinite plane inhomogeneous wave theory is obtained. These results are entirely consistent with the experimental work published by Deschamps [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 96, 2841-2848 (1994)]. The energy efficiency of Rayleigh wave excitation is investigated as well. It is shown that for large beamwidths, the energy efficiency for bounded inhomogeneous waves is considerably higher in comparison with Gaussian and square-profiled beams.     

A new ultrasonic technique for the measurement of liquid level

A new design of pulse-echo ultrasonic liquid level gauge is described in which the ultrasonic pulse (here a Rayleigh or a Lamb wave) travels down a metal bar or strip towards the liquid surface, where, through a double mode-conversion process and a special reflecting structure, a strong echo is generated which travels back up the bar to the receiving transducer.The geometry of the special reflecting structure is outlined, and it is shown how this affects the basic accuracy of measurement. Inaccuracies arising from other effects like temperature variation, viscosity and poor signal-to-noise ratio are also discussed. Some mechanical variants, like using the wall of the tank in place of the metal bar carrying the ultrasonic wave and the use of corner reflectors as part of the reflecting structure, are also considered.A note in the Appendix briefly describes one method which has been used successfully for the generation of Rayleigh and Lamb waves.     

复合兰姆波声子晶体中超宽部分禁带

兰姆波在声子晶体薄板中的传播特性因其在无损检测、 减振技术和传感器件等领域的潜在应用价值而受到越来越多的关注. 本文采用超原胞平面波展开法和有限元法系统地研究了复合对称结构声子晶体薄板中的兰姆波超宽部分禁带. 结果表明: 对于在薄板侧面对称地嵌入双层矩形空气柱构成的复杂系统, 低阶兰姆波部分带隙结构极为丰富. 将晶格常数(L)和板厚(H) 比值具有匹配关系的兰姆波声子晶体衔接构成复合结构, 低阶兰姆波部分禁带宽度因各组分结构的部分禁带交叠而得到显著拓宽, 可在低频超宽频带内实现对特定低阶兰姆波模式良好的模式选择功能. 该研究结果对兰姆波缺陷无损检测中模式优化选择及兰姆波单向导通器件设计等方面具有重要意义.     

The role of Biot slow waves in electroseismic wave phenomena

The electromagnetic fields that are generated as a spherical seismic wave (either P or S) traverses an interface separating two porous materials are numerically modeled both with and without the generation of Biot slow waves at the interface. In the case of an incident fast-P wave, the predicted electric-field amplitudes when slow waves are neglected can easily be off by as much as an order of magnitude. In the case of an incident S wave, the error is much smaller (typically on the order of 10% or less) because not much S-wave energy gets converted into slow waves. In neglecting the slow waves, only six plane waves (reflected and transmitted fast-P, S, and EM waves) are available with which to match the eight continuity conditions that hold at each interface. This overdetermined problem is solved by placing weights on the eight continuity conditions so that those conditions that are most important for obtaining the proper response are emphasized. It is demonstrated that when slow waves are neglected, it is best to also neglect the continuity of the Darcy flow and fluid pressure across an interface. The principal conclusion of this work is that to properly model the electromagnetic (EM) fields generated at an interface by an incident seismic wave, the full Biot theory that allows for generation of slow waves must be employed.