Abstract: | A method of determining the ultrasonic surface-wave velocity by means of exponential concentrators is proposed for determining the properties of human tibia in vitro. The effect of the radiation frequency and the thickness of the surface layer of bone tissue on the surface-wave propagation velocity is studied. For measurement purposes the tibia is divided into 24–28 vertical levels and six to seven horizontal zones. The variation of the surface-wave velocity with the measuring point is investigated. Relations are established between the distribution of surface-wave velocities and the statistical parameters characterizing the dispersion of the results, on the one hand, and biological age and the source of the bone (right or left leg), on the other. |