Non-contact sound speed measurement by optical probing of beam deflection due to sound wave

We report a non-contact and non-invasive method of sound speed measurement by optical probing of deflected laser beam due to normally incident degenerated shock wave. In this study the shock wave from an exploding wire was degenerated to an ordinary sound wave at the distance exceeding 0.23 m. Temporal resolution of the deflected beam signal was improved by passing through an adequate electronic high-pass filter, as a result we obtained a better temporal resolution than that of the acoustic pressure detection by PZT transducer in terms of rising time. The spatial resolution was improved by passing the refracted beam signal into the edge of focusing lens to make a larger deflection angle. Sound speed was calculated by monitoring the time of flight of transient deflected signal at the predetermined position. Sound speed has been measured in air, distilled water and acryl, agreed well with the published values. The sound speed measured in the solution of glycerin, magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), and dimethylformamide with various mole fractions also agrees within 3% of relative error with those measured in the present work by ultrasonic pulse echo method. The results suggest that the method proposed is to be reliable and reproducible.     

钢轨踏面的空气耦合超声检测方法*

该文针对钢轨踏面浅表面裂纹提出非接触空气耦合超声类瑞利波的检测方法。首先利用半有限元法求解了CHN60型钢轨的振动模式,抽出了钢轨轨头踏面的振动模态结构和频散曲线,并搭建实验系统,根据Snell法则和声源在空气中的声场分布确定了检测参数,最后从理论和实验两方面着手对钢轨踏面浅表面裂纹的有无及裂纹大小进行了实验分析和数值计算,其结果非常吻合,证明了空气耦合超声导波检测方法的可行性和可靠性。     

超声波流量计测量流体声速的实验方法

为获取液体介质的声速值,设计了一种测定流体声速的实验方法,该方法利用时差式超声波流量计和标准流量校验设备同时对封闭管道中的液体进行流速测量,分别得到流速的测量值和真实值,从而计算出超声波流量计的仪表系数,并以此导出了一定条件下液体介质的声速值随仪表系数的变化关系式.利用该方法测量给出了0.17 MPa下四氧化二氮(N₂O₄)在7.6-19.4 ℃、偏二甲肼((CH₃)₂NNH₂)在6.5-25.2 ℃范围内的流体声速值,并为其他液体介质的声速测量提供了借鉴. 关键词： 超声波流量计 声速 仪表系数 温度     

Non-contact transportation using near-field acoustic levitation

Near-field acoustic levitation, where planar objects 10 kg in weight can levitate stably near the vibrating plate, is successfully applied both to non-contact transportation of objects and to a non-contact ultrasonic motor. Transporting apparatuses and an ultrasonic motor have been fabricated and their characteristics measured. The theory of near-field acoustic levitation both for a piston-like sound source and a flexural vibration source is also briefly described.     

Ferroelectret non-contact ultrasonic transducers

Dielectric and electromechanical properties of the cellular polypropylene ferroelectret films (EMFIT), combining strong piezoelectric response with a low density and softness, evidence their high potential for the air-coupled ultrasonic applications. The disadvantage of the low coupling factor is compensated by the extremely low acoustic impedance, which provides excellent matching to air and promises efficient sound transmission through the air–transducer interface. The influence of the electrodes on the electromechanical properties was investigated. Electron beam evaporation technology was adapted to the EMFIT films, and films with both-sided Au and Al electrodes were prepared without reducing or suppressing of the electromechanical properties. Finally, prototype transducers based on the EMFIT films were developed. In spite of the simple construction and absence of matching layers, high sensitivity of the EMFIT transducers was proved in the air-coupled ultrasonic experiment. Amplitude and delay time scanned images of the polyethylene step wedge with holes, obtained in both pulse-echo and transmission modes, demonstrate that non-contact ultrasonic imaging and testing with EMFIT transducers is possible. PACS 43.35.+d; 43.38.+n; 43.35.Zc; 43.38.-p     

Simulation of laser-generated ultrasonic wave propagation in solid media and air with application to NDE

Ultrasonic methods are well known as powerful and reliable tool for defect detection. In the previous decades focus and interest have been directed to non-contact sensors and methods, showing many advantages over contact techniques where inspection depends on contact conditions (pressure, coupling medium, contact area). The non-contact hybrid ultrasonic method described here is of interest for many applications, requiring periodic inspection in service or after manufacturing. Despite the potential impact of laser-generated ultrasound in many areas of industry, robust tools for studying the phenomenon are lacking and thus limit the design and optimization of non-destructive testing and evaluation techniques. Here a specific numerical method is presented to efficiently and accurately solve ultrasound wave propagation problems with frequencies in the MHz range traveling in relatively large bodies and through air. This work improves a previous numerical model where propagation of the acoustic waves through air had not been considered, allowing us to simulate the presence of a non-contact transducer in reception in order to simulate numerically the complete experimental setup. It is very important to limit the amount of air to be considered in the FE analyses; otherwise the computational cost would often exceed the resources available. A way to solve the problem is to implement non-reflecting boundary conditions. A non-reflecting boundary condition allows all outgoing waves to exit the domain at the boundary where they have been imposed without reflection; thus, it is possible to model only the portion of air between the non-contact transducer and the solid under testing. Several numerical and experimental analyses were conducted on a 136 lb AREMA rail; here we study in detail two fully non-contact testing configurations for the rail head and web. The information that can be acquired is very valuable for choosing the right setup and configuration when performing non-contact hybrid ultrasonic inspection.     

垂直载荷下湿玻璃珠样品的声速和衰减测量及非线性声学响应

为了分析垂直载荷下颗粒物质的声速、声衰减系数、谐波非线性等特性,本工作采用飞行时间法测量了不同含水量下声速随压强的变化规律,并利用傅里叶变换法分析了干、湿玻璃珠样品的声衰减和非线性声学特性。结果表明:干、湿玻璃珠样品中的声速、声衰减系数以及谐波非线性均随压强呈幂律变化;湿颗粒样品中随着液体含量增多,声速逐渐增加,超声波透过湿颗粒样品时的能量耗散和非线性逐渐减小。分析原因表明,压强和孔隙流体改变了颗粒之间的接触分布,使得颗粒体系的声速、声衰减以及谐波非线性等特性都随之发生变化。     

超声波作用下泡群的共振声响应

从球状泡群气泡动力学方程出发, 考虑泡群间次级声辐射的影响, 得到了声场中两泡群共同存在时气泡振动的动力学方程, 并以此为基础探讨声波驱动下双泡群振动系统的共振响应特征. 由于泡群间气泡间的相互作用, 系统存在低频共振和高频共振现象, 两不同共振频率的数值与泡群内气泡的本征频率相关. 泡群内气泡的本征频率又受到初始半径、泡群大小和泡群内气泡数量的影响. 气泡自由振动和驱动声波的耦合激起泡群内气泡的受迫振动, 气泡初始半径、气泡数密度和驱动声波频率等都会影响泡群内气泡的振动幅值和初相位. 关键词： 气泡群 共振 声响应 超声空化     

Water content and its effect on ultrasound propagation in concrete--the possibility of NDE

It is known that water content or moisture affects the strength of concrete. The purpose of this study is to examine the possibility of the NDE of concrete from a knowledge of the relationship between water content and ultrasonic propagation in concrete. The results of measurements made on the ultrasound velocity and the frequency component on ultrasonic propagation as a function of the water content in concrete are reported. Test pieces of concrete made from common materials were made for the fundamental studies. The test piece dimensions were 10 cm in diameter and 20 cm in length. Test pieces were immersed in water for about 50 days to saturate them. To measure the effect of different water contents, test pieces were put in a drying chamber to change the amount of water between measurements. This procedure was repeated until the concrete was completely dried and the weight no longer changed. Water contents were defined as weight percentage to full dried state. Thus water content could be changed from 8% to 0%. Using the pulse transmission method, ultrasonic propagation in the frequency range 20 to 100 kHz was measured as a function of water content. The sound velocity varied gradually from 3000 m/s to 4500 m/s according to the water content. The frequency of maximum transmission also depended on the water content in this frequency range. It is considered that the ultrasonic NDE of concrete strength is feasible.     

自然状态下水泥路面温度与其发射率耦合关系研究

地表发射率是地表温度遥感反演中不可缺少的参数之一。常规获取地表发射率的遥感方法中,存在温度和发射率病态反演的问题;而实验室实测方法在恒定的自然条件下测定,对于遥感实用有一定的局限性。为解决上述问题,本研究利用温度和发射率相互耦合的关系,剔除温度效应的影响,提高发射率的精度,进而提高遥感反演地表温度的精度。对于不同地表物质而言,发射率和温度耦合关系又不同,本研究针对典型的城市人造地表类型之一——水泥路面,基于合理的自然状态下水泥路面发射率和温度观测实验,筛选理想大气环境下实测数据;利用最优发射率与温度分离算法取代光谱仪自带算法,提取精度较高发射率数据;分析时序水泥路面温度和发射率数据的耦合关系,建立耦合模型,并进行验证。研究结果表明：水泥路面的发射率二阶导数与温度相关性最高,相关系数为-0.925 1。以发射率二阶导数为自变量的逐步回归模型为最佳关系模型,判定系数R2达到0.886,验证结果的均方根误差RMSE为0.292 1。水泥路面温度与其发射率耦合关系模型的建立为提高遥感反演地表温度的精度提供了一种途径。     

Comparison of fractal and profilometric methods for surface topography characterization

In this study microstructural and roughness characterization of surface of aluminium foils used in lithographic printing process was performed by contact and non-contact profilometric methods and fractal analysis. Significant differences in roughness parameters values inferred from stylus method in respect to those inferred from the non-contact measurements were observed. The investigation of correlation between various fractal dimensions obtained from gray-scale SEM micrographs and binary images resulting from median filtering of the original SEM micrographs as well as selected relevant roughness parameters shows that there is a strong correlation between certain roughness parameters and particular fractal dimensions. This correlations permit better physical understanding of fractal characteristics and interpretation of the dynamics of surface roughness change through processing. Generally these correlations are more suitable for parameters obtained by stylus method than those inferred from the laser-based measurements.     

利用自发布里渊散射测量液体声速

为了克服共振干涉法在液体的热力学声速和高频声速测量方面精度不高的问题, 本文建立了一种基于自发布里渊散射原理的测定液体声速的实验装置. 利用法布里-珀罗干涉仪对散射光进行扫描滤波, 数据采集卡结合光子计数器对散射光进行探测, 设计了一种散射光信息采集分析方法. 该实验方法有效的解决了传统布里渊散射方法中信号失真的问题, 显著地提升了液体声速测量精度. 对308.6–906.2 MHz内298.15 K饱和液相CCl₄声速进行了测量, 测量结果与文献值具有较好一致性. 利用法布里-珀罗干涉仪周期性扫描的滤波原理, 通过在测量得到的布里渊频移上加减整数倍个自由波谱区, 得到了更大频率的波谱信息, 进而设计一种测定介质高频声速的方法. 对CCl₄在5406.1–5521.0 MHz频段内的声速进行了测量. 实验结果显示, CCl₄的热力学声速随频率无明显变化, 而高频声速随频率的增大呈增大趋势且远大于热力学声速, 证实CCl₄具有色散现象.     

Characterization and hardening of concrete with ultrasonic testing

In this study, we describe a technique which can be used to characterize some relevant properties of 26 cylindrical samples (15 x 30 cm2) of concrete. The characterization has been performed, according to Spanish regulations in force, by some destructive and ultrasound-based techniques using frequencies of 40 kHz. Samples were manufactured using different water/cement ratios (w/c), ranging from 0.48 to 0.80, in order to simulate different values of compressive strength at each sample. We have correlated the propagation velocity v of ultrasonic waves through the samples to compressive strength R values. As some other authors remark, there exists an exponential relationship between the two above parameters. We have found that a highly linear relationship is present between R and w/c concentration at the samples. Nevertheless, when the same linear model is adopted to describe the relationship between v and w/c, the value of r decreases significantly. Thus, we have performed a multiple regression analysis which takes into account the impact of different concrete constituents (water, cement, sand, etc.) on ultrasound propagation speed. One of the most relevant practical issues addressed in our study is the estimation of the hardening curve of concrete, which can be used to quantify the viability of applying the proposed method in a real scenario. Subsequently, we also show a detailed analysis of the temporal evolution of v and R through 61 days, beginning at the date where the samples were manufactured. After analyzing both parameters separately, a double reciprocal relationship is deduced. Using the above parameters, we develop an NDE-based model which can be used to estimate hardening time of concrete samples.     

Influence of microarchitecture alterations on ultrasonic backscattering in an experimental simulation of bovine cancellous bone aging

An experimental model which can simulate physical changes that occur during aging was developed in order to evaluate the effects of change of mineral content and microstructure on ultrasonic properties of bovine cancellous bone. Timed immersion in hydrochloric acid was used to selectively alter the mineral content. Scanning electron microscopy and histological staining of the acid-treated trabeculae demonstrated a heterogeneous structure consisting of a mineralized core and a demineralized layer. The presence of organic matrix contributed very little to normalized broadband ultrasound attenuation (nBUA) and speed of sound. All three ultrasonic parameters, speed of sound, nBUA and backscatter coefficient, were sensitive to changes in apparent density of bovine cancellous bone. A two-component model utilizing a combination of two autocorrelation functions (a densely populated model and a spherical distribution) was used to approximate the backscatter coefficient. The predicted attenuation due to scattering constituted a significant part of the measured total attenuation (due to both scattering and absorption mechanisms) for bovine cancellous bone. Linear regression, performed between trabecular thickness values and estimated from the model correlation lengths, showed significant linear correlation, with R(2)=0.81 before and R(2)=0.80 after demineralization. The accuracy of estimation was found to increase with trabecular thickness.     

The use of broadband acoustic transducers and pulse-compression techniques for air-coupled ultrasonic imaging

A pulse-compression technique has been applied to air-coupled testing of solid materials. Capacitance transducers were used to generate wide bandwidth swept-frequency (chirp) signals in air, which were then used to measure and image solid samples in through transmission. The results demonstrate that such signal processing techniques lead to an improvement in the signal to noise ratio and timing accuracy for air-coupled testing. Measurements of thickness and spectroscopic experiments are presented. Images of defects in a wide range of materials, including metals and carbon-fibre composites have also been obtained. This combination of capacitive transducers with pulse-compression techniques is shown to be a powerful tool for non-contact air-coupled ultrasonic measurements.     

基于大能量火花放电的枪声模拟系统设计*

为准确模拟某型枪械实弹射击枪声,设计了一种基于大能量火花放电的枪声模拟系统,理论分析和仿真验证了系统工作原理,并对所模拟枪声的声级以及时域和频域特性进行了试验测试。仿真和测试结果表明:点火电容放电所辐射的电场击穿高能电极空气间隙,可有效控制储能电容组火花放电模拟枪声;模拟与真实枪声的声级误差约为-2.1~5.8 d B(A),标准差为1.974 dB(A),模拟与真实枪声的时域信号随时间增加均以指数形式迅速减小且频谱分布规律一致;模拟与真实枪声信号在时域进行相关运算后存在着明显的相关峰,二者有较好的相似性。     

Coupling mechanism of an EMAT

Electro-magnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) generate ultrasonic waves in metals through an electromagnetic coupling mechanism. A concept for EMAT generation, using a coil alone without a permanent magnet, but with a pulse generator and a sample, is introduced. A simplified equivalent coil circuit is given, and has been validated by experimental measurements. Such an equivalent circuit is useful for excitation current calculations, which have often been neglected in previous publications in this area but have proved to be of great importance in considering the efficiency and frequency characteristics of ultrasonic generation. Due to the coil sample coupling, the equivalent coil inductance is dependent on the electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability of the metal sample, the lift-off, the coil orientation relative to the metal sample and the coil configuration. The use of a coil alone to generate ultrasound has limited applications as a suitable ultrasonic detector must also be used, but where appropriate this type of generation source provides a robust, non-contact and inexpensive means of ultrasonic generation without worrying the permanent magnet attracting ferromagnetic particles that can prevent from practical on-line application of EMATs.     

Detection of Internal Defects in Concrete and Evaluation of a Healthy Part of Concrete by Noncontact Acoustic Inspection Using Normalized Spectral Entropy and Normalized SSE

Non-destructive testing, with non-contact from a remote location, to detect and visualize internal defects in composite materials such as a concrete is desired. Therefore, a noncontact acoustic inspection method has been studied. In this method, the measurement surface is forced to vibrate by powerful aerial sound waves from a remote sound source, and the vibration state is measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer. The distribution of acoustic feature quantities (spectral entropy and vibrational energy ratio) is analyzed to statistically identify and evaluate healthy parts of concrete. If healthy parts in the measuring plane can be identified, the other part is considered to be internal defects or an abnormal measurement point. As a result, internal defects are detected. Spectral entropy (SE) was used to distinguish between defective parts and healthy parts. Furthermore, in order to distinguish between the resonance of a laser head and the resonance of the defective part of the concrete, spatial spectral entropy (SSE) was also used. SSE is an extension of the concept of SE to a two-dimensional measuring space. That is, based on the concept of SE, SSE is calculated, at each frequency, for spatial distribution of vibration velocity spectrum in the measuring plane. However, these two entropy values were used in unnormalized expressions. Therefore, although relative evaluation within the same measurement surface was possible, there was the issue that changes in the entropy value could not be evaluated in a unified manner in measurements under different conditions and environments. Therefore, this study verified whether it is possible to perform a unified evaluation for different defective parts of concrete specimen by using normalized SE and normalized SSE. From the experimental results using cavity defects and peeling defects, the detection and visualization of internal defects in concrete can be effectively carried out by the following two analysis methods. The first is using both the normalized SE and the evaluation of a healthy part of concrete. The second is the normalized SSE analysis that detects resonance frequency band of internal defects.     

Time-frequency analysis for pulse driven ultrasonic microscopy for biological tissue characterization

The authors have proposed a new type of ultrasonic microscopy for biological tissue characterization. The system is driven by a nanosecond pulse voltage, the generated acoustic wave being reflected at the front and rear side of the sliced tissue. In this report, a time-frequency analysis was applied to determine the sound speed thorough the tissue. Frequency dependence of sound speed was obtained with a myocardium of a rat sliced into 10 microm. As the reflected waveform had a significant amount of oscillating component, the waveform was once subjected to the deconvolution process. As the result, two reflections were clearly separated in time domain. Then these two reflections were separately analyzed by time-frequency analysis. Each reflection was extracted by using a proper window function. Phase angles of these reflections at the same frequency were compared. A sound speed micrograph at an arbitrary frequency in between 50 and 150 MHz was successfully obtained. A tendency was found that the sound speed slightly increases with frequency.     

时间反演聚焦经颅磁声电刺激仿真与实验研究*

无创脑神经调控技术是生物医学领域的研究热点,经颅磁声电刺激是利用静磁场和声场的耦合而产生的感应电场作用于神经组织,对大脑的目标位置进行刺激和调控的一项技术。颅骨的存在使超声在传播过程中发生相位畸变和幅值衰减,聚焦区域偏离,难以实现精准聚焦。该文基于时间反演法,模拟颅内点声源发射脉冲以及超声传播过程,计算各个阵元接收到的时间差,按照后到先发的原则发射脉冲进行聚焦刺激。与传统相控阵聚焦相比,焦点偏移现象基本得到解决,焦域横向、纵向分辨率均有所提高,提高了声束聚焦精度和感应电场峰值。通过搭建实验平台,将两种聚焦方法所测得的声场归一化处理,验证了时间反演法能补偿焦点偏移,并通过实验证实了超声换能器声场和产生感应电场分布存在较高的一致性。基于真实颅脑结构的虚拟点源时间反演聚焦可以实现无创、精准、灵活的经颅磁声电刺激,有助于推动精准神经调控技术的发展。