A new omnidirectional shear horizontal wave transducer using face-shear (d24) piezoelectric ring array.

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Hongchen; Huan, Qiang; Wang, Qiangzhong; Li, Faxin

2017-02-01

The non-dispersive fundamental shear horizontal (SH 0 ) wave in plate-like structures is of practical importance in non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM). Theoretically, an omnidirectional SH 0 transducer phased array system can be used to inspect defects in a large plate in the similar manner to the phased array transducers used in medical B-scan ultrasonics. However, very few omnidirectional SH 0 transducers have been proposed so far. In this work, an omnidirectional SH 0 wave piezoelectric transducer (OSH-PT) was proposed, which consists of a ring array of twelve face-shear (d 24 ) trapezoidal PZT elements. Each PZT element can produce face-shear deformation under applied voltage, resulting in circumferential shear deformation in the OSH-PT and omnidirectional SH 0 waves in the hosting plate. Both finite element simulations and experiments were conducted to examine the performance of the proposed OSH-PT. Experimental testing shows that the OSH-PT exhibits good omnidirectional properties, no matter it is used as a SH 0 wave transmitter or a SH 0 wave receiver. This work may greatly promote the applications of SH 0 waves in NDT and SHM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a Modular Magnetostrictive Transducer for Torsional Guided Wave Transduction in a Cylindrical Structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Seung Hyun; Park, Jae Ha; Kwon, Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2009-10-15

Cylindrical structures such as pipes and shafts are widely used in various industrial facilities. Recently, researches on magnetostrictive transduction of torsional waves have been actively reported for the nondestructive evaluation of those cylindrical structures. However, the existing magnetostrictive patch transducer has somewhat inconvenient and time. Consuming process like patch bonding to a structure since it should employ a magnetostrictive patch having strong magnetostriction. To overcome these limitations of the existing transducer, in this work, we develop a novel modular magnetostrictive transducer to generate and measure torsional waves to inspect a cylindrical structure. The proposed transducer can be applied as viscous liquid coupling with shear couplant or dry coupling without coupling media instead of patch bonding to a structure. We describe a detailed structure of the modular transducer and conduct some experiments to verify its performance

Development of a Modular Magnetostrictive Transducer for Torsional Guided Wave Transduction in a Cylindrical Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Seung Hyun; Park, Jae Ha; Kwon, Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok

2009-01-01

Cylindrical structures such as pipes and shafts are widely used in various industrial facilities. Recently, researches on magnetostrictive transduction of torsional waves have been actively reported for the nondestructive evaluation of those cylindrical structures. However, the existing magnetostrictive patch transducer has somewhat inconvenient and time. Consuming process like patch bonding to a structure since it should employ a magnetostrictive patch having strong magnetostriction. To overcome these limitations of the existing transducer, in this work, we develop a novel modular magnetostrictive transducer to generate and measure torsional waves to inspect a cylindrical structure. The proposed transducer can be applied as viscous liquid coupling with shear couplant or dry coupling without coupling media instead of patch bonding to a structure. We describe a detailed structure of the modular transducer and conduct some experiments to verify its performance

Three-dimensional temperature effect modelling of piezoceramic transducers used for Lamb wave based damage detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kijanka, Piotr; Packo, Pawel; Staszewski, Wieslaw J; Zhu, Xuan; Di Scalea, Francesco Lanza

2015-01-01

The paper presents a three-dimensional temperature-dependent model of surface-bonded, low-profile piezoceramic transducers (PZT) used for Lamb wave propagation. The effect of temperature on Lamb wave actuation, propagation and sensing is investigated. The major focus is on the study of actuation and sensing properties of PZT for various temperature levels. These properties are investigated through the electric field analysis of transducers. The temperature effect on transducer bond layers is also investigated. Numerically simulated amplitude responses are analysed for various temperatures and excitation frequencies. Numerical simulations are validated experimentally. The results demonstrate that temperature-dependent physical properties of PZT, bond layers and particularly host structures significantly affect the amplitude and phase of Lamb wave responses. (paper)

Measurement of Rayleigh Wave Beams Using Angle Beam Wedge Transducers as the Transmitter and Receiver with Consideration of Beam Spreading.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shuzeng; Li, Xiongbing; Jeong, Hyunjo

2017-06-20

A theoretical model, along with experimental verification, is developed to describe the generation, propagation and reception of a Rayleigh wave using angle beam wedge transducers. The Rayleigh wave generation process using an angle beam wedge transducer is analyzed, and the actual Rayleigh wave sound source distributions are evaluated numerically. Based on the reciprocity theorem and considering the actual sound source, the Rayleigh wave beams are modeled using an area integral method. The leaky Rayleigh wave theory is introduced to investigate the reception of the Rayleigh wave using the angle beam wedge transducers, and the effects of the wave spreading in the wedge and transducer size are considered in the reception process. The effects of attenuations of the Rayleigh wave and leaky Rayleigh wave are discussed, and the received wave results with different sizes of receivers are compared. The experiments are conducted using two angle beam wedge transducers to measure the Rayleigh wave, and the measurement results are compared with the predictions using different theoretical models. It is shown that the proposed model which considers the wave spreading in both the sample and wedges can be used to interpret the measurements reasonably.

Pipe Wall Thinning Evaluation through the Arrival Time Delay of A0 Lamb Wave Using Magnetostrictive Patch Transducers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Seung Hyun; Kwon, Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2008-12-15

Guided wave technology is advantageous for fast inspection of pipe wall thinning since the guided wave propagates long distance. In this investigation, the method to evaluate gradual wall thinning in a pipe based on the arrival time delay with magnetostrictive patch transducers is presented. Low frequency A0 Lamb waves were generated and measured by the present transducer and it was applied to arrival time delay measurement experiments on a test pipe having gradual wall thinnings artificially manufactured. From experiments, consistent results that wall thinning increases the arrival time delay of A0 waves were obtained. Consequently, the feasibility of the magnetostrictive patch transducers to evaluate wall thinning was verified

Pipe Wall Thinning Evaluation through the Arrival Time Delay of A0 Lamb Wave Using Magnetostrictive Patch Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Seung Hyun; Kwon, Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok

2008-01-01

Guided wave technology is advantageous for fast inspection of pipe wall thinning since the guided wave propagates long distance. In this investigation, the method to evaluate gradual wall thinning in a pipe based on the arrival time delay with magnetostrictive patch transducers is presented. Low frequency A0 Lamb waves were generated and measured by the present transducer and it was applied to arrival time delay measurement experiments on a test pipe having gradual wall thinnings artificially manufactured. From experiments, consistent results that wall thinning increases the arrival time delay of A0 waves were obtained. Consequently, the feasibility of the magnetostrictive patch transducers to evaluate wall thinning was verified

Applying of the array transducers' technology for surface acoustic waves materials characterization in the transient regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frenet, D.

2000-01-01

In this document we present a theoretical and experimental study which has been led to design a surface acoustic wave device for local characterisation (relatively to the wavelength) of isotropic or anisotropic materials. The device is based on a phased-array transducer of conical shape we have specifically designed for this purpose. It operates in the impulsive mode, in the frequency range of 1-5 MHz. In order to deduce mechanical properties of the material, it is possible to measure the surface wave characteristics (velocity, attenuation,...). Different methods for measuring the wave velocity have been developed taking advantage of from the phased-array technology. The originality of theses methods relies on the fact that the measures are performed without moving the transducer. Consequently, the device requires no additional mechanical system and it is quite compact. In addition, this shortens the characterisation process duration comparatively to the usually available methods (e. g. the V(z) technique). In the theoretical section of this study, a versatile model allowing to simulate in the time harmonic regime as well as in the transient regime, the transmitted field, the field reflected on isotropic or anisotropic planar samples and the output voltage for transducers of arbitrary shapes has been developed. The model has been applied to the phased-array conical transducer as well as to more classical transducers such as planar (rectangular) or focusing (spherically or cylindrically shaped) transducers. It predicts not only the geometrical contributions of the reflected field and signal but also the leaky contributions related to the surface acoustic waves. (author)

Damage detection using piezoelectric transducers and the Lamb wave approach: I. System analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, X; Lu, Y; Tang, J

2008-01-01

Structural damage detection using piezoelectric transducers and the Lamb wave approach has been under intensive investigations. A commonly pursued topic is the selection of system parameters such that the detection performance can be optimized. Previous studies have indicated that the excitation center frequency plays a critical role, and suggested use of the 'sweet spot' frequency to maximize the peak wave amplitude ratio between the S 0 and the A 0 modes. In this paper, the analytical formulation of Lamb wave propagation on a narrow-strip beam excited and sensed by piezoelectric transducers is outlined first. Then, the antisymmetric and symmetric contents of the wave propagation response are analyzed in detail with respect to system parameters. In particular, the parametric influence on the 'sweet spot' frequency is investigated systematically. The complicated interaction of the wave components with respect to damage is illustrated through case studies. The analytical study is supported by numerical analysis using the finite element method and by experimental investigation. This research provides the mechanistic basis for robust damage detection using data processing and statistical analysis tools which is the focus of the second paper of this two-paper series

High Frequency Longitudinal Damped Vibrations of a Cylindrical Ultrasonic Transducer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihai Valentin Predoi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers used in classical nondestructive testing are producing in general longitudinal vibrations in the MHz range. A simple mechanical model of these transducers would be very useful for wave propagation numerical simulations, avoiding the existing complicated models in which the real components of the transducer are modeled by finite elements. The classical model for longitudinal vibrations is not adequate because the generated longitudinal wave is not dispersive, the velocity being the same at any frequency. We have adopted the Rayleigh-Bishop model, which avoids these limitations, even if it is not converging to the first but to the second exact longitudinal mode in an elastic rod, as obtained from the complicated Pochhammer-Chree equations. Since real transducers have significant vibrations damping, we have introduced a damping term in the Rayleigh-Bishop model, increasing the imaginary part and keeping almost identical real part of the wavenumber. Common transducers produce amplitude modulated signals, completely attenuated after several periods. This can be modeled by two close frequencies, producing a “beat” phenomenon, superposed on the high damping. For this reason, we introduce a two-rod Rayleigh-Bishop model with damping. Agreement with measured normal velocity on the transducer free surface is encouraging for continuation of the research.

Selective generation of ultrasonic Lamb waves by electromagnetic acoustic transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Ming-Liang; Deng Ming-Xi; Gao Guang-Jian

2016-01-01

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. (special topic)

Structural Diagnostics of CFRP Composite Aircraft Components by Ultrasonic Guided Waves and Built-In Piezoelectric Transducers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matt, Howard M. [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

2006-01-01

To monitor in-flight damage and reduce life-cycle costs associated with CFRP composite aircraft, an autonomous built-in structural health monitoring (SHM) system is preferred over conventional maintenance routines and schedules. This thesis investigates the use of ultrasonic guided waves and piezoelectric transducers for the identification and localization of damage/defects occurring within critical components of CFRP composite aircraft wings, mainly the wing skin-to-spar joints. The guided wave approach for structural diagnostics was demonstrated by the dual application of active and passive monitoring techniques. For active interrogation, the guided wave propagation problem was initially studied numerically by a semi-analytical finite element method, which accounts for viscoelastic damping, in order to identify ideal mode-frequency combinations sensitive to damage occurring within CFRP bonded joints. Active guided wave tests across three representative wing skin-to-spar joints at ambient temperature were then conducted using attached Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) transducers. Results from these experiments demonstrate the importance of intelligent feature extraction for improving the sensitivity to damage. To address the widely neglected effects of temperature on guided wave base damage identification, analytical and experimental analyses were performed to characterize the influence of temperature on guided wave signal features. In addition, statistically-robust detection of simulated damage in a CFRP bonded joint was successfully achieved under changing temperature conditions through a dimensionally-low, multivariate statistical outlier analysis. The response of piezoceramic patches and MFC transducers to ultrasonic Rayleigh and Lamb wave fields was analytically derived and experimentally validated. This theory is useful for designing sensors which possess optimal sensitivity toward a given mode-frequency combination or for predicting the frequency dependent

Sensitivity limits of capacitive transducer for gravitational wave resonant antennas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bassan, M; Pizzella, G [Rome Tor Vergata Univ. (Italy). Dip. di Fisica

1996-12-01

It is analyzed the performance of a resonant gravitational wave antenna equipped with a resonant, d.c. biased capacitive transducer, an untuned superconducting matching circuit and a d.c. Squid. It is derived simple relations for the detector energy sensitivity that serve as guidelines for device development and it is shown that, with reasonable improvements in Squid technology, an effective temperature for burst detection of 2miK can be achieved.

Analysis of ultrasonic beam profile due to change of elements' number for phased array transducer (part 2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sang Woo; Lee, Joon Hyun

1998-01-01

The phased array offers many advantages and improvements over conventional single-element transducers such as the straight-beam and angle-beam. The advantages of array sensors for large structures are two folds; firstly, array transducers provide a method of rapid beam steering and sequential addressing of a large area of interest without requiring mechanical or manual scanning which is particularly important in real-time application. Secondly, array transducer provide a method of dynamic focusing, in which the focal length of the ultrasonic beam varies as the pulse propagates through the material. There are some parameters such as number, size, center to center space of elements to design phased array transducer. In previous study. the characteristics of beam steering and dynamic focusing had been simulated for ultrasonic SH-wave with varying the number of phased array transducer's element. In this study, the characteristic of beam steering for phased array transducer has been simulated for ultrasonic SH-wave on the basis of Huygen's principle with varying center to center space of elements. Ultrasonic beam directivity and focusing due to change of time delay of each element were discussed with varying center to center space of elements.

Actuating mechanism and design of a cylindrical traveling wave ultrasonic motor using cantilever type composite transducer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingxiang Liu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Ultrasonic motors (USM are based on the concept of driving the rotor by a mechanical vibration excited on the stator via piezoelectric effect. USM exhibit merits such as simple structure, quick response, quiet operation, self-locking when power off, nonelectromagnetic radiation and higher position accuracy. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A cylindrical type traveling wave ultrasonic motor using cantilever type composite transducer was proposed in this paper. There are two cantilevers on the outside surface of cylinder, four longitudinal PZT ceramics are set between the cantilevers, and four bending PZT ceramics are set on each outside surface of cantilevers. Two degenerate flexural vibration modes spatially and temporally orthogonal to each other in the cylinder are excited by the composite transducer. In this new design, a single transducer can excite a flexural traveling wave in the cylinder. Thus, elliptical motions are achieved on the teeth. The actuating mechanism of proposed motor was analyzed. The stator was designed with FEM. The two vibration modes of stator were degenerated. Transient analysis was developed to gain the vibration characteristic of stator, and results indicate the motion trajectories of nodes on the teeth are nearly ellipses. CONCLUSIONS: The study results verify the feasibility of the proposed design. The wave excited in the cylinder isn't an ideal traveling wave, and the vibration amplitudes are inconsistent. The distortion of traveling wave is generated by the deformation of bending vibration mode of cylinder, which is caused by the coupling effect between the cylinder and transducer. Analysis results also prove that the objective motions of nodes on the teeth are three-dimensional vibrations. But, the vibration in axial direction is minute compared with the vibrations in circumferential and radial direction. The results of this paper can guide the development of this new type of motor.

Actuating mechanism and design of a cylindrical traveling wave ultrasonic motor using cantilever type composite transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yingxiang; Chen, Weishan; Liu, Junkao; Shi, Shengjun

2010-04-02

Ultrasonic motors (USM) are based on the concept of driving the rotor by a mechanical vibration excited on the stator via piezoelectric effect. USM exhibit merits such as simple structure, quick response, quiet operation, self-locking when power off, nonelectromagnetic radiation and higher position accuracy. A cylindrical type traveling wave ultrasonic motor using cantilever type composite transducer was proposed in this paper. There are two cantilevers on the outside surface of cylinder, four longitudinal PZT ceramics are set between the cantilevers, and four bending PZT ceramics are set on each outside surface of cantilevers. Two degenerate flexural vibration modes spatially and temporally orthogonal to each other in the cylinder are excited by the composite transducer. In this new design, a single transducer can excite a flexural traveling wave in the cylinder. Thus, elliptical motions are achieved on the teeth. The actuating mechanism of proposed motor was analyzed. The stator was designed with FEM. The two vibration modes of stator were degenerated. Transient analysis was developed to gain the vibration characteristic of stator, and results indicate the motion trajectories of nodes on the teeth are nearly ellipses. The study results verify the feasibility of the proposed design. The wave excited in the cylinder isn't an ideal traveling wave, and the vibration amplitudes are inconsistent. The distortion of traveling wave is generated by the deformation of bending vibration mode of cylinder, which is caused by the coupling effect between the cylinder and transducer. Analysis results also prove that the objective motions of nodes on the teeth are three-dimensional vibrations. But, the vibration in axial direction is minute compared with the vibrations in circumferential and radial direction. The results of this paper can guide the development of this new type of motor.

Excitation of spin waves in BiFeO3 multiferroic film by the slot line transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Korneev, V. I.; Popkov, A. F.; Solov'yov, S. V.

2018-01-01

Analysis of the efficiency of magnetoelectric excitation of spin-waves in BiFeO3 multiferroic films by a slot line is performed based on the solution of dynamic Ginzburg-Landau equations for the antiferromagnetic vector. The excitation efficiency is determined by the magnitude of the conversion coefficient of the electromagnetic wave to the spin wave by the slot line transducer or in other words, losses on conversion in the slot line. Calculations are made for a homogeneous antiferromagnetic state of the multiferroic in the presence of a sufficiently large magnetic field and for a spatially modulated spin state (SMSS) at zero magnetic field. It is shown that in the case of a homogeneous antiferromagnetic state, the losses on the excitation of spin waves exceed the excitation efficiency in the SMSS state; however, as the frequency approaches the spin excitation gap, it falls and becomes lower than in the SMSS state. Spin wave excitation in the presence of antiferromagnetic cycloid strongly depends on the relation of the slot width of the transducer to the cycloid periodicity and on the magnitude of the shift of the position of the transducer along the cycloid on its period. The usage of multiferroics for delay lines in the considered frequency range from 100 to 600 GHz requires significant reduction in conversion and propagation losses. More promising seems multiferroic usage in phase shifters and switches for this range.

PMN-PT single crystal, high-frequency ultrasonic needle transducers for pulsed-wave Doppler application.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qifa; Xu, Xiaochen; Gottlieb, Emanuel J; Sun, Lei; Cannata, Jonathan M; Ameri, Hossein; Humayun, Mark S; Han, Pengdi; Shung, K Kirk

2007-03-01

High-frequency needle ultrasound transducers with an aperture size of 0.4 mm were fabricated using lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-33% PT) as the active piezoelectric material. The active element was bonded to a conductive silver particle matching layer and a conductive epoxy backing through direct contact curing. An outer matching layer of parylene was formed by vapor deposition. The active element was housed within a polyimide tube and a 20-gauge needle housing. The magnitude and phase of the electrical impedance of the transducer were 47 omega and -38 degrees, respectively. The measured center frequency and -6 dB fractional bandwidth of the PMN-PT needle transducer were 44 MHz and 45%, respectively. The two-way insertion loss was approximately 15 dB. In vivo high-frequency, pulsed-wave Doppler patterns of blood flow in the posterior portion and in vitro ultrasonic backscatter microscope (UBM) images of the rabbit eye were obtained with the 44-MHz needle transducer.

Wireless guided wave and impedance measurement using laser and piezoelectric transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyun-Jun; Sohn, Hoon; Yun, Chung-Bang; Chung, Joseph; Lee, Michael M S

2012-01-01

Guided-wave- and impedance-based structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques have gained much attention due to their high sensitivity to small defects. One of the popular devices commonly used for guided wave and impedance measurements is a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer. This study proposes a new wireless scheme where the power and data required for PZT excitation and sensing are transmitted via laser. First, a modulated laser beam is wirelessly transmitted to the photodiode connected to a PZT on a structure. Then, the photodiode converts the laser light into an electric signal, and it is applied to the PZT for excitation. The corresponding responses, impedance at the same PZT or guided waves at another PZT, are measured, re-converted into laser light, and wirelessly transmitted back to the other photodiode located in the data interrogator for signal processing. The feasibility of the proposed wireless guided wave and impedance measurement schemes has been examined through circuit analyses and experimentally investigated in a laboratory setup. (paper)

Method of Poisson's ratio imaging within a material part

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Don J. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

The present invention is directed to a method of displaying the Poisson's ratio image of a material part. In the present invention longitudinal data is produced using a longitudinal wave transducer and shear wave data is produced using a shear wave transducer. The respective data is then used to calculate the Poisson's ratio for the entire material part. The Poisson's ratio approximations are then used to displayed the image.

A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on parametric resonance

Science.gov (United States)

Surappa, Sushruta; Satir, Sarp; Levent Degertekin, F.

2017-07-01

A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on a parametric resonator structure is described and experimentally demonstrated. The transducer structure, which we call capacitive parametric ultrasonic transducer (CPUT), uses a parallel plate capacitor with a movable membrane as part of a degenerate parametric series RLC resonator circuit with a resonance frequency of fo. When the capacitor plate is driven with an incident harmonic ultrasonic wave at the pump frequency of 2fo with sufficient amplitude, the RLC circuit becomes unstable and ultrasonic energy can be efficiently converted to an electrical signal at fo frequency in the RLC circuit. An important characteristic of the CPUT is that unlike other electrostatic transducers, it does not require DC bias or permanent charging to be used as a receiver. We describe the operation of the CPUT using an analytical model and numerical simulations, which shows drive amplitude dependent operation regimes including parametric resonance when a certain threshold is exceeded. We verify these predictions by experiments with a micromachined membrane based capacitor structure in immersion where ultrasonic waves incident at 4.28 MHz parametrically drive a signal with significant amplitude in the 2.14 MHz RLC circuit. With its unique features, the CPUT can be particularly advantageous for applications such as wireless power transfer for biomedical implants and acoustic sensing.

Optimization of a Focusable and Rotatable Shear-Wave Periodic Permanent Magnet Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for Plates Inspection.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Xiaochun; Qiu, Gongzhe

2017-11-24

Due to the symmetry of conventional periodic-permanent-magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducers (PPM EMATs), two shear (SH) waves can be generated and propagated simultaneously in opposite directions, which makes the signal recognition and interpretation complicatedly. Thus, this work presents a new SH wave PPM EMAT design, rotating the parallel line sources to realize the wave beam focusing in a single-direction. The theoretical model of distributed line sources was deduced firstly, and the effects of some parameters, such as the inner coil width, adjacent line sources spacing and the angle between parallel line sources, on SH wave focusing and directivity were studied mainly with the help of 3D FEM. Employing the proposed PPM EMATs, some experiments are carried out to verify the reliability of FEM simulation. The results indicate that rotating the parallel line sources can strength the wave on the closing side of line sources, decreasing the inner coil width and the adjacent line sources spacing can improve the amplitude and directivity of signals excited by transducers. Compared with traditional PPM EMATs, both the capacity of unidirectional excitation and directivity of the proposed PPM EMATs are improved significantly.

Optimization of a Focusable and Rotatable Shear-Wave Periodic Permanent Magnet Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for Plates Inspection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaochun Song

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Due to the symmetry of conventional periodic-permanent-magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducers (PPM EMATs, two shear (SH waves can be generated and propagated simultaneously in opposite directions, which makes the signal recognition and interpretation complicatedly. Thus, this work presents a new SH wave PPM EMAT design, rotating the parallel line sources to realize the wave beam focusing in a single-direction. The theoretical model of distributed line sources was deduced firstly, and the effects of some parameters, such as the inner coil width, adjacent line sources spacing and the angle between parallel line sources, on SH wave focusing and directivity were studied mainly with the help of 3D FEM. Employing the proposed PPM EMATs, some experiments are carried out to verify the reliability of FEM simulation. The results indicate that rotating the parallel line sources can strength the wave on the closing side of line sources, decreasing the inner coil width and the adjacent line sources spacing can improve the amplitude and directivity of signals excited by transducers. Compared with traditional PPM EMATs, both the capacity of unidirectional excitation and directivity of the proposed PPM EMATs are improved significantly.

Influence of the Spatial Dimensions of Ultrasonic Transducers on the Frequency Spectrum of Guided Waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Samaitis, Vykintas; Mažeika, Liudas

2017-08-08

Ultrasonic guided wave (UGW)-based condition monitoring has shown great promise in detecting, localizing, and characterizing damage in complex systems. However, the application of guided waves for damage detection is challenging due to the existence of multiple modes and dispersion. This results in distorted wave packets with limited resolution and the interference of multiple reflected modes. To develop reliable inspection systems, either the transducers have to be optimized to generate a desired single mode of guided waves with known dispersive properties, or the frequency responses of all modes present in the structure must be known to predict wave interaction. Currently, there is a lack of methods to predict the response spectrum of guided wave modes, especially in cases when multiple modes are being excited simultaneously. Such methods are of vital importance for further understanding wave propagation within the structures as well as wave-damage interaction. In this study, a novel method to predict the response spectrum of guided wave modes was proposed based on Fourier analysis of the particle velocity distribution on the excitation area. The method proposed in this study estimates an excitability function based on the spatial dimensions of the transducer, type of vibration, and dispersive properties of the medium. As a result, the response amplitude as a function of frequency for each guided wave mode present in the structure can be separately obtained. The method was validated with numerical simulations on the aluminum and glass fiber composite samples. The key findings showed that it can be applied to estimate the response spectrum of a guided wave mode on any type of material (either isotropic structures, or multi layered anisotropic composites) and under any type of excitation if the phase velocity dispersion curve and the particle velocity distribution of the wave source was known initially. Thus, the proposed method may be a beneficial tool to explain

Damage detection using piezoelectric transducers and the Lamb wave approach: II. Robust and quantitative decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Y; Wang, X; Tang, J; Ding, Y

2008-01-01

The propagation of Lamb waves generated by piezoelectric transducers in a one-dimensional structure has been studied comprehensively in part I of this two-paper series. Using the information embedded in the propagating waveforms, we expect to make a decision on whether damage has occurred; however, environmental and operational variances inevitably complicate the problem. To better detect the damage under these variances, we present in this paper a robust and quantitative decision-making methodology involving advanced signal processing and statistical analysis. In order to statistically evaluate the features in Lamb wave propagation in the presence of noise, we collect multiple time series (baseline signals) from the undamaged beam. A combination of the improved adaptive harmonic wavelet transform (AHWT) and the principal component analysis (PCA) is performed on the baseline signals to highlight the critical features of Lamb wave propagation in the undamaged structure. The detection of damage is facilitated by comparing the features of the test signal collected from the test structure (damaged or undamaged) with the features of the baseline signals. In this process, we employ Hotelling's T 2 statistical analysis to first purify the baseline dataset and then to quantify the deviation of the test data vector from the baseline dataset. Through experimental and numerical studies, we systematically investigate the proposed methodology in terms of the detectability (capability of detecting damage), the sensitivity (with respect to damage severity and excitation frequency) and the robustness against noises. The parametric studies also validate, from the signal processing standpoint, the guidelines of Lamb-wave-based damage detection developed in part I

Circuit for Driving Piezoelectric Transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Randall, David P.; Chapsky, Jacob

2009-01-01

The figure schematically depicts an oscillator circuit for driving a piezoelectric transducer to excite vibrations in a mechanical structure. The circuit was designed and built to satisfy application-specific requirements to drive a selected one of 16 such transducers at a regulated amplitude and frequency chosen to optimize the amount of work performed by the transducer and to compensate for both (1) temporal variations of the resonance frequency and damping time of each transducer and (2) initially unknown differences among the resonance frequencies and damping times of different transducers. In other words, the circuit is designed to adjust itself to optimize the performance of whichever transducer is selected at any given time. The basic design concept may be adaptable to other applications that involve the use of piezoelectric transducers in ultrasonic cleaners and other apparatuses in which high-frequency mechanical drives are utilized. This circuit includes three resistor-capacitor networks that, together with the selected piezoelectric transducer, constitute a band-pass filter having a peak response at a frequency of about 2 kHz, which is approximately the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducers. Gain for generating oscillations is provided by a power hybrid operational amplifier (U1). A junction field-effect transistor (Q1) in combination with a resistor (R4) is used as a voltage-variable resistor to control the magnitude of the oscillation. The voltage-variable resistor is part of a feedback control loop: Part of the output of the oscillator is rectified and filtered for use as a slow negative feedback to the gate of Q1 to keep the output amplitude constant. The response of this control loop is much slower than 2 kHz and, therefore, does not introduce significant distortion of the oscillator output, which is a fairly clean sine wave. The positive AC feedback needed to sustain oscillations is derived from sampling the current through the

A Method of Poisson's Ration Imaging Within a Material Part

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Don J. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

The present invention is directed to a method of displaying the Poisson's ratio image of a material part. In the present invention, longitudinal data is produced using a longitudinal wave transducer and shear wave data is produced using a shear wave transducer. The respective data is then used to calculate the Poisson's ratio for the entire material part. The Poisson's ratio approximations are then used to display the data.

Micromachined capacitive ultrasonic immersion transducer array

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xuecheng

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs) have emerged as an attractive alternative to conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers. They offer performance advantages of wide bandwidth and sensitivity that have heretofore been attainable. In addition, micromachining technology, which has benefited from the fast-growing microelectronics industry, enables cMUT array fabrication and electronics integration. This thesis describes the design and fabrication of micromachined capacitive ultrasonic immersion transducer arrays. The basic transducer electrical equivalent circuit is derived from Mason's theory. The effects of Lamb waves and Stoneley waves on cross coupling and acoustic losses are discussed. Electrical parasitics such as series resistance and shunt capacitance are also included in the model of the transducer. Transducer fabrication technology is systematically studied. Device dimension control in both vertical and horizontal directions, process alternatives and variations in membrane formation, via etch and cavity sealing, and metalization as well as their impact on transducer performance are summarized. Both 64 and 128 element 1-D array transducers are fabricated. Transducers are characterized in terms of electrical input impedance, bandwidth, sensitivity, dynamic range, impulse response and angular response, and their performance is compared with theoretical simulation. Various schemes for cross coupling reduction is analyzed, implemented, and verified with both experiments and theory. Preliminary results of immersion imaging are presented using 64 elements 1-D array transducers for active source imaging.

A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on parametric resonance.

Science.gov (United States)

Surappa, Sushruta; Satir, Sarp; Levent Degertekin, F

2017-07-24

A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on a parametric resonator structure is described and experimentally demonstrated. The transducer structure, which we call capacitive parametric ultrasonic transducer (CPUT), uses a parallel plate capacitor with a movable membrane as part of a degenerate parametric series RLC resonator circuit with a resonance frequency of f o . When the capacitor plate is driven with an incident harmonic ultrasonic wave at the pump frequency of 2f o with sufficient amplitude, the RLC circuit becomes unstable and ultrasonic energy can be efficiently converted to an electrical signal at f o frequency in the RLC circuit. An important characteristic of the CPUT is that unlike other electrostatic transducers, it does not require DC bias or permanent charging to be used as a receiver. We describe the operation of the CPUT using an analytical model and numerical simulations, which shows drive amplitude dependent operation regimes including parametric resonance when a certain threshold is exceeded. We verify these predictions by experiments with a micromachined membrane based capacitor structure in immersion where ultrasonic waves incident at 4.28 MHz parametrically drive a signal with significant amplitude in the 2.14 MHz RLC circuit. With its unique features, the CPUT can be particularly advantageous for applications such as wireless power transfer for biomedical implants and acoustic sensing.

Optical detection of radio waves through a nanomechanical transducer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagci, T.; Simonsen, A.; Schmid, Silvan

2014-01-01

Low-loss transmission and sensitive recovery of weak radio-frequency and microwave signals is a ubiquitous challenge, crucial in radio astronomy, medical imaging, navigation, and classical and quantum communication. Efficient up-conversion of radio-frequency signals to an optical carrier would...... strong coupling between the voltage fluctuations in a radio-frequency resonance circuit and the membrane's displacement, which is simultaneously coupled to light reflected off its surface. The radio-frequency signals are detected as an optical phase shift with quantum-limited sensitivity....... The corresponding half-wave voltage is in the microvolt range, orders of magnitude less than that of standard optical modulators. The noise of the transducer--beyond the measured 800 pV Hz-1/2 Johnson noise of the resonant circuit--consists of the quantum noise of light and thermal fluctuations of the membrane...

Development of a Flexible Broadband Rayleigh Waves Comb Transducer with Nonequidistant Comb Interval for Defect Detection of Thick-Walled Pipelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Huamin; He, Cunfu; Yan, Lyu; Zhang, Haijun

2018-03-02

It is necessary to develop a transducer that can quickly detect the inner and outer wall defects of thick-walled pipes, in order to ensure the safety of such pipes. In this paper, a flexible broadband Rayleigh-waves comb transducer based on PZT (lead zirconate titanate) for defect detection of thick-walled pipes is studied. The multiple resonant coupling theory is used to expand the transducer broadband and the FEA (Finite Element Analysis) method is used to optimize transducer array element parameters. Optimization results show that the best array element parameters of the transducer are when the transducer array element length is 30 mm, the thickness is 1.2 mm, the width of one end of is 1.5 mm, and the other end is 3 mm. Based on the optimization results, such a transducer was fabricated and its performance was tested. The test results were consistent with the finite-element simulation results, and the -3 dB bandwidth of the transducer reached 417 kHz. Transducer directivity test results show that the Θ -3dB beam width was equal to 10 °, to meet the defect detection requirements. Finally, defects of thick-walled pipes were detected using the transducer. The results showed that the transducer could detect the inner and outer wall defects of thick-walled pipes within the bandwidth.

Bilinear Time-frequency Analysis for Lamb Wave Signal Detected by Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wenxiu; Liu, Guoqiang; Xia, Hui; Xia, Zhengwu

2018-03-01

Accurate acquisition of the detection signal travel time plays a very important role in cross-hole tomography. The experimental platform of aluminum plate under the perpendicular magnetic field is established and the bilinear time-frequency analysis methods, Wigner-Ville Distribution (WVD) and the pseudo-Wigner-Ville distribution (PWVD), are applied to analyse the Lamb wave signals detected by electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT). By extracting the same frequency component of the time-frequency spectrum as the excitation frequency, the travel time information can be obtained. In comparison with traditional linear time-frequency analysis method such as short-time Fourier transform (STFT), the bilinear time-frequency analysis method PWVD is more appropriate in extracting travel time and recognizing patterns of Lamb wave.

Infrared and millimeter waves v.14 millimeter components and techniques, pt.V

CERN Document Server

Button, Kenneth J

1985-01-01

Infrared and Millimeter Waves, Volume 14: Millimeter Components and Techniques, Part V is concerned with millimeter-wave guided propagation and integrated circuits. In addition to millimeter-wave planar integrated circuits and subsystems, this book covers transducer configurations and integrated-circuit techniques, antenna arrays, optoelectronic devices, and tunable gyrotrons. Millimeter-wave gallium arsenide (GaAs) IMPATT diodes are also discussed. This monograph is comprised of six chapters and begins with a description of millimeter-wave integrated-circuit transducers, focusing on vario

Handbook of force transducers

CERN Document Server

Stefanescu, Dan Mihai

2011-01-01

Part I introduces the basic ""Principles and Methods of Force Measurement"" acording to a classification into a dozen of force transducers types: resistive, inductive, capacitive, piezoelectric, electromagnetic, electrodynamic, magnetoelastic, galvanomagnetic (Hall-effect), vibrating wires, (micro)resonators, acoustic and gyroscopic. Two special chapters refer to force balance techniques and to combined methods in force measurement. Part II discusses the ""(Strain Gauge) Force Transducers Components"", evolving from the classical force transducer to the digital / intelligent one, with the inco

Damage detection with concentrated configurations of piezoelectric transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wandowski, T; Malinowski, P; Ostachowicz, W M

2011-01-01

In this paper results of investigation on concentrated piezoelectric networks with different configurations are presented. They were used for elastic wave generation and acquisition. The elastic wave propagation phenomenon was used for damage localization in thin aluminium panels. This approach utilized the fact that any discontinuities existing in structural elements cause local changes of physical material properties which affect elastic wave propagation. Elastic waves were excited and received using piezoelectric transducer networks with different element arrangements. The method of transducer placement and the number of piezoelectric elements used had an influence on the accuracy of the damage localization algorithm. Obviously, the more elements there were, the more data had to be processed. After the acquisition process signal processing was conducted in order to create damage influence maps. These maps presents elastic wave energy connected with reflection from discontinuities. In order to create such a map a computer program was developed that assigns a mesh of points to the panel surface. At each point the energy of elastic wave reflection was calculated. This energy was extracted from the acquired signals. This paper summarizes an extensive experimental investigation that included three damage scenarios and twelve transducer configurations

Coupling effect of piezoelectric wafer transducers in distortions of primary Lamb wave modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bijudas, C R; Mitra, M; Mujumdar, P M

2013-01-01

Piezoelectric wafer transducers (PWT) are widely used for Lamb wave based damage detection schemes. The size of the damage that can be detected is dependent on the wavelength of the Lamb wave employed. Thus it is essential to explore the higher frequency range within the (fundamental) bandwidth of S 0 and A 0 modes, however below the cut-off frequencies of A 1 and S 1 . It is observed that the Lamb wave modes S 0 and A 0 generated using PWT undergo distortion within this fundamental bandwidth. This behavior is experimentally observed for different PWT sizes and types. The nature of this observed distortion is very different from the distortion of wave modes due to dispersion. In addition, the distortion, in many cases, tends towards the appearance of new wave modes close to the S 0 and A 0 modes. To understand this experimental observation, a theoretical study is performed. First, finite element (FE) simulations of Lamb waves considering pin-force, thermal analogy, and couple field models of surface mounted PWT are carried out. These simulation studies reveal that the wavepacket distortion can be attributed mostly to electro-mechanical coupling effect of the PWT. Next, the dispersion plot of piezoelectric layer considering electro-mechanical coupling is obtained using spectral finite element (SFE) method. These dispersion characteristics of the PWT are found to be significantly different from the conventional Lamb wave dispersion characteristics and may explain the experimental observation. (paper)

Transducer Placement Option of Lamb Wave SHM System for Hotspot Damage Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincentius Ewald

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigated transducer placement strategies for detecting cracks in primary aircraft structures using ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring (SHM. The approach developed is for an expected damage location based on fracture mechanics, for example fatigue crack growth in a high stress location. To assess the performance of the developed approach, finite-element (FE modelling of a damage-tolerant aluminum fuselage has been performed by introducing an artificial crack at a rivet hole into the structural FE model and assessing its influence on the Lamb wave propagation, compared to a baseline measurement simulation. The efficient practical sensor position was determined from the largest change in area that is covered by reflected and missing wave scatter using an additive color model. Blob detection algorithms were employed to determine the boundaries of this area and to calculate the blob centroid. To demonstrate that the technique can be generalized, the results from different crack lengths and from tilted crack are also presented.

Guided acoustic wave inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Chinn, Diane J.

2004-10-05

A system for inspecting a conduit for undesirable characteristics. A transducer system induces guided acoustic waves onto said conduit. The transducer system detects the undesirable characteristics of the conduit by receiving guided acoustic waves that contain information about the undesirable characteristics. The conduit has at least two sides and the transducer system utilizes flexural modes of propagation to provide inspection using access from only the one side of the conduit. Cracking is detected with pulse-echo testing using one transducer to both send and receive the guided acoustic waves. Thinning is detected in through-transmission testing where one transducer sends and another transducer receives the guided acoustic waves.

Fabrication of Cheap Optical Transducers (CHOTs) on film carriers for in-situ application and generation of surface acoustic waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ageeva, V; Stratoudaki, T; Clark, M; Somekh, M G

2015-01-01

Cheap optical transducers (CHOTs) are patterns on the surface of a component activated by lasers to generate and detect ultrasound. Excited optically, with minimal surface impact, and fully customizable, CHOTs provide a simple alternative to conventional piezoelectric transducers, offering wireless, remote operation. Of particular interest is application of CHOTs for in-situ ultrasonic inspection of hard-to reach and complex-geometry components such as those of aero-engines. A suitable fabrication method has been developed to allow in-situ application of CHOTs onto large size and curved components, as well as those already in service, challenging for current laboratory-based micro-patterning methods. This work describes the fabrication of a transferable g-CHOT for generation of ultrasound. The g- CHOT has been made on an SU8 carrier film using a sacrificial polystyrene layer, allowing the transducer to be transferred from the substrate and subsequently delivered and applied to the surface of the sample in-situ. The functionality of the fabricated transducer is demonstrated by detection of the Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW) generated by the g-CHOT transferred onto glass and aluminium samples

Model of a Piezoelectric Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Goodenow, Debra

2004-01-01

It's difficult to control liquid and gas in propellant tanks in zero gravity. A possible a design would utilize acoustic liquid manipulation (ALM) technology which uses ultrasonic beams conducted through a liquid and solid media, to push gas bubbles in the liquid to desirable locations. We can propel and control the bubble with acoustic radiation pressure by aiming the acoustic waves on the bubble s surface. This allows us to design a so called smart tank in which the ALM devices transfer the gas to the outer wall of the tank and isolating the liquid in the center. Because the heat transfer rate of a gas is lower of that of the liquid it would substantially decrease boil off and provide of for a longer storage life. The ALM beam is composed of little wavelets which are individual waves that constructively interfere with each other to produce a single, combined acoustic wave front. This is accomplished by using a set of synchronized ultrasound transducers arranged in an array. A slight phase offset of these elements allows us to focus and steer the beam. The device that we are using to produce the acoustic beam is called the piezoelectric transducer. This device converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, which appears in the form of acoustic energy. Therefore the behavior of the device is dependent on both the mechanical characteristics, such as its density, cross-sectional area, and its electrical characteristics, such as, electric flux permittivity and coupling factor. These devices can also be set up in a number of modes which are determined by the way the piezoelectric device is arranged, and the shape of the transducer. For this application we are using the longitudinal or thickness mode for our operation. The transducer also vibrates in the lateral mode, and one of the goals of my project is to decrease the amount of energy lost to the lateral mode. To model the behavior of the transducers I will be using Pspice, electric circuit modeling tool, to

Condition Assessment of Foundation Piles and Utility Poles Based on Guided Wave Propagation Using a Network of Tactile Transducers and Support Vector Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrike Dackermann

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel non-destructive testing and health monitoring system using a network of tactile transducers and accelerometers for the condition assessment and damage classification of foundation piles and utility poles. While in traditional pile integrity testing an impact hammer with broadband frequency excitation is typically used, the proposed testing system utilizes an innovative excitation system based on a network of tactile transducers to induce controlled narrow-band frequency stress waves. Thereby, the simultaneous excitation of multiple stress wave types and modes is avoided (or at least reduced, and targeted wave forms can be generated. The new testing system enables the testing and monitoring of foundation piles and utility poles where the top is inaccessible, making the new testing system suitable, for example, for the condition assessment of pile structures with obstructed heads and of poles with live wires. For system validation, the new system was experimentally tested on nine timber and concrete poles that were inflicted with several types of damage. The tactile transducers were excited with continuous sine wave signals of 1 kHz frequency. Support vector machines were employed together with advanced signal processing algorithms to distinguish recorded stress wave signals from pole structures with different types of damage. The results show that using fast Fourier transform signals, combined with principal component analysis as the input feature vector for support vector machine (SVM classifiers with different kernel functions, can achieve damage classification with accuracies of 92.5% ± 7.5%.

Determination of group velocity of propagation of Lamb waves in aluminium plate using piezoelectric transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lašová Z.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A prior knowledge of group velocities of Lamb wave modes is a key for analysis of time signals in guidedwave based structural health monitoring. The identification of multiple wave modes may be complicated due to dependency of group velocity on frequency (dispersion. These dependencies for infinite plate of constant thickness can be calculated by a numerical solution of analytic equation. Two alternative approaches to determine group velocities of zero-order Lamb wave modes in aluminum plate were used in this work: Two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (2D-FFT and methods of time-frequency processing. 2D-FFT requires a high number of time signals in equidistant points, therefore it was applied on data from finite element analysis of wave propagation in the plate. Group velocities for chosen frequencies were also determined using wavelet transform (WT of signals as differencies of times of arrival measured by a pair of piezoelectric transducers. The results from 2D-FFT and wavelet transform were compared to the analytic solution.

Nano-optomechanical transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Rakich, Peter T; El-Kady, Ihab F; Olsson, Roy H; Su, Mehmet Fatih; Reinke, Charles; Camacho, Ryan; Wang, Zheng; Davids, Paul

2013-12-03

A nano-optomechanical transducer provides ultrabroadband coherent optomechanical transduction based on Mach-wave emission that uses enhanced photon-phonon coupling efficiencies by low impedance effective phononic medium, both electrostriction and radiation pressure to boost and tailor optomechanical forces, and highly dispersive electromagnetic modes that amplify both electrostriction and radiation pressure. The optomechanical transducer provides a large operating bandwidth and high efficiency while simultaneously having a small size and minimal power consumption, enabling a host of transformative phonon and signal processing capabilities. These capabilities include optomechanical transduction via pulsed phonon emission and up-conversion, broadband stimulated phonon emission and amplification, picosecond pulsed phonon lasers, broadband phononic modulators, and ultrahigh bandwidth true time delay and signal processing technologies.

Studies of the source complex behaviour and of the ultrasound radiation of contact flexible multi-element transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amory, V.

2007-12-01

This work deals with the ultrasonic nondestructive testing of parts with complex geometries using soft multi-element sensors. The different types of contact control configurations are presented first. Then, the difficulties encountered with conventional contact transducers are explained and the multi-element piezoelectric transducers technology, developed to meet these difficulties, is presented. The second chapter presents the results of finite-element calculations showing the complexity of a transducer in a condition of testing utilization. In a same configuration, the radiated far field calculated by finite-elements is compared to the measurement in order to validate the way the source behaviour is calculated. However, despite the efficiency of the finite-elements simulation, this tool is numerically too costly and cannot be used to optimize a full multi-element transducer. Therefore, a realistic source model is built and implemented in a radiation code based on high-frequency asymptotic approximations where only L and T volume waves are calculated. The incapacity of this model to reproduce the behaviour of T waves in some directions of propagation has led to give a particular attention to the fore-waves, neglected in the radiation calculation. Chapter 3 treats of the building of an exact radiation model taking into consideration the fore-waves contribution emitted by a contact transducer exerting a random space-time distribution constraint at the surface of the considered medium. A radiation model, based on the calculation of exact Green functions of the Lamb problem is proposed. The exact model is particularly interesting in the case of sensor geometries with a long length with respect to other dimensions (2D case). Field calculation results are shown for an element of the matrix network (3D case) and for a linear element (2D case). A study of different existing approached models is carried out as well. The last chapter presents some results of the field

Gravitational Wave Experiments - Proceedings of the First Edoardo Amaldi Conference

Science.gov (United States)

Coccia, E.; Pizzella, G.; Ronga, F.

1995-07-01

The Table of Contents for the full book PDF is as follows: * Foreword * Notes on Edoardo Amaldi's Life and Activity * PART I. INVITED LECTURES * Sources and Telescopes * Sources of Gravitational Radiation for Detectors of the 21st Century * Neutrino Telescopes * γ-Ray Bursts * Space Detectors * LISA — Laser Interferometer Space Antenna for Gravitational Wave Measurements * Search for Massive Coalescing Binaries with the Spacecraft ULYSSES * Interferometers * The LIGO Project: Progress and Prospects * The VIRGO Experiment: Status of the Art * GEO 600 — A 600-m Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Antenna * 300-m Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Detector (TAMA300) in Japan * Resonant Detectors * Search for Continuous Gravitational Wave from Pulsars with Resonant Detector * Operation of the ALLEGRO Detector at LSU * Preliminary Results of the New Run of Measurements with the Resonant Antenna EXPLORER * Operation of the Perth Cryogenic Resonant-Bar Gravitational Wave Detector * The NAUTILUS Experiment * Status of the AURIGA Gravitational Wave Antenna and Perspectives for the Gravitational Waves Search with Ultracryogenic Resonant Detectors * Ultralow Temperature Resonant-Mass Gravitational Radiation Detectors: Current Status of the Stanford Program * Electromechanical Transducers and Bandwidth of Resonant-Mass Gravitational-Wave Detectors * Fully Numerical Data Analysis for Resonant Gravitational Wave Detectors: Optimal Filter and Available Information * PART II. CONTRIBUTED PAPERS * Sources and Telescopes * The Local Supernova Production * Periodic Gravitational Signals from Galactic Pulsars * On a Possibility of Scalar Gravitational Wave Detection from the Binary Pulsars PSR 1913+16 * Kazan Gravitational Wave Detector “Dulkyn”: General Concept and Prospects of Construction * Hierarchical Approach to the Theory of Detection of Periodic Gravitational Radiation * Application of Gravitational Antennae for Fundamental Geophysical Problems * On

Proof-of-concept experimental study of damage detection of concrete piles using embedded piezoceramic transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, R L; Gu, H; Song, G; Mo, Y L

2013-01-01

This paper presents a proof-of-concept experimental study of an innovative active-sensing approach for damage detection of concrete piles by using embedded piezoceramic transducers. In the proposed active-sensing approach, one piezoceramic transducer is used as an actuator to generate a stress wave to propagate through the concrete pile and the other distributed piezoceramic transducers are used as sensors to detect the wave response. Cracks or damage inside the concrete structure act as stress relief in the wave propagation path. The amplitude of the wave and the transmission energy will decrease due to the existence of cracks or damage. Experiments were performed on two bored piles instrumented with embedded piezoceramic transducers. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for pile damage detection. (fast track communication)

The selection of ultrasonic transducers for inspection of pipeline girth welds. Vol. 2. Evaluation of a unique creeping wave probe for examination of the cap region in pipeline girth welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fingerhut, M P; Glover, A G; Dorling, D V

1988-10-01

This work is part of a program aimed at developing an ultrasonic inspection design for the nondestructive evaluation of pipeline girth welds made by the mechanized gas metal arc (GMA) welding process for onshore and offshore pipeline construction. The feasibility of using creeping waves for examination of the cap region was investigated and, as a result, a specification for an experimental creeping wave transducer developed and a probe was designed to provide a beam oriented nearly perpendicular to expected defects in the cap region of the weld. The performance of this experimental creeping wave transducer was evaluated with respect to its ability to detect simulated and real weld defects in the cap region of mechanized GMA welds in 9.5 mm material. The probe was successful in detecting planar lack of sidewall fusion welding defects with a signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 12 dB, at depths of up to 4.2 mm from the plate surface. This indicates maximum pipe wall thicknesses of 10.9 mm may be satisfactorily examined before additional probes are required, assuming complete coverage in the root region is provided by other probes. The creeping wave probe not only performed well in the detection of real weld defects in the cap region for which it was intended, but also showed potential for detecting and discriminating some planar defects in the root region. 9 refs., 23 figs., 3 tabs.

Passive Mode Carbon Nanotube Underwater Acoustic Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-20

Acoustical transducer arrays can reflect a sound signal in reverse to the sender which can be used for echo location devices. [0008] In Jiang...States Patent No. 8,494,187) a sound wave generator is disclosed which includes a carbon nanotube structure and an insulating reinforcement structure... acoustic device that includes an electrode layer and a sound wave generator. The sound wave generator is disposed on a surface of the electrode

Resonant acoustic transducer system for a well drilling string

Science.gov (United States)

Nardi, Anthony P.

1981-01-01

For use in transmitting acoustic waves propated along a well drilling string, a piezoelectric transducer is provided operating in the relatively low loss acoustic propagation range of the well drilling string. The efficiently coupled transmitting transducer incorporates a mass-spring-piezoelectric transmitter combination permitting a resonant operation in the desired low frequency range.

Resonant transducers for solid-state plasma density modulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hallock, Gary A., E-mail: hallock@ece.utexas.edu [The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78701 (United States); Meier, Mark A., E-mail: mark.a.meier@exxonmobil.com [ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Houston, Texas 77389 (United States)

2016-04-15

We have developed transducers capable of modulating the plasma density and plasma density gradients in indium antimonide. These transducers make use of piezoelectric drivers to excite acoustic pressure resonance at 3λ/2, generating large amplitude standing waves and plasma density modulations. The plasma density has been directly measured using a laser diagnostic. A layered media model shows good agreement with the experimental measurements.

Transducers and microprocessors in oceanographic applications

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Desai, R.G.P.; Desa, E.

Transducers used for the sensing of the ten most measured marine parameters have been described in this paper. The ten parameters have been classed under 5 sensor types, namely temperature, pressure, salinity, currents and waves. For each sensor...

A Feasibility Study on Timber Damage Detection Using Piezoceramic-Transducer-Enabled Active Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jicheng Zhang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In recent years, piezoelectric-based transducers and technologies have made significant progress towards structural health monitoring and damage evaluation for various metal and concrete structures. Timber is still commonly used as a construction material in practical engineering; however, there is a lack of research on the health monitoring of timber-based structures using piezoelectric-based transducers and methods. This paper conducts a feasibility study on timber damage detection using surface-mounted piezoelectric patches, which enable the stress-wave-based active sensing approach. Typical damage modes in timber frame structures, such as surface cracks and holes, were investigated in this study. In the active sensing approach, one piezoceramic transducer is used as an actuator to generate stress waves, which propagate along the surface of the timber structure, and other piezoceramic transducers function as sensors to detect the propagating stress waves. Defects, such as a crack or a hole, induce additional attenuation to the propagating stress wave. Based on this attenuation, the proposed method can detect the defects using the wavelet-packet-based damage index, demonstrating its implementation potential for real-time timber damage detection.

Multiple single-element transducer photoacoustic computed tomography system

Science.gov (United States)

Kalva, Sandeep Kumar; Hui, Zhe Zhi; Pramanik, Manojit

2018-02-01

Light absorption by the chromophores (hemoglobin, melanin, water etc.) present in any biological tissue results in local temperature rise. This rise in temperature results in generation of pressure waves due to the thermoelastic expansion of the tissue. In a circular scanning photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) system, these pressure waves can be detected using a single-element ultrasound transducer (SUST) (while rotating in full 360° around the sample) or using a circular array transducer. SUST takes several minutes to acquire the PA data around the sample whereas the circular array transducer takes only a fraction of seconds. Hence, for real time imaging circular array transducers are preferred. However, these circular array transducers are custom made, expensive and not easily available in the market whereas SUSTs are cheap and readily available in the market. Using SUST for PACT systems is still cost effective. In order to reduce the scanning time to few seconds instead of using single SUST (rotating 360° ), multiple SUSTs can be used at the same time to acquire the PA data. This will reduce the scanning time by two-fold in case of two SUSTs (rotating 180° ) or by four-fold and eight-fold in case of four SUSTs (rotating 90° ) and eight SUSTs (rotating 45° ) respectively. Here we show that with multiple SUSTs, similar PA images (numerical and experimental phantom data) can be obtained as that of PA images obtained using single SUST.

Applying of the array transducers' technology for surface acoustic waves materials characterization in the transient regime; Application de la technologie multi-elements a la caracterisation des materiaux par ondes acoustiques de surface en regime impulsionnel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frenet, D

2000-07-01

In this document we present a theoretical and experimental study which has been led to design a surface acoustic wave device for local characterisation (relatively to the wavelength) of isotropic or anisotropic materials. The device is based on a phased-array transducer of conical shape we have specifically designed for this purpose. It operates in the impulsive mode, in the frequency range of 1-5 MHz. In order to deduce mechanical properties of the material, it is possible to measure the surface wave characteristics (velocity, attenuation,...). Different methods for measuring the wave velocity have been developed taking advantage of from the phased-array technology. The originality of theses methods relies on the fact that the measures are performed without moving the transducer. Consequently, the device requires no additional mechanical system and it is quite compact. In addition, this shortens the characterisation process duration comparatively to the usually available methods (e. g. the V(z) technique). In the theoretical section of this study, a versatile model allowing to simulate in the time harmonic regime as well as in the transient regime, the transmitted field, the field reflected on isotropic or anisotropic planar samples and the output voltage for transducers of arbitrary shapes has been developed. The model has been applied to the phased-array conical transducer as well as to more classical transducers such as planar (rectangular) or focusing (spherically or cylindrically shaped) transducers. It predicts not only the geometrical contributions of the reflected field and signal but also the leaky contributions related to the surface acoustic waves. (author)

Planning to improve the mechanical quality factor in the transducer impedance matchers for Mario Schenberg detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frajuca, Carlos; Silva Bortoli, Fabio da

2006-01-01

Mario Schenberg is a spherical resonant-mass gravitational wave (GW) detector that will be part of a GW detection array of two detectors. Another one is been built in The Netherlands. Their resonant frequencies will be around 3.2 kHz with a bandwidth of about 200 Hz. This range of frequencies is new in a field where the typical frequencies lay below 1 kHz, making the transducer development much more complex. Some studies indicated that using low mass mechanical resonators (used for impedance matching to the parametric transducer, in a cold damping regime) allow the detector to reach the standard quantum limit. In this work we describe the procedures that are being developed to quickly test the mechanical quality factor of a very small resonator in the quest to find the best machining method and thermal annealing for the impedance matching resonator, one key part that makes a good coupling between the sphere and the transducer. The main goal is to optimize the mechanical quality factor in a reasonable time

Transducer-actuator systems and methods for performing on-machine measurements and automatic part alignment

Science.gov (United States)

Barkman, William E.; Dow, Thomas A.; Garrard, Kenneth P.; Marston, Zachary

2016-07-12

Systems and methods for performing on-machine measurements and automatic part alignment, including: a measurement component operable for determining the position of a part on a machine; and an actuation component operable for adjusting the position of the part by contacting the part with a predetermined force responsive to the determined position of the part. The measurement component consists of a transducer. The actuation component consists of a linear actuator. Optionally, the measurement component and the actuation component consist of a single linear actuator operable for contacting the part with a first lighter force for determining the position of the part and with a second harder force for adjusting the position of the part. The actuation component is utilized in a substantially horizontal configuration and the effects of gravitational drop of the part are accounted for in the force applied and the timing of the contact.

Directional nonlinear guided wave mixing: Case study of counter-propagating shear horizontal waves

Science.gov (United States)

Hasanian, Mostafa; Lissenden, Cliff J.

2018-04-01

While much nonlinear ultrasonics research has been conducted on higher harmonic generation, wave mixing provides the potential for sensitive measurements of incipient damage unencumbered by instrumentation nonlinearity. Studies of nonlinear ultrasonic wave mixing, both collinear and noncollinear, for bulk waves have shown the robust capability of wave mixing for early damage detection. One merit of bulk wave mixing lies in their non-dispersive nature, but guided waves enable inspection of otherwise inaccessible material and a variety of mixing options. Co-directional guided wave mixing was studied previously, but arbitrary direction guided wave mixing has not been addressed until recently. Wave vector analysis is applied to study variable mixing angles to find wave mode triplets (two primary waves and a secondary wave) resulting in the phase matching condition. As a case study, counter-propagating Shear Horizontal (SH) guided wave mixing is analyzed. SH wave interactions generate a secondary Lamb wave mode that is readily receivable. Reception of the secondary Lamb wave mode is compared for an angle beam transducer, an air coupled transducer, and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). Results from the angle beam and air coupled transducers are quite consistent, while the LDV measurement is plagued by variability issues.

A variable-frequency structural health monitoring system based on omnidirectional shear horizontal wave piezoelectric transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Huan, Qiang; Miao, Hongchen; Li, Faxin

2018-02-01

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is of great importance for engineering structures as it may detect the early degradation and thus avoid life and financial loss. Guided wave based inspection is very useful in SHM due to its capability for long distance and wide range monitoring. The fundamental shear horizontal (SH0) wave based method should be most promising since SH0 is the unique non-dispersive wave mode in plate-like structures. In this work, a sparse array SHM system based on omnidirectional SH wave piezoelectric transducers (OSH-PT) was proposed and the multi data fusion method was used for defect inspection in a 2 mm thick aluminum plate. Firstly, the performances of three types OSH-PTs was comprehensively compared and the thickness-poled d15 mode OSH-PT used in this work was demonstrated obviously superior to the other two. Then, the signal processing method and imaging algorithm for this SHM system was presented. Finally, experiments were carried out to examine the performance of the proposed SHM system in defect localization and imaging. Results indicated that this SHM system can locate a through hole as small as 0.12λ (4 mm) in diameter (where λ is the wavelength corresponding to the central operation frequency) under frequencies from 90 to 150 kHz. It can also locate multiple defects accurately based on the baseline subtraction method. Obviously, this SHM system can detect larger areas with sparse sensors because of the adopted single mode, non-dispersive and low frequency SH0 wave which can propagate long distance with small attenuation. Considering its good performances, simple data processing and sparse array, this SH0 wave-based SHM system is expected to greatly promote the applications of guided wave inspection.

First test of a BAE transducing scheme on a Resonant Gravitational-Wave Antenna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonifazi, P.; Vaselli, V.; Visco, M.

1997-01-01

The authors present the results obtained with a resonant capacitive transducer, suitable for Back Action Evasion (BAE) measurements, coupled for the first time to a gravitational-wave antenna. This scheme was developed in collaboration with the Group of the University of Rome La Sapienza. The antenna is a 270 kg aluminum 5056 alloy cylinder, with a resonant frequency of 1805 Hz, operating at 4.2 K in the ALTAIR cryostat, located in Frascati (Italy) at the IFSI-CNR laboratory. The apparatus was able to work for periods as long as days, both in up-conversion and BAE configurations, with good stability. The behaviour of the system is in reasonable agreement with a proposed model of a double harmonic oscillator in a BAE readout scheme. The limits on the sensitivity of this set-up are discussed as well as the possible future improvements

Active micromixer using surface acoustic wave streaming

Science.gov (United States)

Branch,; Darren W. , Meyer; Grant D. , Craighead; Harold, G [Ithaca, NY

2011-05-17

An active micromixer uses a surface acoustic wave, preferably a Rayleigh wave, propagating on a piezoelectric substrate to induce acoustic streaming in a fluid in a microfluidic channel. The surface acoustic wave can be generated by applying an RF excitation signal to at least one interdigital transducer on the piezoelectric substrate. The active micromixer can rapidly mix quiescent fluids or laminar streams in low Reynolds number flows. The active micromixer has no moving parts (other than the SAW transducer) and is, therefore, more reliable, less damaging to sensitive fluids, and less susceptible to fouling and channel clogging than other types of active and passive micromixers. The active micromixer is adaptable to a wide range of geometries, can be easily fabricated, and can be integrated in a microfluidic system, reducing dead volume. Finally, the active micromixer has on-demand on/off mixing capability and can be operated at low power.

Optimization of autonomous magnetic field sensor consisting of giant magnetoimpedance sensor and surface acoustic wave transducer

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong; Morsy, Ahmed Mohamed Aly; Kosel, Jü rgen

2012-01-01

This paper presents a novel autonomous thin film magnetic field sensor consisting of a tri-layer giant magnetoimpedance sensor and a surface acoustic wave transponder. Double and single electrode interdigital transducer (IDT) designs are employed and compared. The integrated sensor is fabricated using standard microfabrication technology. The results show the double electrode IDT has an advantage in terms of the sensitivity. In order to optimize the matching component, a simulation based on P-matrix is carried out. A maximum change of 2.4 dB of the reflection amplitude and a sensitivity of 0.34 dB/Oe are obtained experimentally. © 2012 IEEE.

Optimization of autonomous magnetic field sensor consisting of giant magnetoimpedance sensor and surface acoustic wave transducer

KAUST Repository

Li, Bodong

2012-11-01

This paper presents a novel autonomous thin film magnetic field sensor consisting of a tri-layer giant magnetoimpedance sensor and a surface acoustic wave transponder. Double and single electrode interdigital transducer (IDT) designs are employed and compared. The integrated sensor is fabricated using standard microfabrication technology. The results show the double electrode IDT has an advantage in terms of the sensitivity. In order to optimize the matching component, a simulation based on P-matrix is carried out. A maximum change of 2.4 dB of the reflection amplitude and a sensitivity of 0.34 dB/Oe are obtained experimentally. © 2012 IEEE.

Fast Plane Wave Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jonas

This PhD project investigates and further develops methods for ultrasound plane wave imaging and blood flow estimation with the objective of overcoming some of the major limitations in conventional ultrasound systems, which are related to low frame rates and only estimation of velocities along...... the ultrasound beam. The first part of the contribution investigates the compromise between frame rate and plane wave image quality including the influence of grating lobes from a λ-pitch transducer. A method for optimizing the image quality is suggested, and it is shown that the frame rate can be increased...... healthy volunteers. Complex flow patterns were measured in an anthropomorphic flow phantom and showed good agreement with the velocity field simulated using computational fluid dynamics. The last part of the contribution investigates two clinical applications. Plane wave imaging was used for slow velocity...

Increased Frame Rate for Plane Wave Imaging Without Loss of Image Quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jonas; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

2015-01-01

Clinical applications of plane wave imaging necessitate the creation of high-quality images with the highest possible frame rate for improved blood flow tracking and anatomical imaging. However, linear array transducers create grating lobe artefacts, which degrade the image quality especially...... in the near field for λ-pitch transducers. Artefacts can only partly be suppressed by increasing the number of emissions, and this paper demonstrates how the frame rate can be increased without loss of image quality by using λ/2-pitch transducers. The number of emissions and steering angles are optimized...

Field computation for two-dimensional array transducers with limited diffraction array beams.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Jian-Yu; Cheng, Jiqi

2005-10-01

A method is developed for calculating fields produced with a two-dimensional (2D) array transducer. This method decomposes an arbitrary 2D aperture weighting function into a set of limited diffraction array beams. Using the analytical expressions of limited diffraction beams, arbitrary continuous wave (cw) or pulse wave (pw) fields of 2D arrays can be obtained with a simple superposition of these beams. In addition, this method can be simplified and applied to a 1D array transducer of a finite or infinite elevation height. For beams produced with axially symmetric aperture weighting functions, this method can be reduced to the Fourier-Bessel method studied previously where an annular array transducer can be used. The advantage of the method is that it is accurate and computationally efficient, especially in regions that are not far from the surface of the transducer (near field), where it is important for medical imaging. Both computer simulations and a synthetic array experiment are carried out to verify the method. Results (Bessel beam, focused Gaussian beam, X wave and asymmetric array beams) show that the method is accurate as compared to that using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction formula and agrees well with the experiment.

Numerical Transducer Modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriquez, Vicente Cutanda

This thesis describes the development of a numerical model of the propagation of sound waves in fluids with viscous and thermal losses, with application to the simulation of acoustic transducers, in particular condenser microphones for measurement. The theoretical basis is presented, numerical...... manipulations are developed to satisfy the more complicated boundary conditions, and a model of a condenser microphone with a coupled membrane is developed. The model is tested against measurements of ¼ inch condenser microphones and analytical calculations. A detailed discussion of the results is given....

Ultrasonic properties of all-printed piezoelectric polymer transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Wagle, Sanat; Decharat, Adit; Bodö, Peter; Melandsø, Frank

2013-12-01

The ability of producing ultrasonic transducers from screen-printing has been explored experimentally, through printing and characterization of a large number of transducers. In an all-printed test design, 124 transducers with four different electrode sizes ranging from 1 to 4.9 mm2, were printed layer-by-layer on a high performance polyethyleneimine polymer. Inks from ferroelectric and conductive polymers were applied to the active part of a transducer, to provide a good acoustical match between the individual layers. Ultrasonic characterizations of the transducers done by two independent methods provided a broad-banded frequency response with a maximum response around 100 MHz.

The Use of Flexible Ultrasound Transducers for the Detection of Laser-Induced Guided Waves on Curved Surfaces at Elevated Temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tai Chieh Wu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, a flexible ultrasonic transducer (FUT was applied in a laser ultrasonic technique (LUT for non-destructive characterization of metallic pipes at high temperatures of up to 176 °C. Compared with normal ultrasound transducers, a FUT is a piezoelectric film made of a PZT/PZT sol-gel composite which has advantages due to its high sensitivity, curved surface adaptability and high temperature durability. By operating a pulsed laser in B-scan mode along with the integration of FUT and LUT, a multi-mode dispersion spectrum of a stainless steel pipe at high temperature can be measured. In addition, dynamic wave propagation behaviors are experimentally visualized with two dimensional scanning. The images directly interpret the reflections from the interior defects and also can locate their positions. This hybrid technique shows great potential for non-destructive evaluation of structures with complex geometry, especially in high temperature environments.

Development of dual PZT transducers for reference-free crack detection in thin plate structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohn, Hoon; Kim, Seuno Bum

2010-01-01

A new Lamb-wave-based nondestructive testing (NDT) technique, which does not rely on previously stored baseline data, is developed for crack monitoring in plate structures. Commonly, the presence of damage is identified by comparing "current data" measured from a potentially damaged stage of a structure with "baseline data" previously obtained at the intact condition of the structure. In practice, structural defects typically take place long after collection of the baseline data, and the baseline data can be also affected by external loading, temperature variations, and changing boundary conditions. To eliminate the dependence on the baseline data comparison, the authors previously developed a reference-free NDT technique using 2 pairs of collocated lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers placed on both sides of a plate. This reference-free technique is further advanced in the present study by the necessity of attaching transducers only on a single surface of a structure for certain applications such as aircraft. To achieve this goal, a new design of PZT transducers called dual PZT transducers is proposed. Crack formation creates Lamb wave mode conversion due to a sudden thickness change of the structure. This crack appearance is instantly detected from the measured Lamb wave signals using the dual PZT transducers. This study also suggests a reference-free statistical approach that enables damage classification using only the currently measured data set. Numerical simulations and experiments were conducted using an aluminum plate with uniform thickness and fundamental Lamb waves modes to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed technique to reference-free crack detection.

Contribution to the development and the modelling of an ultrasonic conformable phased array transducer for the contact inspection of 3D complex geometry components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guedes, O.

2005-04-01

With the difficulties encountered for the exploration of complex shape surfaces, particularly in nuclear industry, the ultrasonic conformable phased array transducer allows a non destructive evaluation of parts with 3D complex parts. For this, one can use the Smart Contact Transducer principle to generate an ultrasonic field by adaptive dynamic focalisation, with a matrix array composed of independent elements moulded in a soft resin. This work deals with the electro-acoustic conception, with the realization of such a prototype and with the study of it's mechanical and acoustic behaviour. The array design is defined using a radiation model adapted to the simulation of contact sources on a free surface. Once one have defined the shape of the radiating elements, a vibratory analysis using finite elements method allows the determination of the emitting structure with 1-3 piezocomposite, witch leads to the realization of emitting-receiving elements. With the measurement of the field transmitted by such elements, we deduced new hypothesis to change the model of radiation. Thus one can take into account normal and tangential stresses calculated with finite element modelling at the interface between the element and the propagation medium, to use it with the semi-analytical model. Some vibratory phenomena dealing with fluid coupling of contact transducers have been studied, and the prediction of the transverse wave radiation profile have been improved. The last part of this work deals with the realization of the first prototype of the conformable phased array transducer. For this a deformation measuring system have been developed, to determine the position of each element on real time with the displacement of the transducer on complex shape surfaces. With those positions, one can perform the calculation of the a delay law intended for the adaptive dynamic focusing of the desired ultrasonic field. The conformable phased array transducer have been characterized in

Development of a novel omnidirectional magnetostrictive transducer for plate applications

Science.gov (United States)

Vinogradov, Sergey; Cobb, Adam; Bartlett, Jonathan; Udagawa, Youichi

2018-04-01

The application of guided waves for the testing of plate-type structures has been recently investigated by a number of research groups due to the ability of guided waves to detect corrosion in remote and hidden areas. Guided wave sensors for plate applications can be either directed (i.e., the waves propagate in a single direction) or omnidirectional. Each type has certain advantages and disadvantages. Omnidirectional sensors can inspect large areas from a single location, but it is challenging to define where a feature is located. Conversely, directed sensors can be used to precisely locate an indication, but have no sensitivity to flaws away from the wave propagation direction. This work describes a newly developed sensor that combines the strengths of both sensor types to create a novel omnidirectional transducer. The sensor transduction is based on a custom magnetostrictive transducer (MsT). In this new probe design, a directed, plate-application MsT with known characteristics was incorporated into an automated scanner. This scanner rotates the directed MsT for data collection at regular intervals. Coupling of the transducer to the plate is accomplished using a shear wave couplant. The array of data that is received is used for compiling B-scans and imaging, utilizing a synthetic aperture focusing algorithm (SAFT). The performance of the probe was evaluated on a 0.5-inch thick carbon steel plate mockup with a surface area of over 100 square feet. The mockup had a variety of known anomalies representing localized and distributed pitting corrosion, gradual wall thinning, and notches of different depths. Experimental data was also acquired using the new probe on a retired storage tank with known corrosion damage. The performance of the new sensor and its limitations are discussed together with general directions in technology development.

Three Transducer Ultrasonic Examination of Nuclear Fuel Rod Flush Welds At ENUSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domingo, A.; Jimenez, J.M.

1998-01-01

From 1991 ENUSA are using UT microscope examination of flush weld with longitudinal wave (perpendicular to weld) looking for welding defects as porosity, weld thickness and penetration. In 1994 we included a new transducer off set placed, with shear waves to control cracks in welding. In 1997 we incorporated a new shear transducer, 30 degree centigrade angle, in order to control different orientation of cracks or Grain Boundary Separation (GBS) and to improve software capabilities. Then actual UT microscope equipment used to inspect rod welds consist, mainly in three transducer of 50 MHz mounted over a rotatory head. UT system is electronically synchronized and obtains 750 data points per revolution by transducer. A set of seven images of approx 100.000 data points is obtained for each weld. Thickness, pore size, pore depth, two of crack size and two of crack depth are presented and evaluated evaluated by the computer to obtain weld disposition. Resolution of 0,05 mm pore size is achieved by this equipment, thickness and penetration precision should be in the order of 0,005 mm and 0,05 mm respectively. Crack detection depend basically on its orientation, nevertheless position of transducer assures a high capability detection of cracks which should be formed at these welds. (Author)

Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers Applied to High Temperature Plates for Potential Use in the Solar Thermal Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Kogia

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Concentrated Solar Plants (CSPs are used in solar thermal industry for collecting and converting sunlight into electricity. Parabolic trough CSPs are the most widely used type of CSP and an absorber tube is an essential part of them. The hostile operating environment of the absorber tubes, such as high temperatures (400–550 °C, contraction/expansion, and vibrations, may lead them to suffer from creep, thermo-mechanical fatigue, and hot corrosion. Hence, their condition monitoring is of crucial importance and a very challenging task as well. Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs are a promising, non-contact technology of transducers that has the potential to be used for the inspection of large structures at high temperatures by exciting Guided Waves. In this paper, a study regarding the potential use of EMATs in this application and their performance at high temperature is presented. A Periodic Permanent Magnet (PPM EMAT with a racetrack coil, designed to excite Shear Horizontal waves (SH0, has been theoretically and experimentally evaluated at both room and high temperatures.

Influence of Ultrasonic Nonlinear Propagation on Hydrophone Calibration Using Two-Transducer Reciprocity Method

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshioka, Masahiro; Sato, Sojun; Kikuchi, Tsuneo; Matsuda, Yoichi

2006-05-01

In this study, the influence of ultrasonic nonlinear propagation on hydrophone calibration by the two-transducer reciprocity method is investigated quantitatively using the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation. It is proposed that the correction for the diffraction and attenuation of ultrasonic waves used in two-transducer reciprocity calibration can be derived using the KZK equation to remove the influence of nonlinear propagation. The validity of the correction is confirmed by comparing the sensitivities calibrated by the two-transducer reciprocity method and laser interferometry.

A Mathematical Model of a Novel 3D Fractal-Inspired Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Canning, Sara; Walker, Alan J; Roach, Paul A

2016-12-17

Piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers have the potential to operate as both a sensor and as an actuator of ultrasonic waves. Currently, manufactured transducers operate effectively over narrow bandwidths as a result of their regular structures which incorporate a single length scale. To increase the operational bandwidth of these devices, consideration has been given in the literature to the implementation of designs which contain a range of length scales. In this paper, a mathematical model of a novel Sierpinski tetrix fractal-inspired transducer for sensor applications is presented. To accompany the growing body of research based on fractal-inspired transducers, this paper offers the first sensor design based on a three-dimensional fractal. The three-dimensional model reduces to an effective one-dimensional model by allowing for a number of assumptions of the propagating wave in the fractal lattice. The reception sensitivity of the sensor is investigated. Comparisons of reception force response (RFR) are performed between this novel design along with a previously investigated Sierpinski gasket-inspired device and standard Euclidean design. The results indicate that the proposed device surpasses traditional design sensors.

Annular spherically focused ring transducers for improved single-beam acoustical tweezers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitri, F. G., E-mail: F.G.Mitri@ieee.org [Chevron, Area 52 Technology—ETC, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508 (United States)

2016-02-14

The use of ultrasonic transducers with a central hollow is suggested for improved single-beam acoustical tweezers applications. Within the framework of the Fresnel-Kirchhoff parabolic approximation, a closed-form partial-wave series expansion (PWSE) for the incident velocity potential (or pressure) field is derived for an annular spherically focused ring (asfr) with uniform vibration across its surface in spherical coordinates. The Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction integral and the addition theorems for the Legendre and spherical wave functions are used to obtain the PWSE assuming a weakly focused beam (with a focusing angle α ≤ 20°). The PWSE allows evaluating the incident field from the finite asfr in 3D. Moreover, the obtained solution allows computing efficiently the acoustic scattering and radiation force on a sphere centered on the beam's axis of wave propagation. The analytical solution is valid for wavelengths largely exceeding the radius of the asfr and when the viscosity of the surrounding fluid can be neglected. Numerical predictions for the beam-forming, scattering, and axial time-averaged radiation force are performed with particular emphasis on the asfr thickness, the axial distance separating the sphere from the center of the transducer, the (non-dimensional) size of the transducer, as well as the sphere's elastic properties without restriction to the long- (i.e., Rayleigh) or the short-wavelength (i.e., ray acoustics) regimes. Potential applications of the present solution are in beam-forming design, particle tweezing, and manipulation due to negative forces using ultrasonic asfr transducers.

Lithium niobate ultrasonic transducer design for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhenjun; Xu, Yuanming; Gu, Yuting

2015-11-01

Due to the strong piezoelectric effect possessed by lithium niobate, a new idea that uses lithium niobate to design high-power ultrasonic transducer for Enhanced Oil Recovery technology is proposed. The purpose of this paper is to lay the foundation for the further research and development of high-power ultrasonic oil production technique. The main contents of this paper are as follows: firstly, structure design technique and application of a new high-power ultrasonic transducer are introduced; secondly, the experiment for reducing the viscosity of super heavy oil by this transducer is done, the optimum ultrasonic parameters for reducing the viscosity of super heavy oil are given. Experimental results show that heavy large molecules in super heavy oil can be cracked into light hydrocarbon substances under strong cavitation effect caused by high-intensity ultrasonic wave. Experiment proves that it is indeed feasible to design high-power ultrasonic transducer for ultrasonic oil production technology using lithium niobate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic transducer design for uniform insonation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, G.H.; Balcer-Kubiczek, E.K.; McCulloch, D.

1984-01-01

Techniques used in transducer development for acoustical imaging have been evaluated for the purpose of producing broad, uniform ultrasonic fields from planar radiators. Such fields should be useful in hyperthermia, physical therapy, and ultrasonic bioeffects studies. Fourier inversion of the circ function yielded a source velocity distribution proportional to (P/r) exp ((-ik/2Z) (2Z/sup 2/+r/sup 2/)) J/sub 1/(krP/Z), where r is the radial source coordinate, k is the wave number, and P is the desired radius of uniform insonation at a depth Z in water. This source distribution can be truncated without significantly degrading the solution. A simpler solution consists of exponentially shading the edge of an otherwise uniformly excited disk transducer. This approach was successfully approximated experimentally

MOSFET-based high voltage short pulse generator for ultrasonic transducer excitation

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayat, Darmawan; Setianto, Syafei, Nendi Suhendi; Wibawa, Bambang Mukti

2018-02-01

This paper presents the generation of a high-voltage short pulse for the excitation of high frequency ultrasonic transducers. This is highly required in the purpose of various ultrasonic-based evaluations, particularly when high resolution measurement is necessary. A high voltage (+760 V) DC voltage source was pulsated by an ultrafast switching MOSFET which was driven by a pulse generator circuit consisting of an astable multivibrator, a one-shot multivibrator with Schmitt trigger input and a high current MOSFET driver. The generated pulses excited a 200-kHz and a 1-MHz ultrasonic transducers and tested in the transmission mode propagation to evaluate the performances of the generated pulse. The test results showed the generator were able to produce negative spike pulses up to -760 V voltage with the shortest time-width of 107.1 nanosecond. The transmission-received ultrasonic waves show frequency oscillation at 200 and 961 kHz and their amplitudes varied with the voltage of excitation pulse. These results conclude that the developed pulse generator is applicable to excite transducer for the generation of high frequency ultrasonic waves.

Smart concrete slabs with embedded tubular PZT transducers for damage detection

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Weihang; Huo, Linsheng; Li, Hongnan; Song, Gangbing

2018-02-01

The objective of this study is to develop a new concept and methodology of smart concrete slab (SCS) with embedded tubular lead zirconate titanate transducer array for image based damage detection. Stress waves, as the detecting signals, are generated by the embedded tubular piezoceramic transducers in the SCS. Tubular piezoceramic transducers are used due to their capacity of generating radially uniform stress waves in a two-dimensional concrete slab (such as bridge decks and walls), increasing the monitoring range. A circular type delay-and-sum (DAS) imaging algorithm is developed to image the active acoustic sources based on the direct response received by each sensor. After the scattering signals from the damage are obtained by subtracting the baseline response of the concrete structures from those of the defective ones, the elliptical type DAS imaging algorithm is employed to process the scattering signals and reconstruct the image of the damage. Finally, two experiments, including active acoustic source monitoring and damage imaging for concrete structures, are carried out to illustrate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Design optimization of embedded ultrasonic transducers for concrete structures assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumoulin, Cédric; Deraemaeker, Arnaud

2017-08-01

In the last decades, the field of structural health monitoring and damage detection has been intensively explored. Active vibration techniques allow to excite structures at high frequency vibrations which are sensitive to small damage. Piezoelectric PZT transducers are perfect candidates for such testing due to their small size, low cost and large bandwidth. Current ultrasonic systems are based on external piezoelectric transducers which need to be placed on two faces of the concrete specimen. The limited accessibility of in-service structures makes such an arrangement often impractical. An alternative is to embed permanently low-cost transducers inside the structure. Such types of transducers have been applied successfully for the in-situ estimation of the P-wave velocity in fresh concrete, and for crack monitoring. Up to now, the design of such transducers was essentially based on trial and error, or in a few cases, on the limitation of the acoustic impedance mismatch between the PZT and concrete. In the present study, we explore the working principles of embedded piezoelectric transducers which are found to be significantly different from external transducers. One of the major challenges concerning embedded transducers is to produce very low cost transducers. We show that a practical way to achieve this imperative is to consider the radial mode of actuation of bulk PZT elements. This is done by developing a simple finite element model of a piezoelectric transducer embedded in an infinite medium. The model is coupled with a multi-objective genetic algorithm which is used to design specific ultrasonic embedded transducers both for hard and fresh concrete monitoring. The results show the efficiency of the approach and a few designs are proposed which are optimal for hard concrete, fresh concrete, or both, in a given frequency band of interest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel serrated columnar phased array ultrasonic transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Cheng; Sun, Zhenguo; Cai, Dong; Song, Hongwei; Chen, Qiang

2016-02-01

Traditionally, wedges are required to generate transverse waves in a solid specimen and mechanical rotation device is needed for interrogation of a specimen with a hollow bore, such as high speed railway locomotive axles, turbine rotors, etc. In order to eliminate the mechanical rotation process, a novel array pattern of phased array ultrasonic transducers named as serrated columnar phased array ultrasonic transducer (SCPAUT) is designed. The elementary transducers are planar rectangular, located on the outside surface of a cylinder. This layout is aimed to generate electrically rotating transverse waveforms so as to inspect the longitudinal cracks on the outside surface of a specimen which has a hollow bore at the center, such as the high speed railway locomotive axles. The general geometry of the SCPAUT and the inspection system are illustrated. A FEM model and mockup experiment has been carried out. The experiment results are in good agreement with the FEM simulation results.

Phononic Crystal Waveguide Transducers for Nonlinear Elastic Wave Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciampa, Francesco; Mankar, Akash; Marini, Andrea

2017-11-07

Second harmonic generation is one of the most sensitive and reliable nonlinear elastic signatures for micro-damage assessment. However, its detection requires powerful amplification systems generating fictitious harmonics that are difficult to discern from pure nonlinear elastic effects. Current state-of-the-art nonlinear ultrasonic methods still involve impractical solutions such as cumbersome signal calibration processes and substantial modifications of the test component in order to create material-based tunable harmonic filters. Here we propose and demonstrate a valid and sensible alternative strategy involving the development of an ultrasonic phononic crystal waveguide transducer that exhibits both single and multiple frequency stop-bands filtering out fictitious second harmonic frequencies. Remarkably, such a sensing device can be easily fabricated and integrated on the surface of the test structure without altering its mechanical and geometrical properties. The design of the phononic crystal structure is supported by a perturbative theoretical model predicting the frequency band-gaps of periodic plates with sinusoidal corrugation. We find our theoretical findings in excellent agreement with experimental testing revealing that the proposed phononic crystal waveguide transducer successfully attenuates second harmonics caused by the ultrasonic equipment, thus demonstrating its wide range of potential applications for acousto/ultrasonic material damage inspection.

Development of an omni-directional shear horizontal mode magnetostrictive patch transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zenghua; Hu, Yanan; Xie, Muwen; Fan, Junwei; He, Cunfu; Wu, Bin

2018-04-01

The fundamental shear horizontal wave, SH0 mode, has great potential in defect detection and on-line monitoring with large scale and high efficiency in plate-like structures because of its non-dispersive characteristics. Aiming at consistently exciting single SH0 mode in plate-like structures, an omni-directional shear horizontal mode magnetostrictive patch transducer (OSHM-MPT) is developed on the basis of magnetostrictive effect. It consists of four fan-shaped array elements and corresponding plane solenoid array (PSA) coils, four fan-shaped permanent magnets and a circular nickel patch. The experimental results verify that the developed transducer can effectively produce the single SH0 mode in an aluminum plate. The frequency response characteristics of this developed transducer are tested. The results demonstrate that the proposed OSHM-MPT has a center frequency of 300kHz related to the distance between adjacent arc-shaped steps of the PSA coils. Furthermore, omni-directivity of this developed transducer is tested. The results demonstrate that the developed transducer has a high omnidirectional consistency.

Two-dimensional analytic modeling of acoustic diffraction for ultrasonic beam steering by phased array transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tiansi; Zhang, Chong; Aleksov, Aleksandar; Salama, Islam; Kar, Aravinda

2017-04-01

Phased array ultrasonic transducers enable modulating the focal position of the acoustic waves, and this capability is utilized in many applications, such as medical imaging and non-destructive testing. This type of transducers also provides a mechanism to generate tilted wavefronts in acousto-optic deflectors to deflect laser beams for high precision advanced laser material processing. In this paper, a theoretical model is presented for the diffraction of ultrasonic waves emitted by several phased array transducers into an acousto-optic medium such as TeO 2 crystal. A simple analytic expression is obtained for the distribution of the ultrasonic displacement field in the crystal. The model prediction is found to be in good agreement with the results of a numerical model that is based on a non-paraxial multi-Gaussian beam (NMGB) model. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Finite element analysis of hysteresis effects in piezoelectric transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Simkovics, Reinhard; Landes, Hermann; Kaltenbacher, Manfred; Hoffelner, Johann; Lerch, Reinhard

2000-06-01

The design of ultrasonic transducers for high power applications, e.g. in medical therapy or production engineering, asks for effective computer aided design tools to analyze the occurring nonlinear effects. In this paper the finite-element-boundary-element package CAPA is presented that allows to model different types of electromechanical sensors and actuators. These transducers are based on various physical coupling effects, such as piezoelectricity or magneto- mechanical interactions. Their computer modeling requires the numerical solution of a multifield problem, such as coupled electric-mechanical fields or magnetic-mechanical fields as well as coupled mechanical-acoustic fields. With the reported software environment we are able to compute the dynamic behavior of electromechanical sensors and actuators by taking into account geometric nonlinearities, nonlinear wave propagation and ferroelectric as well as magnetic material nonlinearities. After a short introduction to the basic theory of the numerical calculation schemes, two practical examples will demonstrate the applicability of the numerical simulation tool. As a first example an ultrasonic thickness mode transducer consisting of a piezoceramic material used for high power ultrasound production is examined. Due to ferroelectric hysteresis, higher order harmonics can be detected in the actuators input current. Also in case of electrical and mechanical prestressing a resonance frequency shift occurs, caused by ferroelectric hysteresis and nonlinear dependencies of the material coefficients on electric field and mechanical stresses. As a second example, a power ultrasound transducer used in HIFU-therapy (high intensity focused ultrasound) is presented. Due to the compressibility and losses in the propagating fluid a nonlinear shock wave generation can be observed. For both examples a good agreement between numerical simulation and experimental data has been achieved.

Surface acoustic wave dust deposition monitor

Science.gov (United States)

Fasching, G.E.; Smith, N.S. Jr.

1988-02-12

A system is disclosed for using the attenuation of surface acoustic waves to monitor real time dust deposition rates on surfaces. The system includes a signal generator, a tone-burst generator/amplifier connected to a transmitting transducer for converting electrical signals into acoustic waves. These waves are transmitted through a path defining means adjacent to a layer of dust and then, in turn, transmitted to a receiving transducer for changing the attenuated acoustic wave to electrical signals. The signals representing the attenuated acoustic waves may be amplified and used in a means for analyzing the output signals to produce an output indicative of the dust deposition rates and/or values of dust in the layer. 8 figs.

Dissipation in vibrating superleak second sound transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giordano, N.

1985-01-01

We have performed an experimental study of the generation and detection of second sound in 4 He using vibrating superleak second sound transducers. At temperatures well below T/sub lambda/ and for low driving amplitudes, the magnitude of the generated second sound wave is proportional to the drive amplitude. However, near T/sub lambda/ and for high drive amplitudes this is no longer the case--instead, the second sound amplitude saturates. In this regime we also find that overtones of the drive frequency are generated. Our results suggest that this behavior is due to critical velocity effects in the pores of the superleak in the generator transducer. This type of measurement may prove to be a useful way in which to study critical velocity effects in confined geometries

Transducer handbook user's directory of electrical transducers

CERN Document Server

Boyle, H B

2013-01-01

When selecting or using a particular type of transducer or sensor, there are a number of factors which must be considered. The question is not only for what kind of measurement, but under what physical conditions, constraints of accuracy, and to meet which service requirements, is a transducer needed? This handbook is designed to meet the selection needs of anyone specifying or using transducers with an electrical output. Each transducer is described in an easy-to-use tabular format, giving all of the necessary data including operating principles, applications, range limits, errors, over-range protection, supply voltage requirements, sensitivities, cross sensitivities, temperature ranges and sensitivities and signal conditioning needs. The author has added notes that reflect his broad practical experience. Added to this is an extensive worldwide suppliers directory.

Experimental Research on the Low Frequency Wave That Radiates into the Air before the Failure of Rock

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Li Shiyu; Tang Linbo; He Xuesong; Su Fang; Sun Wei; Liu Jianxin

2005-01-01

Experiments on sonic transmission show that a slabstone can directly transmit part of the energy of a wave excited by knocking or by a transducer into the air. The other part of the wave energy can generate the normal mode of vibration on the slabstone and excite measurable acoustic signals in the air. The dominant frequency is related to the size of the slabstone. These results indicate that the acoustic emission (AE) in rock also displays similar behavior if the source is shallow. It is demonstrated that with the nucleation and propagation of cracks, the dominant frequency of the radiated wave will be lower. When the frequency becomes very low,the wave can be transmitted through the rock into the air and be received by a microphone.According to the theory of similarity of size, there will be low-frequency waves before strong earthquakes because of nucleation of cracks, which can be received by special low-frequency transducers or infrasonic detectors. Before earthquakes, the mechanism of precursors could be very complicated. They might be produced by plastic creep or attributed to liquids but not brittle fracture in most cases. So the periods of the produced waves will be longer. This perhaps accounts for the lack of foreshocks before many strong earthquakes.

Characterization of HIFU transducers designed for sonochemistry application: Acoustic streaming.

Science.gov (United States)

Hallez, L; Touyeras, F; Hihn, J-Y; Bailly, Y

2016-03-01

Cavitation distribution in a High Intensity Focused Ultrasound sonoreactors (HIFU) has been extensively described in the recent literature, including quantification by an optical method (Sonochemiluminescence SCL). The present paper provides complementary measurements through the study of acoustic streaming generated by the same kind of HIFU transducers. To this end, results of mass transfer measurements (electrodiffusional method) were compared to optical method ones (Particle Image Velocimetry). This last one was used in various configurations: with or without an electrode in the acoustic field in order to have the same perturbation of the wave propagation. Results show that the maximum velocity is not located at the focal but shifted near the transducer, and that this shift is greater for high powers. The two cavitation modes (stationary and moving bubbles) are greatly affect the hydrodynamic behavior of our sonoreactors: acoustic streaming and the fluid generated by bubble motion. The results obtained by electrochemical measurements show the same low hydrodynamic activity in the transducer vicinity, the same shift of the active focal toward the transducer, and the same absence of activity in the post-focal axial zone. The comparison with theoretical Eckart's velocities (acoustic streaming in non-cavitating media) confirms a very high activity at the "sonochemical focal", accounted for by wave distortion, which induced greater absorption coefficients. Moreover, the equivalent liquid velocities are one order of magnitude larger than the ones measured by PIV, confirming the enhancement of mass transfer by bubbles oscillation and collapse close to the surface, rather than from a pure streaming effect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pressure transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomes, A.V.

1975-01-01

Strain gauges pressure transducers types are presented. Models, characteristics and calibration procedures were also analysed. Initially, a theoretical study was accomplished to evaluate metallic alloys behavior on sensing elements manufacturing, and diaphragm was used as deflecting elements. Electrical models for potenciometric transducers were proposed at the beginning and subsequently comproved according our experiments. Concerning bridge transducers, existing models confirmed the conditions of linearity and sensitivity related to the electrical signal. All the work done was of help on the calibration field and pressure measurements employing unbounded strain gauge pressure transducers

Transducer-Mounting Fixture

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegel, Kirk W.

1990-01-01

Transducer-mounting fixture holds transducer securely against stud. Projects only slightly beyond stud after installation. Flanged transducer fits into fixture when hinged halves open. When halves reclosed, fixture tightened onto threaded stud until stud makes contact with transducer. Knurled area on fixture aids in tightening fixture on stud.

Calculations for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Henrik

1986-01-01

Analysis of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers implies a solution of a boundary value problem, for a boay which consists of different materials, including a piezoelectric part. The problem is dynamic at frequencies, where a typical wavelength is somewhat less than the size of the body. Radiation...

Development of ultrasound transducer diffractive field theory for nonlinear propagation-based imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Kharin, Nikolay A.

2000-04-01

In nonlinear ultrasound imaging the images are formed using the second harmonic energy generated due to the nonlinear nature of finite amplitude propagation. This propagation can be modeled using the KZK wave equation. This paper presents further development of nonlinear diffractive field theory based on the KZK equation and its solution by means of the slowly changing profile method for moderate nonlinearity. The analytical expression for amplitudes and phases of sum frequency wave are obtained in addition to the second harmonic wave. Also, the analytical expression for the relative curvature of the wave fronts of fundamental and second harmonic signals are derived. The media with different nonlinear properties and absorption coefficients were investigated to characterize the diffractive field of the transducer at medical frequencies. All expressions demonstrate good agreement with experimental results. The expressions are novel and provide an easy way for prediction of amplitude and phase structure of nonlinearly distorted field of a transducer. The sum frequency signal technique could be implemented as well as second harmonic technique to improve the quality of biomedical images. The results obtained are of importance for medical diagnostic ultrasound equipment design.

Studies of the source complex behaviour and of the ultrasound radiation of contact flexible multi-element transducers; Etudes du comportement complexe de source et du rayonnement ultrasonore des traducteurs multi-elements flexibles au contact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amory, V

2007-12-15

This work deals with the ultrasonic nondestructive testing of parts with complex geometries using soft multi-element sensors. The different types of contact control configurations are presented first. Then, the difficulties encountered with conventional contact transducers are explained and the multi-element piezoelectric transducers technology, developed to meet these difficulties, is presented. The second chapter presents the results of finite-element calculations showing the complexity of a transducer in a condition of testing utilization. In a same configuration, the radiated far field calculated by finite-elements is compared to the measurement in order to validate the way the source behaviour is calculated. However, despite the efficiency of the finite-elements simulation, this tool is numerically too costly and cannot be used to optimize a full multi-element transducer. Therefore, a realistic source model is built and implemented in a radiation code based on high-frequency asymptotic approximations where only L and T volume waves are calculated. The incapacity of this model to reproduce the behaviour of T waves in some directions of propagation has led to give a particular attention to the fore-waves, neglected in the radiation calculation. Chapter 3 treats of the building of an exact radiation model taking into consideration the fore-waves contribution emitted by a contact transducer exerting a random space-time distribution constraint at the surface of the considered medium. A radiation model, based on the calculation of exact Green functions of the Lamb problem is proposed. The exact model is particularly interesting in the case of sensor geometries with a long length with respect to other dimensions (2D case). Field calculation results are shown for an element of the matrix network (3D case) and for a linear element (2D case). A study of different existing approached models is carried out as well. The last chapter presents some results of the field

Uni-directional waves over slowly varying bottom, part II: Deformation of travelling waves

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pudjaprasetya, S.R.; Pudjaprasetya, S.R.; van Groesen, Embrecht W.C.

1996-01-01

A new Korteweg-de Vries type of equation for uni-directional waves over slowly varying bottom has been derived in Part I. The equation retains the Hamiltonian structure of the underlying complete set of equations for surface waves. For flat bottom it reduces to the standard Korteweg-de Vries

Auto-positioning ultrasonic transducer system

Science.gov (United States)

Buchanan, Randy K. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

An ultrasonic transducer apparatus and process for determining the optimal transducer position for flow measurement along a conduit outer surface. The apparatus includes a transmitting transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic signal, said transducer affixed to a conduit outer surface; a guide rail attached to a receiving transducer for guiding movement of a receiving transducer along the conduit outer surface, wherein the receiving transducer receives an ultrasonic signal from the transmitting transducer and sends a signal to a data acquisition system; and a motor for moving the receiving transducer along the guide rail, wherein the motor is controlled by a controller. The method includes affixing a transmitting transducer to an outer surface of a conduit; moving a receiving transducer on the conduit outer surface, wherein the receiving transducer is moved along a guide rail by a motor; transmitting an ultrasonic signal from the transmitting transducer that is received by the receiving transducer; communicating the signal received by the receiving transducer to a data acquisition and control system; and repeating the moving, transmitting, and communicating along a length of the conduit.

D33 mode piezoelectric diaphragm based acoustic transducer with high sensitivity

KAUST Repository

Shen, Zhiyuan; Lu, Jingyu; Tan, Cheewee; Miao, Jianmin; Wang, Zhihong

2013-01-01

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of an acoustic transducer using a piezoelectric freestanding bulk diaphragm as the sensing element. The diaphragm bearing the spiral electrode operates in d 33 mode, which allows the in-plane deformation of the diaphragm to be converted to the out-of-plane deformation and generates an acoustic wave in the same direction. A finite element code is developed to reorient the material polarization distribution according to the poling field calculated. The first four resonance modes have been simulated and verified by impedance and velocity spectra. The sensitivity and the sound pressure level of the transducer were characterized. The realized sensitivity of 126.21 μV/Pa at 1 kHz is nearly twenty times of the sensitivity of a sandwich d31 mode transducer. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Non-contact feature detection using ultrasonic Lamb waves

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Dipen N [Los Alamos, NM

2011-06-28

Apparatus and method for non-contact ultrasonic detection of features on or within the walls of hollow pipes are described. An air-coupled, high-power ultrasonic transducer for generating guided waves in the pipe wall, and a high-sensitivity, air-coupled transducer for detecting these waves, are disposed at a distance apart and at chosen angle with respect to the surface of the pipe, either inside of or outside of the pipe. Measurements may be made in reflection or transmission modes depending on the relative position of the transducers and the pipe. Data are taken by sweeping the frequency of the incident ultrasonic waves, using a tracking narrow-band filter to reduce detected noise, and transforming the frequency domain data into the time domain using fast Fourier transformation, if required.

Analysis of critically refracted longitudinal waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pei, Ning, E-mail: npei@iastate.edu; Bond, Leonard J., E-mail: npei@iastate.edu [Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States)

2015-03-31

Fabrication processes, such as, welding, forging, and rolling can induce residual stresses in metals that will impact product performance and phenomena such as cracking and corrosion. To better manage residual stress tools are needed to map their distribution. The critically refracted ultrasonic longitudinal (LCR) wave is one such approach that has been used for residual stress characterization. It has been shown to be sensitive to stress and less sensitive to the effects of the texture of the material. Although the LCR wave is increasingly widely applied, the factors that influence the formation of the LCR beam are seldom discussed. This paper reports a numerical model used to investigate the transducers' parameters that can contribute to the directionality of the LCR wave and hence enable performance optimization when used for industrial applications. An orthogonal test method is used to study the transducer parameters which influence the LCR wave beams. This method provides a design tool that can be used to study and optimize multiple parameter experiments and it can identify which parameter or parameters are of most significance. The simulation of the sound field in a 2-D 'water-steel' model is obtained using a Spatial Fourier Analysis method. The effects of incident angle, standoff, the aperture and the center frequency of the transducer were studied. Results show that the aperture of the transducer, the center frequency and the incident angle are the most important factors in controlling the directivity of the resulting LCR wave fields.

Driving electrostatic transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

2013-01-01

Electrostatic transducers represent a very interesting alternative to the traditional inefficient electrodynamic transducers. In order to establish the full potential of these transducers, power amplifiers which fulfill the strict requirements imposed by such loads (high impedance, frequency...... depended, nonlinear and high bias voltage for linearization) must be developed. This paper analyzes power stages and bias configurations suitable for driving an electrostatic transducer. Measurement results of a 300 V prototype amplifier are shown. Measuring THD across a high impedance source is discussed...

PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Yuan; Yao, Wenqing; Zhang, Lei

2017-09-30

Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

Initial Design and Quick Analysis of SAW Ultra–Wideband HFM Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Janeliauskas

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents techniques for initial design and quick fundamental and harmonic operation analysis of surface acoustic waves ultra–wideband hyperbolically frequency modulated (HFM interdigital transducer (IDT. The primary analysis is based on the quasi–static method. Quasi–electrostatic charge's density distribution was approximated by Chebyshev polynomials and the method of Green’s function. It assesses the non uniform charge distribution of electrodes, electric field interaction and the end effects of a whole transducer. It was found that numerical integration (e.g. Romberg, Gauss–Chebyshev requires a lot of machine time for calculation of the Chebyshev polynomial and the Green’s function convolution when integration includes coordinates of a large number of neighboring electrodes. In order to accelerate the charge density calculation, the analytic expressions are derived. Evaluation of HFM transducer fundamental and harmonics' operation amplitude response with simulation single–dispersive interdigital chirp filter structure is presented. Elapsed time of HFM IDT with 589 electrodes simulations and 2000 frequency response point is only 54 seconds (0.027 s/point on PC with CPU Intel Core I7–4770S. Amplitude response is compared with linear frequency modulated (LFM IDT response. It was determined that the HFM transducer characteristic is less distorted in comparison with LFM transducer.

Noncontact measurement of guided ultrasonic wave scattering for fatigue crack characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Fromme, P.

2013-04-01

Fatigue cracks can develop in aerospace structures at locations of stress concentration such as fasteners. For the safe operation of the aircraft fatigue cracks need to be detected before reaching a critical length. Guided ultrasonic waves offer an efficient method for the detection and characterization of fatigue cracks in large aerospace structures. Noncontact excitation of guided waves was achieved using electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT). The transducers were developed for the specific excitation of the A0 Lamb mode. Based on the induced eddy currents in the plate a simple theoretical model was developed and reasonably good agreement with the measurements was achieved. However, the detection sensitivity for fatigue cracks depends on the location and orientation of the crack relative to the measurement locations. Crack-like defects have a directionality pattern of the scattered field depending on the angle of the incident wave relative to the defect orientation and on the ratio of the characteristic defect size to wavelength. The detailed angular dependency of the guided wave field scattered at crack-like defects in plate structures has been measured using a noncontact laser interferometer. Good agreement with 3D Finite Element simulation predictions was achieved for machined part-through and through-thickness notches. The amplitude of the scattered wave was quantified for a variation of angle of the incident wave relative to the defect orientation and the defect depth. These results provide the basis for the defect characterization in aerospace structures using guided wave sensors.

Evaluation and performance enhancement of a pressure transducer under flows, waves, and a combination of flows and waves

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Joseph, A.; Desa, J.A.E.; Foden, P.; Taylor, K.; McKeown, J.; Desa, E.

plate. This enhancement is likely to have been achieved because of the isolation of the pressure inlet from the separated flows and vortices generated by the transducer housing. Flow disturbances, generated by nearby solid structures, deteriorated...

No-moving-part electro/fluidic transducer based on plasma discharge effect

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tesař, Václav; Šonský, Jiří

2015-01-01

Roč. 232, August (2015), s. 20-29 ISSN 0924-4247 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-23046S Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : transducer * fluidic * plasma discharge Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 2.201, year: 2015 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092442471500206X

High-frequency shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Branch, Darren W

2013-05-07

A Love wave sensor uses a single-phase unidirectional interdigital transducer (IDT) on a piezoelectric substrate for leaky surface acoustic wave generation. The IDT design minimizes propagation losses, bulk wave interferences, provides a highly linear phase response, and eliminates the need for impedance matching. As an example, a high frequency (.about.300-400 MHz) surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducer enables efficient excitation of shear-horizontal waves on 36.degree. Y-cut lithium tantalate (LTO) giving a highly linear phase response (2.8.degree. P-P). The sensor has the ability to detect at the pg/mm.sup.2 level and can perform multi-analyte detection in real-time. The sensor can be used for rapid autonomous detection of pathogenic microorganisms and bioagents by field deployable platforms.

Acoustic transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Drumheller, Douglas S.

2000-01-01

An active acoustic transducer tool for use down-hole applications. The tool includes a single cylindrical mandrel including a shoulder defining the boundary of a narrowed portion over which is placed a sandwich-style piezoelectric tranducer assembly. The piezoelectric transducer assembly is prestressed by being placed in a thermal interference fit between the shoulder of the mandrel and the base of an anvil which is likewise positioned over the narrower portion of the mandrel. In the preferred embodiment, assembly of the tool is accomplished using a hydraulic jack to stretch the mandrel prior to emplacement of the cylindrical sandwich-style piezoelectric transducer assembly and anvil. After those elements are positioned and secured, the stretched mandrel is allowed to return substantially to its original (pre-stretch) dimensions with the result that the piezoelectric transducer elements are compressed between the anvil and the shoulder of the mandrel.

Calibration of acoustic emission transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leschek, W.C.

1976-01-01

A method is described for calibrating an acoustic emission transducer to be used in a pre-set frequency range. The absolute reception sensitivity of a reference transducer is determined at frequencies selected within the frequency range. The reference transducer and the acoustic emission transducer are put into acoustic communication with the surface of a limited acoustic medium representing an equivalent acoustic load appreciably identical to that of the medium in which the use of the acoustic emission transducer is intended. A blank random acoustic noise is emitted in the acoustic medium in order to establish a diffuse and reverberating sound field, after which the output responses of the reference transducer and of the acoustic emission transducer are obtained with respect to the diffuse and reverberating field, for selected frequencies. The output response of the acoustic emission transducer is compared with that of the reference transducer for the selected frequencies, so as to determine the reception sensitivity of the acoustic emission transducer [fr

Optical Production and Detection of Ultrasonic Waves in Metals for Nondestructive Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, R. A.

1972-01-01

Ultrasonic waves were produced by striking the surface of a metal with the focused one-joule pulse of a Q-switched ruby laser. Rayleigh (surface) waves and longitudinal waves were detected with conventional transducers. Optical methods of detection were tested and developed. Rayleigh waves were produced with an oscillator and transducer. They were optically detected on curved polished surfaces, and on unpolished surfaces. The technique uses a knife edge to detect small angle changes of the surface as the wave pulse passes the illuminated spot. Optical flaw detection using pulse echo and attenuation is demonstrated.

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer arrays as tunable acoustic metamaterials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lani, Shane W., E-mail: shane.w.lani@gmail.com, E-mail: karim.sabra@me.gatech.edu, E-mail: levent.degertekin@me.gatech.edu; Sabra, Karim G. [George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801Ferst Drive, Georgia 30332-0405 (United States); Wasequr Rashid, M.; Hasler, Jennifer [School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Van Leer Electrical Engineering Building, 777 Atlantic Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0250 (United States); Levent Degertekin, F. [George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801Ferst Drive, Georgia 30332-0405 (United States); School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Van Leer Electrical Engineering Building, 777 Atlantic Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0250 (United States)

2014-02-03

Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs) operating in immersion support dispersive evanescent waves due to the subwavelength periodic structure of electrostatically actuated membranes in the array. Evanescent wave characteristics also depend on the membrane resonance which is modified by the externally applied bias voltage, offering a mechanism to tune the CMUT array as an acoustic metamaterial. The dispersion and tunability characteristics are examined using a computationally efficient, mutual radiation impedance based approach to model a finite-size array and realistic parameters of variation. The simulations are verified, and tunability is demonstrated by experiments on a linear CMUT array operating in 2-12 MHz range.

Investigation of focused and unfocused transducer beam patterns in moderately nonlinear absorbing media

Science.gov (United States)

Kharin, Nikolay A.

2001-05-01

The novel solution of the KZK equation for acoustic pressure of the second harmonic in slightly focused beam of a circular transducer was obtained in a closed form for moderately nonlinear absorbing media (Gol'dberg numbers ~ 1). The solution is based on the method of slowly changing wave profile in combination with the method of successive approximations. Two pairs of transducers (Valpey-Fisher Corp.) Were compared to investigate the influence of focusing on the applicability of the moderate nonlinearity approach. The first pair was of 0.25' diameter and the second was of 0.5' diameter. Both pairs has one transducer with flat surface and the other geometrically focused at 4'. The central frequency for all transducers was 5 MHz. Measurements were undertaken in the blood-mimicking solution of water and glycerine. The results demonstrated that for slightly focused transducers with circular apertures, the moderate nonlinearity approach is still valid, as it was proved for flat sources with the same source level, despite the higher pressures in the focal region. The peak pressure for the weakly focused system occurs at a shorter range than focal length.

Software for Correcting the Dynamic Error of Force Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naoki Miyashita

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Software which corrects the dynamic error of force transducers in impact force measurements using their own output signal has been developed. The software corrects the output waveform of the transducers using the output waveform itself, estimates its uncertainty and displays the results. In the experiment, the dynamic error of three transducers of the same model are evaluated using the Levitation Mass Method (LMM, in which the impact forces applied to the transducers are accurately determined as the inertial force of the moving part of the aerostatic linear bearing. The parameters for correcting the dynamic error are determined from the results of one set of impact measurements of one transducer. Then, the validity of the obtained parameters is evaluated using the results of the other sets of measurements of all the three transducers. The uncertainties in the uncorrected force and those in the corrected force are also estimated. If manufacturers determine the correction parameters for each model using the proposed method, and provide the software with the parameters corresponding to each model, then users can obtain the waveform corrected against dynamic error and its uncertainty. The present status and the future prospects of the developed software are discussed in this paper.

PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyuan Wei

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

Investigation of the Sintering Process Using Non-Contact Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James C. Foley; David K. Rehbein; Daniel J. Barnard

2001-01-01

In-situ characterizations of green state part density and sintering state have long been desired in the powder metal community. Recent advances in non-contact electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) technology have enabled in-situ monitoring of acoustic amplitude and velocity as sintering proceeds. Samples were made from elemental powders of Al (99.99%), Al (99.7%), Ag, (99.99%), Cu (99.99%) and Fe (99.9%). The powders were pressed in a uniaxial die and examined with acoustic waves for changes in velocity and amplitude during sintering for the samples containing Al, Ag, and Cu. The changes in acoustic properties were correlated with sample microstructures and mechanical properties. Evolution of a series of reverberating echoes during sintering is shown to provide information on the state of sintering, and changes in sintering kinetics as well as having the potential for detection of interior flaws

Instantaneous input electrical power measurements of HITU transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karaboece, B; Guelmez, Y; Rajagapol, S; Shaw, A

2011-01-01

HITU (High Intensity Theraupetic Ultrasound) transducers are widely used in therapeutic ultrasound in medicine. The output ultrasonic power of HITU transducer can be measured in number of methods described in IEC 61161 standard [1]. New IEC standards specifically for measurement of HITU equipment are under development. The ultrasound power radiated from a transducer is dependent on applied input electrical voltage and current and consequently power. But, up to now, no standardised method has been developed and adopted for the input electrical power measurements. Hence, a workpackage was carried out for the establishment of such method in the frequency range of 1 to 3 MHz as a part of EURAMET EMRP Era-net plus 'External Beam Cancer Therapy' project. Several current shunts were developed and evaluated. Current measurements were also realized with Philips current probe and preamplifier at NPL and Agilent current probe at UME. In this paper, a method for the measurement of instantaneous electrical power delivered to a reactive ultrasound transducer in the required frequency range is explored.

Instantaneous input electrical power measurements of HITU transducer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karaboece, B; Guelmez, Y [Tuebitak Ulusal Metroloji Enstituesue (UME), P.K. 54 41470 Gebze-Kocaeli (Turkey); Rajagapol, S; Shaw, A, E-mail: baki.karaboce@ume.tubitak.gov.t [National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW (United Kingdom)

2011-02-01

HITU (High Intensity Theraupetic Ultrasound) transducers are widely used in therapeutic ultrasound in medicine. The output ultrasonic power of HITU transducer can be measured in number of methods described in IEC 61161 standard [1]. New IEC standards specifically for measurement of HITU equipment are under development. The ultrasound power radiated from a transducer is dependent on applied input electrical voltage and current and consequently power. But, up to now, no standardised method has been developed and adopted for the input electrical power measurements. Hence, a workpackage was carried out for the establishment of such method in the frequency range of 1 to 3 MHz as a part of EURAMET EMRP Era-net plus 'External Beam Cancer Therapy' project. Several current shunts were developed and evaluated. Current measurements were also realized with Philips current probe and preamplifier at NPL and Agilent current probe at UME. In this paper, a method for the measurement of instantaneous electrical power delivered to a reactive ultrasound transducer in the required frequency range is explored.

Thermal energy harvesters with piezoelectric or electrostatic transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Prokaryn, Piotr; Domański, Krzysztof; Marchewka, Michał; Tomaszewski, Daniel; Grabiec, Piotr; Puscasu, Onoriu; Monfray, Stéphane; Skotnicki, Thomas

2014-08-01

This paper describes the idea of the energy harvester which converts thermal gradient present in environment into electricity. Two kinds of such devices are proposed and their prototypes are shown and discussed. The main parts of harvesters are bimetallic spring, piezoelectric transducer or electrostatic transducer with electret. The applied piezomembrane was commercial available product but electrets was made by authors. In the paper a fabrication procedure of electrets formed by the corona discharge process is described. Devices were compared in terms of generated power, charging current, and the voltage across a storage capacitor.

Excitation of plane Lamb wave in plate-like structures under applied surface loading

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Kai; Xu, Xinsheng; Zhao, Zhen; Yang, Zhengyan; Zhou, Zhenhuan; Wu, Zhanjun

2018-02-01

Lamb waves play an important role in structure health monitoring (SHM) systems. The excitation of Lamb waves has been discussed for a long time with absorbing results. However, little effort has been made towards the precise characterization of Lamb wave excitation by various transducer models with mathematical foundation. In this paper, the excitation of plane Lamb waves with plane strain assumption in isotropic plate structures under applied surface loading is solved with the Hamiltonian system. The response of the Lamb modes excited by applied loading is expressed analytically. The effect of applied loading is divided into the product of two parts as the effect of direction and the effect of distribution, which can be changed by selecting different types of transducer and the corresponding transducer configurations. The direction of loading determines the corresponding displacement of each mode. The effect of applied loading on the in-plane and normal directions depends on the in-plane and normal displacements at the surface respectively. The effect of the surface loading distribution on the Lamb mode amplitudes is mainly reflected by amplitude versus frequency or wavenumber. The frequencies at which the maxima and minima of the S0 or A0 mode response occur depend on the distribution of surface loading. The numerical results of simulations conducted on an infinite aluminum plate verify the theoretical prediction of not only the direction but also the distribution of applied loading. A pure S0 or A0 mode can be excited by selecting the appropriate direction and distribution at the corresponding frequency.

Ultra-wideband ladder filters using zero-th shear mode plate wave in ultrathin LiNbO3 plate with apodized interdigital transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Kadota, Michio; Tanaka, Shuji

2016-07-01

There are two kinds of plate waves propagating in a thin plate, Lamb and shear horizontal (SH) waves. The former has a velocity higher than 15,000 m/s when the plate is very thin. On the contrary, 0th SH (SH0) mode plate wave in an ultrathin LiNbO3 plate has an electro-mechanical coupling factor larger than 50%. Authors fabricated an ultra-wideband T-type ladder filter with a relative bandwidth (BW) of 41% using the SH0 mode plate wave. Although the BW of the filter fully covers the digital TV band in Japan, it does not have sufficient margin at the lower and higher end of BW. Besides, periodic small ripples due to transverse mode in pass-band of the filter were observed. In this study π-type ladder filters were fabricated by changing the pitch ratio of interdigital transducer (IDT) of parallel and series arm resonators (PR(IDT)) to control the BW, and by apodizing IDTs to improve the periodic small ripples due to transverse mode. Ultra-wideband filters without periodic small transverse mode with ultrawide bandwidth from 41 to 49% were fabricated. The BWs fully cover ultrawide digital television bands in Japan and U.S.A. These filters with an ultrawide BW and a steep characteristic show the possibility to be applied to a reported cognitive radio system and other communication systems requiring an ultrawide BW.

Investigation of transducers for large-scale cryogenic systems in Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavese, F.

1984-01-01

This chapter investigates temperature, pressure (static, absolute), strain and flowrate transducers. A modular cryostat system, which includes a superconducting solenoid, is used for measurements. The module for pressure transducers allows them to be measured one at a time. Adiabatic conditions for the functional part of the module for strain-gages are ensured by sliding thermal anchors. The equipment is driven by three computer-based systems which act separately. Magnetoresistance has been measured up to 6 T. Only foil-type strain gages were investigated. It is determined that apparent strain has a peculiar trend at liquid helium temperatures. Four types of transducers, specifically designed for low-temperature measurement of static, absolute pressure, and uncalibrated, were tested

Coalgebraising subsequential transducers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.H. Hansen (Helle); J. Adamek; C.A. Kupke (Clemens)

2008-01-01

htmlabstractSubsequential transducers generalise both classic deterministic automata and Mealy/Moore type state machines by combining (input) language recognition with transduction. In this paper we show that normalisation and taking differentials of subsequential transducers and their underlying

Coalgebraising Subsequential Transducers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hansen, H.H.

2008-01-01

Subsequential transducers generalise both classic deterministic automata and Mealy/Moore type state machines by combining (input) language recognition with transduction. In this paper we show that normalisation and taking differentials of subsequential transducers and their underlying structures can

Analysis of the geometric parameters of a solitary waves-based harvester to enhance its power output

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzo, Piervincenzo; Li, Kaiyuan

2017-07-01

We present a harvester formed by a metamaterial, an isotropic medium bonded to the metamaterial, and a wafer-type transducer glued to the medium. The harvester conveys the distributed energy of a mechanical oscillator into a focal point where this energy is converted into electricity. The metamaterial is made with an array of granular chains that host the propagation of highly nonlinear solitary waves triggered by the impact of the oscillator. At the interface between the chains and the isotropic solid, part of the acoustic energy refracts into the solid where it triggers the vibration of the solid and coalesces at a point. Here, the transducer converts the focalized stress wave and the waves generated by the reverberation with the edges into electric potential. The effects of the harvester’s geometric parameters on the amount of electrical power that can be harvested are quantified numerically. The results demonstrate that the power output of the harvester increases a few orders of magnitude when the appropriate geometric parameters are selected.

Calculation of wideband ultrasonic fields radiated by immersed transducers into solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lhemery, A.; Calmon, P.; Mephane, M.

1996-01-01

In ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT), configurations of immersion techniques where transducers radiate through non-planar interfaces are often encountered, e.g., pipe inspection where the probe can be scanned either inside or outside the pipe. When local radii of curvature are far larger that typical wave paths in the coupling fluid and into the piece, field predictions can often be made assuming a plane interface. For smaller radii, such an approximation is not valid. The model developed at the French Atomic ENergy Commission (CEA) to predict ultrasonic fields radiated by wideband transducers through liquid-interfaces (called Champ-Sons) is based on a modification of the Rayleigh integral to take account of refraction. It is derived under the geometrical optics approximation (GO) which introduces two factors: the transmission coefficient between the two media of elementary contributions from source-points to field-points and the so-called 'divergence factor' of the transmitted rays (denoted by DF), accounting for the principal radii of curvature of the retransmitted rays (denoted by DF), accounting for the principal radii of curvature of the refracted wave fronts (initially spherical in the coupling medium). (authors)

Steady bound electromagnetic eigenstate arises in a homogeneous isotropic linear metamaterial with zero-real-part-of-impedance and nonzero-imaginary-part-of-wave-vector

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiangwei; Dai, Yuyao; Yan, Lin; Zhao, Huimin

2018-04-01

In this paper, we shall demonstrate theoretically that steady bound electromagnetic eigenstate can arise in an infinite homogeneous isotropic linear metamaterial with zero-real-part-of-impedance and nonzero-imaginary-part-of-wave-vector, which is partly attributed to that, here, nonzero-imaginary-part-of-wave-vector is not involved with energy losses or gain. Altering value of real-part-of-impedance of the metamaterial, the bound electromagnetic eigenstate may become to be a progressive wave. Our work may be useful to further understand energy conversion and conservation properties of electromagnetic wave in the dispersive and absorptive medium and provides a feasible route to stop, store and release electromagnetic wave (light) conveniently by using metamaterial with near-zero-real-part-of-impedance.

Calculations for piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, H.

1986-05-01

Analysis of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers implies a solution of a boundary value problem, for a body which consists of different materials, including a piezoelectric part. The problem is dynamic at frequencies, where a typical wavelength is somewhat less than the size of the body. Radiation losses as well as internal losses may be important. Due to the complexity of the problem, a closed form solution is the exception rather than the rule. For this reason, it is necessary to use approximate methods for the analysis. Equivalent circuits, the Rayleigh-Ritz method, Mindlin plate theory and in particular the finite element method are considered. The finite element method is utilized for analysis of axisymmetric transducers. An explicit, fully piezoelectric, triangular ring element, with linear variations in displacement and electric potential is given. The influence of a fluid half-space is also given, in the form of a complex stiffness matrix. A special stacking procedure, for analysis of the backing has been developed. This procedure gives a saving, which is similar to that of the fast fourier transform algorithm, and is also wellsuited for analysis of finite and infinite waveguides. Results obtained by the finite element method are shown and compared with measurements and exact solutions. Good agreement is obtained. It is concluded that the finite element method can be a valueable tool in analysis and design of ultrasonic transducers. (author)

Finite Element Analysis of Grouting Compactness Monitoring in a Post-Tensioning Tendon Duct Using Piezoceramic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianyong Jiang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available With the development of the post-tensioning technique, prestressed concrete structures have been widely used in civil engineering. To ensure the long-term effectiveness of the prestressed tendon, the grouting quality of the tendon duct is one of the important factors. However, it is still a challenge to monitor the grouting quality of post-tensioning tendon ducts, due to the invisibility of the grouting. The authors’ previous work proposed a real-time method that employed a stress wave-based active sensing approach with piezoceramic transducers to monitor the grouting compactness of a Post-Tensioning Tendon Duct (PTTD. To further understand the piezoceramic induced stress wave propagation in the PTTD with different grouting levels, this paper develops a two-dimensional finite element model for monitoring the grouting compactness of the tendon duct with a piezoceramic transducer. A smart aggregate (SA developed to utilize one Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT transducer with marble protection is installed in the center location of the tendon duct as an actuator. Two PZT patches are bonded on the bottom and top surface of the tendon duct as the sensors. The analysis results show that the finite element analysis results are in good agreement with the experimental results, which demonstrates that the finite element analysis is feasible and reliable. For the top half of the specimen, not much stress wave could be detected before the full grouting level, except for negligible signals that may propagate through the walls of the tendon duct. When the tendon duct grouting is at 100%, the stress wave propagates to the top of the specimen, and the displacements are symmetric in both left-right and top-bottom directions before the stress waves reach the boundary. The proposed two-dimensional finite element model has the potential to be implemented to simulate the stress wave propagation principle for monitoring grouting compaction of the post-tensioning tendon

Finite Element Analysis of Grouting Compactness Monitoring in a Post-Tensioning Tendon Duct Using Piezoceramic Transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Tianyong; Zheng, Junbo; Huo, Linsheng; Song, Gangbing

2017-09-29

With the development of the post-tensioning technique, prestressed concrete structures have been widely used in civil engineering. To ensure the long-term effectiveness of the prestressed tendon, the grouting quality of the tendon duct is one of the important factors. However, it is still a challenge to monitor the grouting quality of post-tensioning tendon ducts, due to the invisibility of the grouting. The authors' previous work proposed a real-time method that employed a stress wave-based active sensing approach with piezoceramic transducers to monitor the grouting compactness of a Post-Tensioning Tendon Duct (PTTD). To further understand the piezoceramic induced stress wave propagation in the PTTD with different grouting levels, this paper develops a two-dimensional finite element model for monitoring the grouting compactness of the tendon duct with a piezoceramic transducer. A smart aggregate (SA) developed to utilize one Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) transducer with marble protection is installed in the center location of the tendon duct as an actuator. Two PZT patches are bonded on the bottom and top surface of the tendon duct as the sensors. The analysis results show that the finite element analysis results are in good agreement with the experimental results, which demonstrates that the finite element analysis is feasible and reliable. For the top half of the specimen, not much stress wave could be detected before the full grouting level, except for negligible signals that may propagate through the walls of the tendon duct. When the tendon duct grouting is at 100%, the stress wave propagates to the top of the specimen, and the displacements are symmetric in both left-right and top-bottom directions before the stress waves reach the boundary. The proposed two-dimensional finite element model has the potential to be implemented to simulate the stress wave propagation principle for monitoring grouting compaction of the post-tensioning tendon duct.

Modeling of ultrasound transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bæk, David

This Ph.D. dissertation addresses ultrasound transducer modeling for medical ultrasound imaging and combines the modeling with the ultrasound simulation program Field II. The project firstly presents two new models for spatial impulse responses (SIR)s to a rectangular elevation focused transducer...... (REFT) and to a convex rectangular elevation focused transducer (CREFT). These models are solvable on an analog time scale and give exact smooth solutions to the Rayleigh integral. The REFT model exhibits a root mean square (RMS) error relative to Field II predictions of 0.41 % at 3400 MHz, and 1.......37 % at 100MHz. The CREFT model exhibits a RMS deviation of 0.01 % relative to the exact numerical solution on a CREFT transducer. A convex non-elevation focused, a REFT, and a linear flat transducer are shown to be covered with the CREFT model as well. Pressure pulses calculated with a one...

Marble Ageing Characterization by Acoustic Waves

Science.gov (United States)

Boudani, Mohamed El; Wilkie-Chancellier, Nicolas; Martinez, Loïc; Hébert, Ronan; Rolland, Olivier; Forst, Sébastien; Vergès-Belmin, Véronique; Serfaty, Stéphane

In cultural heritage, statue marble characterization by acoustic waves is a well-known non-destructive method. Such investigations through the statues by time of flight method (TOF) point out sound speeds decrease with ageing. However for outdoor stored statues as the ones in the gardens of Chateau de Versailles, ageing affects mainly the surface of the Carrara marble. The present paper proposes an experimental study of the marble acoustic properties variations during accelerated laboratory ageing. The surface degradation of the marble is reproduced in laboratory for 29 mm thick marble samples by using heating/cooling thermal cycles on one face of a marble plate. Acoustic waves are generated by 1 MHz central frequency contact transducers excited by a voltage pulse placed on both sides of the plate. During the ageing and by using ad hoc transducers, the marble samples are characterized in transmission, along their volume by shear, compressional TOF measurements and along their surface by Rayleigh waves measurements. For Rayleigh waves, both TOF by transducers and laser vibrometry methods are used to detect the Rayleigh wave. The transmission measurements point out a deep decrease of the waves speeds in conjunction with a dramatic decrease of the maximum frequency transmitted. The marble acts as a low pass filter whose characteristic frequency cut decreases with ageing. This pattern occurs also for the Rayleigh wave surface measurements. The speed change in conjunction with the bandwidth translation is shown to be correlated to the material de-structuration during ageing. With a similar behavior but reversed in time, the same king of phenomena have been observed trough sol-gel materials during their structuration from liquid to solid state (Martinez, L. et all (2004). "Chirp-Z analysis for sol-gel transition monitoring". Ultrasonics, 42(1), 507-510.). A model is proposed to interpret the acoustical measurements

An adjustable multi-scale single beam acoustic tweezers based on ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaoyang; Lam, Kwok Ho; Chen, Ruimin; Chen, Zeyu; Yu, Ping; Chen, Zhongping; Shung, K Kirk; Zhou, Qifa

2017-11-01

This paper reports the fabrication, characterization, and microparticle manipulation capability of an adjustable multi-scale single beam acoustic tweezers (SBAT) that is capable of flexibly changing the size of "tweezers" like ordinary metal tweezers with a single-element ultrahigh frequency (UHF) ultrasonic transducer. The measured resonant frequency of the developed transducer at 526 MHz is the highest frequency of piezoelectric single crystal based ultrasonic transducers ever reported. This focused UHF ultrasonic transducer exhibits a wide bandwidth (95.5% at -10 dB) due to high attenuation of high-frequency ultrasound wave, which allows the SBAT effectively excite with a wide range of excitation frequency from 150 to 400 MHz by using the "piezoelectric actuator" model. Through controlling the excitation frequency, the wavelength of ultrasound emitted from the SBAT can be changed to selectively manipulate a single microparticle of different sizes (3-100 μm) by using only one transducer. This concept of flexibly changing "tweezers" size is firstly introduced into the study of SBAT. At the same time, it was found that this incident ultrasound wavelength play an important role in lateral trapping and manipulation for microparticle of different sizes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2637-2647. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A study on the performance of piezoelectric composite materials for designing embedded transducers for concrete assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Dumoulin, Cédric; Deraemaeker, Arnaud

2018-03-01

Ultrasonic measurements of concrete can provide crucial information about its state of health. The most common practice in the construction industry consists in using external probes which strongly limits the use of the method since large parts of the in-service structures are difficult to access. It is also possible to assess in real time the setting process of the concrete using ultrasonic measurements. In practice, the field measurement of the concrete hardening is limited by the formworks. As an alternative, some research teams have studied the possibility to directly embed the transducers into the concrete structures. The current embedded ultrasonic transducers are of two categories: bulk piezoelectric elements surrounded by several coating and matching layers and composites piezoelectric elements. Both technologies aim at optimizing the wave energy transmitted to the tested medium. The performances of the transducers of the first kind have been studied in a previous study. A fair amount of recent research has been focused on the development of novel cement-based piezoelectric composites. In this study, we first compare the effective properties of such cement-based materials with more widespread composites made with matrices of epoxy resins or polyurethane. The study only concerns the 1-3 fiber arrangement composites. The effective properties are computed using both an analytical mixing rule method and a finite element based homogenization method using representative volume elements (RVEs) which allows for considering more realistic fiber arrangements, leading yet to very similar results. The effective piezoelectric properties of cement-based composites appear to be very low compared to composites made of epoxy or polyurethane. This result is underlined by looking at the acoustic response and the electric input impedance of different piezoelectric disks where we compare performances of such transducers with a low-cost bulk piezoelectric disc element. The first

Real-time Cure Monitoring of Composites Using a Guided wave-based System with High Temperature Piezoelectric Transducers, Fiber Bragg Gratings, and Phase-shifted Fiber Bragg Gratings

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Tyler Blake

An in-process, in-situ cure monitoring technique utilizing a guided wave-based concept for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites was investigated. Two automated cure monitoring systems using guided-wave ultrasonics were developed for characterizing the state of the cure. In the first system, surface mounted high-temperature piezoelectric transducer arrays were employed for actuation and sensing. The second system motivated by the success of the first system includes a single piezoelectric disc, bonded onto the surface of the composite for excitation; fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and/or phase-shifted fiber Bragg gratings (PSFBGs) were embedded in the composite for distributed cure sensing. Composite material properties (viscosity and degree of cure) evolved during cure of the panels fabricated from HexcelRTM IM7/8552 prepreg correlated well to the amplitude, time of arrival, and group velocity of the guided wave-based measurements during the cure cycle. In addition, key phase transitions (gelation and vitrification) were clearly identified from the experimental data during the same cure cycle. The material properties and phase transitions were validated using cure process modeling software (e.g., RAVENRTM). The high-temperature piezoelectric transducer array system demonstrated the feasibility of a guided wave-based, in-process, cure monitoring and provided the framework for defect detection during cure. Ultimately, this system could provide a traceable data stream for non-compliance investigations during serial production and perform closed-loop process control to maximize composite panel quality and consistency. In addition, this system could be deployed as a "smart" caul/tool plate to existing production lines without changing the design of the aircraft/structure. With the second system, strain in low frequency (quasi-static) and the guided wavebased signals in several hundred kilohertz range were measured almost simultaneously using the same FBG or PS

Medium- and high-pressure gauges and transducers produced by laser welding technology

Science.gov (United States)

Daurelio, Giuseppe; Nenci, Fabio; Cinquepalmi, Massimo; Chita, Giuseppe

1998-07-01

Industrial manufacturers produce many types of pressure gauges and transducers according to the applications, for gas or liquid, for high-medium and low pressure ranges. Nowadays the current production technology generally prefers to weld by micro TIG source the metallic corrugated membranes to the gauge or transducer bodies for the products, operating on the low pressure or medium pressure ranges. For the other ones, operating to high pressure range, generally the two components of the transducers are both threaded only and threaded and then circularly welded by micro TIG for the other higher range, till to 1000 bar. In this work the products, operating on the approximately equals 30 divided by 200 bar, are considered. These, when assembled on industrial plants, as an outcome of a non-correct operating sequence, give a 'shifted' electrical signal. This is due to a shift of the 'zero electrical signal' that unbalances the electrical bridge - thin layer sensor - that is the sensitive part of the product. Moreover, for the same problem, often some mechanical settlings of the transducer happen during the first pressure semi-components, with an increasing of the product manufacturing costs. In light of all this, the above referred, in this work the whole transducer has been re-designed according to the specific laser welding technology requirements. On the new product no threaded parts exist but only a circular laser welding with a full penetration depth about 2.5 divided by 3 mm high. Three different alloys have been tested according to the applications and the mechanical properties requested to the transducer. By using a 1.5 KW CO2 laser system many different working parameters have been evaluated for correlating laser parameters to the penetration depths, crown wides, interaction laser-materia times, mechanical and metallurgical properties. Moreover during the laser welding process the measurements of the maximum temperature, reached by the transducer top, has been

Smart transducer with radiomodem

Science.gov (United States)

Pugach, V. N.; Voronin, E. L.

2018-04-01

Systems for measuring different parameters enabling metering and wireless data transmission are an urgent problem in the industry. One of the most promising solutions is the developments of metering instruments enabling radio-link and GSM data transmission. The article describes a transducer operating with temperature sensors of different types as well as with the sensors of other physical values with the output signal represented as current or voltage with subsequent measurement data transmission from the transducer to the computer via radio-link. The article provides transducer measurement accuracy check. The work confirmed the claimed temperature measurement accuracy, noted a stable data transmission via radio link and convenience of work with the transducer and software.

Characterization of Dielectric Electroactive Polymer transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Dennis; Møller, Martin B.; Sarban, Rahimullah

2014-01-01

This paper analysis the small-signal model of the Dielectric Electro Active Polymer (DEAP) transducer. The DEAP transducer have been proposed as an alternative to the electrodynamic transducer in sound reproduction systems. In order to understand how the DEAP transducer works, and provide...

Transverse MHD shock waves in a partly ionized plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathers, C.D.

1980-01-01

The structure of transverse MHD shock waves in a partly ionized hydrogen plasma is studied using a three-fluid model with collisional transport coefficients. The morphology of the various sublayers in the shock front is analyzed in detail and it is shown that strong shock waves have a characteristic viscous structure. Weak to moderate strength shock waves display a resistive structure in which the enhanced transverse resistivity due to ion-slip plays a significant role, leading to a pronounced peak in the ion temperature profile. Calculated shock structure profiles are also compared with experimental temperature data. Results in the form of tables and figures are presented for shock waves with fast Mach number ranging from 1-10 in hydrogen plasma with initial degree of ionization ranging from 5-100%. (author)

Monitoring of Soft Deposition Layers in Liquid-Filled Tubes with Guided Acoustic Waves Excited by Clamp-on Transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Tietze, Sabrina; Singer, Ferdinand; Lasota, Sandra; Ebert, Sandra; Landskron, Johannes; Schwuchow, Katrin; Drese, Klaus Stefan; Lindner, Gerhard

2018-02-09

The monitoring of liquid-filled tubes with respect to the formation of soft deposition layers such as biofilms on the inner walls calls for non-invasive and long-term stable sensors, which can be attached to existing pipe structures. For this task a method is developed, which uses an ultrasonic clamp-on device. This method is based on the impact of such deposition layers on the propagation of circumferential guided waves on the pipe wall. Such waves are partly converted into longitudinal compressional waves in the liquid, which are back-converted to guided waves in a circular cross section of the pipe. Validating this approach, laboratory experiments with gelatin deposition layers on steel tubes exhibited a distinguishable sensitivity of both wave branches with respect to the thickness of such layers. This allows the monitoring of the layer growth.

Contribution to the development and the modelling of an ultrasonic conformable phased array transducer for the contact inspection of 3D complex geometry components; Contribution au developpement et a la modelisation d'un traducteur ultrasonore multielements conformable pour l'inspection au contact de composants a geometrie complexe 3D

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guedes, O

2005-04-15

With the difficulties encountered for the exploration of complex shape surfaces, particularly in nuclear industry, the ultrasonic conformable phased array transducer allows a non destructive evaluation of parts with 3D complex parts. For this, one can use the Smart Contact Transducer principle to generate an ultrasonic field by adaptive dynamic focalisation, with a matrix array composed of independent elements moulded in a soft resin. This work deals with the electro-acoustic conception, with the realization of such a prototype and with the study of it's mechanical and acoustic behaviour. The array design is defined using a radiation model adapted to the simulation of contact sources on a free surface. Once one have defined the shape of the radiating elements, a vibratory analysis using finite elements method allows the determination of the emitting structure with 1-3 piezocomposite, witch leads to the realization of emitting-receiving elements. With the measurement of the field transmitted by such elements, we deduced new hypothesis to change the model of radiation. Thus one can take into account normal and tangential stresses calculated with finite element modelling at the interface between the element and the propagation medium, to use it with the semi-analytical model. Some vibratory phenomena dealing with fluid coupling of contact transducers have been studied, and the prediction of the transverse wave radiation profile have been improved. The last part of this work deals with the realization of the first prototype of the conformable phased array transducer. For this a deformation measuring system have been developed, to determine the position of each element on real time with the displacement of the transducer on complex shape surfaces. With those positions, one can perform the calculation of the a delay law intended for the adaptive dynamic focusing of the desired ultrasonic field. The conformable phased array transducer have been characterized in

DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR DIGITAL TRANSDUCERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hyde, James L.

1963-09-15

A pressure transducer based on mechanical modulation of a beam of alpha particles is described. This type of transducer is capable of direct digital pressure measurexnent with corresponding telemetry advantages. Any variable that is sensed through a mechanical displacement is measurable by means of a corresponding member of this transducer family. Preliminary tests of an experimental pressure transducer show an overall accuracy within a few tenths of one percent, with promise of substantial improvement. General characteristics of nuclear digital transducers include exceptional long-term calibration stability and accuracy, independent of ambient environmental effects. Three concepts of systems enipioying these transducers are discussed. (auth)

Progress towards developing neutron tolerant magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhardt, Brian; Tittmann, Bernhard; Rempe, Joy; Daw, Joshua; Kohse, Gordon; Carpenter, David; Ames, Michael; Ostrovsky, Yakov; Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Montgomery, Robert; Chien, Hualte; Wernsman, Bernard

2015-03-01

Current generation light water reactors (LWRs), sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs), small modular reactors (SMRs), and next generation nuclear plants (NGNPs) produce harsh environments in and near the reactor core that can severely tax material performance and limit component operational life. To address this issue, several Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) research programs are evaluating the long duration irradiation performance of fuel and structural materials used in existing and new reactors. In order to maximize the amount of information obtained from Material Testing Reactor (MTR) irradiations, DOE is also funding development of enhanced instrumentation that will be able to obtain in-situ, real-time data on key material characteristics and properties, with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. Such data are required to validate new multi-scale, multi-physics modeling tools under development as part of a science-based, engineering driven approach to reactor development. It is not feasible to obtain high resolution/microscale data with the current state of instrumentation technology. However, ultrasound-based sensors offer the ability to obtain such data if it is demonstrated that these sensors and their associated transducers are resistant to high neutron flux, high gamma radiation, and high temperature. To address this need, the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR-NSUF) is funding an irradiation, led by PSU, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor to test the survivability of ultrasound transducers. As part of this effort, PSU and collaborators have designed, fabricated, and provided piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are optimized to perform in harsh, high flux, environments. Four piezoelectric transducers were fabricated with either aluminum nitride, zinc oxide, or bismuth titanate as the active element that were coupled to either Kovar or aluminum waveguides and two

Progress towards developing neutron tolerant magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reinhardt, Brian; Tittmann, Bernhard [The Pennsylvania State University (United States); Rempe, Joy; Daw, Joshua [Idaho National Laboratory (United States); Kohse, Gordon; Carpenter, David; Ames, Michael; Ostrovsky, Yakov [Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States); Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Montgomery, Robert [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (United States); Chien, Hualte [Argonne National Laboratory (United States); Wernsman, Bernard [Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp (United States)

2015-03-31

Current generation light water reactors (LWRs), sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs), small modular reactors (SMRs), and next generation nuclear plants (NGNPs) produce harsh environments in and near the reactor core that can severely tax material performance and limit component operational life. To address this issue, several Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) research programs are evaluating the long duration irradiation performance of fuel and structural materials used in existing and new reactors. In order to maximize the amount of information obtained from Material Testing Reactor (MTR) irradiations, DOE is also funding development of enhanced instrumentation that will be able to obtain in-situ, real-time data on key material characteristics and properties, with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. Such data are required to validate new multi-scale, multi-physics modeling tools under development as part of a science-based, engineering driven approach to reactor development. It is not feasible to obtain high resolution/microscale data with the current state of instrumentation technology. However, ultrasound-based sensors offer the ability to obtain such data if it is demonstrated that these sensors and their associated transducers are resistant to high neutron flux, high gamma radiation, and high temperature. To address this need, the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR-NSUF) is funding an irradiation, led by PSU, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor to test the survivability of ultrasound transducers. As part of this effort, PSU and collaborators have designed, fabricated, and provided piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are optimized to perform in harsh, high flux, environments. Four piezoelectric transducers were fabricated with either aluminum nitride, zinc oxide, or bismuth titanate as the active element that were coupled to either Kovar or aluminum waveguides and two

Crossflow force transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulcahy, T.M.

1982-05-01

A force transducer for measuring lift and drag coefficients for a circular cylinder in turbulent water flow is presented. In addition to describing the actual design and construction of the strain-gauged force- ring based transducer, requirements for obtained valid fluid force test data are discussed, and pertinent flow test experience is related

Contribution to the development and the modelling of an ultrasonic conformable phased array transducer for the contact inspection of 3D complex geometry components; Contribution au developpement et a la modelisation d'un traducteur ultrasonore multielements conformable pour l'inspection au contact de composants a geometrie complexe 3D

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guedes, O

2005-04-15

With the difficulties encountered for the exploration of complex shape surfaces, particularly in nuclear industry, the ultrasonic conformable phased array transducer allows a non destructive evaluation of parts with 3D complex parts. For this, one can use the Smart Contact Transducer principle to generate an ultrasonic field by adaptive dynamic focalisation, with a matrix array composed of independent elements moulded in a soft resin. This work deals with the electro-acoustic conception, with the realization of such a prototype and with the study of it's mechanical and acoustic behaviour. The array design is defined using a radiation model adapted to the simulation of contact sources on a free surface. Once one have defined the shape of the radiating elements, a vibratory analysis using finite elements method allows the determination of the emitting structure with 1-3 piezocomposite, witch leads to the realization of emitting-receiving elements. With the measurement of the field transmitted by such elements, we deduced new hypothesis to change the model of radiation. Thus one can take into account normal and tangential stresses calculated with finite element modelling at the interface between the element and the propagation medium, to use it with the semi-analytical model. Some vibratory phenomena dealing with fluid coupling of contact transducers have been studied, and the prediction of the transverse wave radiation profile have been improved. The last part of this work deals with the realization of the first prototype of the conformable phased array transducer. For this a deformation measuring system have been developed, to determine the position of each element on real time with the displacement of the transducer on complex shape surfaces. With those positions, one can perform the calculation of the a delay law intended for the adaptive dynamic focusing of the desired ultrasonic field. The conformable phased array transducer have been characterized in

Creaming enhancement in a liter scale ultrasonic reactor at selected transducer configurations and frequencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Juliano, Pablo; Temmel, Sandra; Rout, Manoj; Swiergon, Piotr; Mawson, Raymond; Knoerzer, Kai

2013-01-01

Recent research has shown that high frequency ultrasound (0.4-3 MHz), can enhance milkfat separation in small scale systems able to treat only a few milliliters of sample. In this work, the effect of ultrasonic standing waves on milkfat creaming was studied in a 6L reactor and the influence of different frequencies and transducer configurations in direct contact with the fluid was investigated. A recombined coarse milk emulsion with fat globules stained with oil-red-O dye was selected for the separation trials. Runs were performed with one or two transducers placed in vertical (parallel or perpendicular) and horizontal positions (at the reactor base) at 0.4, 1 and/or 2 MHz (specific energy 8.5 ± 0.6 kJ/kg per transducer). Creaming behavior was assessed by measuring the thickness of the separated cream layer. Other methods supporting this assessment included the measurement of fat content, backscattering, particle size distribution, and microscopy of samples taken at the bottom and top of the reactor. Most efficient creaming was found after treatment at 0.4 MHz in single and double vertical transducer configurations. Among these configurations, a higher separation rate was obtained when sonicating at 0.4 MHz in a vertical perpendicular double transducer setup. The horizontal transducer configuration promoted creaming at 2 MHz only. Fat globule size increase was observed when creaming occurred. This research highlights the potential for enhanced separation of milkfat in larger scale systems from selected transducer configurations in contact with a dairy emulsion, or emulsion splitting in general. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High temperature ultrasonic transducers for imaging and measurements in a liquid Pb/Bi eutectic alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazys, Rymantas; Voleisis, Algirdas; Sliteris, Reimondas; Mazeika, Liudas; Van Nieuwenhove, Rudi; Kupschus, Peter; Abderrahim, Hamid Aït

2005-04-01

In some nuclear reactors or accelerator-driven systems (ADS) the core is intended to be cooled by means of a heavy liquid metal, for example, lead-bismuth (Pb/Bi) eutectic alloy. For safety and licensing reasons, an imaging method of the interior of ADS, based on application of ultrasonic waves, has thus to be developed. This paper is devoted to description of developed various ultrasonic transducers suitable for long term imaging and measurements in the liquid Pb/Bi alloy. The results of comparative experimental investigations of the developed transducers of different designs in a liquid Pb/Bi alloy up to 450 degrees C are presented. Prototypes with different high temperature piezoelectric materials were investigated: PZT, bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12), lithium niobate (LiNbO3), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) and aluminum nitride (A1N). For acoustic coupling with the metal alloy, it was proposed to coat the active surface of the transducers by diamond like carbon (DLC). The radiation robustness was assessed by exposing the transducers to high gamma dose rates in one of the irradiation facilities at SCK x CEN. The experimental results proved that the developed transducers are suitable for long-term operation in harsh conditions.

Air-Coupled Low Frequency Ultrasonic Transducers and Arrays with PMN-32%PT Piezoelectric Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rymantas J. Kazys

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Air-coupled ultrasonic techniques are being increasingly used for material characterization, non-destructive evaluation of composite materials using guided waves as well as for distance measurements. Application of those techniques is mainly limited by the big losses of ultrasonic signals due to attenuation and mismatch of the acoustic impedances of ultrasonic transducers and air. One of the ways to solve this problem is by application of novel more efficient piezoelectric materials like lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT type crystals. The objective of this research was the development and investigation of low frequency (<50 kHz wide band air-coupled ultrasonic transducers and arrays with an improved performance using PMN-32%PT crystals. Results of finite element modelling and experimental investigations of the developed transducers and arrays are presented. For improvement of the performance strip-like matching elements made of low acoustic impedance, materials such as polystyrene foams were applied. It allowed to achieve transduction losses for one single element transducer −11.4 dB, what is better than of commercially available air-coupled ultrasonic transducers. Theoretical and experimental investigations of the acoustic fields radiated by the eight element ultrasonic array demonstrated not only a good performance of the array in a pulse mode, but also very good possibilities to electronically focus and steer the ultrasonic beam in space.

Multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann modeling of the acoustic field generated by focused transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Feng; Guo, Xiasheng; Tu, Juan; Cheng, Jianchun; Zhang, Dong

The high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has become an attractive therapeutic tool for the noninvasive tumor treatment. The ultrasonic transducer is the key component in HIFU treatment to generate the HIFU energy. The dimension of focal region generated by the transducer is closely relevant to the safety of HIFU treatment. Therefore, it is essential to numerically investigate the focal region of the transducer. Although the conventional acoustic wave equations have been used successfully to describe the acoustic field, there still exist some inherent drawbacks. In this work, we presented an axisymmetric isothermal multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM) model with the Bouzidi-Firdaouss-Lallemand (BFL) boundary condition in cylindrical coordinate system. With this model, some preliminary simulations were firstly conducted to determine a reasonable value of the relaxation parameter. Then, the validity of the model was examined by comparing the results obtained with the LBM results with the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation and the Spheroidal beam equation (SBE) for the focused transducers with different aperture angles, respectively. In addition, the influences of the aperture angle on the focal region were investigated. The proposed model in this work will provide significant references for the parameter optimization of the focused transducer for applications in the HIFU treatment or other fields, and provide new insights into the conventional acoustic numerical simulations.

A Pseudo-3D Model for Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wuliang Yin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Previous methods for modelling Rayleigh waves produced by a meander-line-coil electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT consisted mostly of two-dimensional (2D simulations that focussed on the vertical plane of the material. This paper presents a pseudo-three-dimensional (3D model that extends the simulation space to both vertical and horizontal planes. For the vertical plane, we combines analytical and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD methods to model Rayleigh waves’ propagation within an aluminium plate and their scattering behaviours by cracks. For the horizontal surface plane, we employ an analytical method to investigate the radiation pattern of Rayleigh waves at various depths. The experimental results suggest that the models and the modelling techniques are valid.

Reducing mechanical cross-coupling in phased array transducers using stop band material as backing

Science.gov (United States)

Henneberg, J.; Gerlach, A.; Storck, H.; Cebulla, H.; Marburg, S.

2018-06-01

Phased array transducers are widely used for acoustic imaging and surround sensing applications. A major design challenge is the achievement of low mechanical cross-coupling between the single transducer elements. Cross-coupling induces a loss of imaging resolution. In this work, the mechanical cross-coupling between acoustic transducers is investigated for a generic model. The model contains a common backing with two bending elements bonded on top. The dimensions of the backing are small; thus, wave reflections on the backing edges have to be considered. This is different to other researches. The operating frequency in the generic model is set to a low kHz range. Low operating frequencies are typical for surround sensing applications. The influence of the backing on cross-coupling is investigated numerically. In order to reduce mechanical cross-coupling a stop band material is designed. It is shown numerically that a reduction in mechanical cross-coupling can be achieved by using stop band material as backing. The effect is validated with experimental testing.

Teaching ocean wave forecasting using computer-generated visualization and animation—Part 1: sea forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Whitford, Dennis J.

2002-05-01

Ocean waves are the most recognized phenomena in oceanography. Unfortunately, undergraduate study of ocean wave dynamics and forecasting involves mathematics and physics and therefore can pose difficulties with some students because of the subject's interrelated dependence on time and space. Verbal descriptions and two-dimensional illustrations are often insufficient for student comprehension. Computer-generated visualization and animation offer a visually intuitive and pedagogically sound medium to present geoscience, yet there are very few oceanographic examples. A two-part article series is offered to explain ocean wave forecasting using computer-generated visualization and animation. This paper, Part 1, addresses forecasting of sea wave conditions and serves as the basis for the more difficult topic of swell wave forecasting addressed in Part 2. Computer-aided visualization and animation, accompanied by oral explanation, are a welcome pedagogical supplement to more traditional methods of instruction. In this article, several MATLAB ® software programs have been written to visualize and animate development and comparison of wave spectra, wave interference, and forecasting of sea conditions. These programs also set the stage for the more advanced and difficult animation topics in Part 2. The programs are user-friendly, interactive, easy to modify, and developed as instructional tools. By using these software programs, teachers can enhance their instruction of these topics with colorful visualizations and animation without requiring an extensive background in computer programming.

A differential optical interferometer for measuring short pulses of surface acoustic waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Anurupa; Teyssieux, Damien; Laude, Vincent

2017-09-01

The measurement of the displacements caused by the propagation of a short pulse of surface acoustic waves on a solid substrate is investigated. A stabilized time-domain differential interferometer is proposed, with the surface acoustic wave (SAW) sample placed outside the interferometer. Experiments are conducted with surface acoustic waves excited by a chirped interdigital transducer on a piezoelectric lithium niobate substrate having an operational bandwidth covering the 200-400MHz frequency range and producing 10-ns pulses with 36nm maximum out-of-plane displacement. The interferometric response is compared with a direct electrical measurement obtained with a receiving wide bandwidth interdigital transducer and good correspondence is observed. The effects of varying the path difference of the interferometer and the measurement position on the surface are discussed. Pulse compression along the chirped interdigital transducer is observed experimentally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Piezo inkjet printer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2006-01-01

An inkjet printer containing a substantially closed ink duct and a transducer used to generate a pressure wave in the duct, wherein the transducer comprises a first part and, separate from the first part, a second part whereby, by actuation of the transducer, the first part manifests a first

Control of the ultrasonic beam transmitted through an irregular profile using a smart flexible transducer: modelling an application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roy, O.; Mahaut, S.; Casula, O. [CEA Fontenay aux Roses, DRT/LIST/DECS/STA/LMUS, 92 (France)

2001-07-01

In most of industries as aeronautics, aerospace and nuclear, the main part of the ultrasonic testing is carried out directly in touch with the inspected component. Among others, the cooling piping of French pressurized water reactor comprises many welding components with complex geometry: elbows, butt welds, nozzles. In service inspections of such components performed with conventional ultrasonic contact transducers present limited performances. Variations in sensitivity are produced by unmatched contact on irregular surface, which results in poor detection performances. In addition, the beam orientation transmitted through complex interfaces cannot be totally controlled, because of the disorientations suffered by the transducer during its displacement. As a result, a possible defect cannot be correctly detected, positioned and characterized. At last, the geometry of some components limits the displacement of the transducer, resulting in an uncovered scan area. To overcome these difficulties and to improve the performances of such inspections, the CEA, supported by the safety authorities (IPSN), has developed a new concept of phased array. Recent studies have been made to obtain further performances improvements of this system, including instrumentation development and a new phased array design. Inspections have been performed on a specimen containing artificial defects under a realistic profile, with an adaptive mode to compensate the effect of the irregular profile. Experimental results, displayed using specific imaging, show the ability of this system to detect and characterize defects under irregular profiles, using longitudinal or shear waves in a fully mastered beam. (authors)

High frequency measurement of P- and S-wave velocities on crystalline rock massif surface - methodology of measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Vilhelm, Jan; Slavík, Lubomír

2014-05-01

For the purpose of non-destructive monitoring of rock properties in the underground excavation it is possible to perform repeated high-accuracy P- and S-wave velocity measurements. This contribution deals with preliminary results gained during the preparation of micro-seismic long-term monitoring system. The field velocity measurements were made by pulse-transmission technique directly on the rock outcrop (granite) in Bedrichov gallery (northern Bohemia). The gallery at the experimental site was excavated using TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) and it is used for drinking water supply, which is conveyed in a pipe. The stable measuring system and its automatic operation lead to the use of piezoceramic transducers both as a seismic source and as a receiver. The length of measuring base at gallery wall was from 0.5 to 3 meters. Different transducer coupling possibilities were tested namely with regard of repeatability of velocity determination. The arrangement of measuring system on the surface of the rock massif causes better sensitivity of S-transducers for P-wave measurement compared with the P-transducers. Similarly P-transducers were found more suitable for S-wave velocity determination then P-transducers. The frequency dependent attenuation of fresh rock massif results in limited frequency content of registered seismic signals. It was found that at the distance between the seismic source and receiver from 0.5 m the frequency components above 40 kHz are significantly attenuated. Therefore for the excitation of seismic wave 100 kHz transducers are most suitable. The limited frequency range should be also taken into account for the shape of electric impulse used for exciting of piezoceramic transducer. The spike pulse generates broad-band seismic signal, short in the time domain. However its energy after low-pass filtration in the rock is significantly lower than the energy of seismic signal generated by square wave pulse. Acknowledgments: This work was partially

Micromachined Integrated Transducers for Ultrasound Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

la Cour, Mette Funding

The purpose of this project is to develop capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) for medical imaging. Medical ultrasound transducers used today are fabricated using piezoelectric materials and bulk processing. To fabricate transducers capable of delivering a higher imaging...

Laser Generated Leaky Acoustic Waves for Needle Visualization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kai-Wen; Wang, Yi-An; Li, Pai-Chi

2018-04-01

Ultrasound (US)-guided needle operation is usually used to visualize both tissue and needle position such as tissue biopsy and localized drug delivery. However, the transducer-needle orientation is limited due to reflection of the acoustic waves. We proposed a leaky acoustic wave method to visualize the needle position and orientation. Laser pulses are emitted on top of the needle to generate acoustic waves; then, these acoustic waves propagate along the needle surface. Leaky wave signals are detected by the US array transducer. The needle position can be calculated by phase velocities of two different wave modes and their corresponding emission angles. In our experiments, a series of needles was inserted into a tissue mimicking phantom and porcine tissue to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. The results show that the detection depth is up to 51 mm and the insertion angle is up to 40° with needles of different diameters. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach outperforms the conventional B-mode US-guided needle operation in terms of the detection range while achieving similar accuracy. The proposed method reveals the potentials for further clinical applications.

Programming macro tree transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahr, Patrick; Day, Laurence E.

2013-01-01

transducers can be concisely represented in Haskell, and demonstrate the benefits of utilising such an approach with a number of examples. In particular, tree transducers afford a modular programming style as they can be easily composed and manipulated. Our Haskell representation generalises the original...

A Direct Driver for Electrostatic Transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

2014-01-01

Electrostatic transducers represent a very interesting alternative to the traditional inefficient electrodynamic transducers. In order to establish the full potential of these transducers, power amplifiers which fulfill the strict requirements imposed by such loads (high impedance, frequency...... depended, nonlinear and high bias voltage for linearization) must be developed. This paper analyzes a power stage suitable for driving an electrostatic transducer under biasing. Measurement results of a ±400 V prototype amplifier are shown. THD below 1% is reported....

Vibration transducer calibration techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkley, D. J.

1980-09-01

Techniques for the calibration of vibration transducers used in the Aeronautical Quality Assurance Directorate of the British Ministry of Defence are presented. Following a review of the types of measurements necessary in the calibration of vibration transducers, the performance requirements of vibration transducers, which can be used to measure acceleration, velocity or vibration amplitude, are discussed, with particular attention given to the piezoelectric accelerometer. Techniques for the accurate measurement of sinusoidal vibration amplitude in reference-grade transducers are then considered, including the use of a position sensitive photocell and the use of a Michelson laser interferometer. Means of comparing the output of working-grade accelerometers with that of previously calibrated reference-grade devices are then outlined, with attention given to a method employing a capacitance bridge technique and a method to be used at temperatures between -50 and 200 C. Automatic calibration procedures developed to speed up the calibration process are outlined, and future possible extensions of system software are indicated.

NMR signal transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kucheryaev, A.G.; Oliferchuk, N.L.

1975-01-01

A signal transducer of nuclear magnetic resonance for simultaneously measuring frequency and intensitivity of two various isotope signals, which are in one specimen is described. The transducer represents radiofrequency circuit with two resonance frequences, which is common for two autodyne generators. To decrease measuring time and to increase recording diagram stability the radiofrequency circuit has LC netork, in the inductivity of which investigated specimen is located; a circuit variable capacity is connected in parallel with one of the autodyne generators. Besides the radiofrequency circuit has an inductance coil in series with a standard specimen inside as well as a variable capacitor connected in parallel with the second autodyne generator. An amplitude of oscillation of each resonance frequency is controlled and adjusted separately. The transducer described can be used for the measurement of a nuclei concentration, isotope concentration and for the spin determination

Traveling-wave piezoelectric linear motor part II: experiment and performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ting, Yung; Li, Chun-Chung; Chen, Liang-Chiang; Yang, Chieh-Min

2007-04-01

This article continues the discussion of a traveling-wave piezoelectric linear motor. Part I of this article dealt with the design and analysis of the stator of a traveling-wave piezoelectric linear motor. In this part, the discussion focuses on the structure and modeling of the contact layer and the carriage. In addition, the performance analysis and evaluation of the linear motor also are dealt with in this study. The traveling wave is created by stator, which is constructed by a series of bimorph actuators arranged in a line and connected to form a meander-line structure. Analytical and experimental results of the performance are presented and shown to be almost in agreement. Power losses due to friction and transmission are studied and found to be significant. Compared with other types of linear motors, the motor in this study is capable of supporting heavier loads and provides a larger thrust force.

Transducers and arrays for underwater sound

CERN Document Server

Butler, John L

2016-01-01

This improved and updated second edition covers the theory, development, and design of electro-acoustic transducers for underwater applications. This highly regarded text discusses the basics of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are currently being used as well as promising new designs. It presents the basic acoustics as well as the specific acoustics data needed in transducer design and evaluation. A broad range of designs of projectors and hydrophones are described in detail along with methods of modeling, evaluation, and measurement. Analysis of projector and hydrophone transducer arrays, including the effects of mutual radiation impedance and numerical models for elements and arrays, are also covered. The book includes new advances in transducer design and transducer materials and has been completely reorganized to be suitable for use as a textbook, as well as a reference or handbook. The new edition contains updates to the first edition, end-of-chapter exercises, and solutions to select...

Application of heat-resistant non invasive acoustic transducers for coolant control in the NPP pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melnikov, V.; Nigmatulin, B.

1997-01-01

The use of ultrasonic waves enables remote testing of the coolant flow, detection of solid and gaseous occlusions and measuring of the water velocity and level. Analysis of the acoustic noise makes it possible to detect coolant leaks and diagnose the state and operation of the rotating mechanisms and bearings. Results are given of the research in the development of highly reliable waveguide-type non-invasive acoustic transducers with a long service life. Examples are given of the use of transducers in various fields of nuclear technology: detection of gas in coolant, indication of the coolant level, control of pipe filling and drainage, measurement of liquid film velocity at the pipe inner surface. (M.D.)

The Bloch wave operator: generalizations and applications: Part I. The time-independent case

CERN Document Server

Killingbeck, J P

2003-01-01

This is part 1 of a two-part review on wave operator theory and methods. The basic theory of the time-independent wave operator is presented in terms of partitioned matrix theory for the benefit of general readers, with a discussion of the links between the matrix and projection operator approaches. The matrix approach is shown to lead to simple derivations of the wave operators and effective Hamiltonians of Loewdin, Bloch, Des Cloizeaux and Kato as well as to some associated variational forms. The principal approach used throughout stresses the solution of the nonlinear equation for the reduced wave operator, leading to the construction of the effective Hamiltonians of Bloch and of Des Cloizeaux. Several mathematical techniques which are useful in implementing this approach are explained, some of them being relatively little known in the area of wave operator calculations. The theoretical discussion is accompanied by several specimen numerical calculations which apply the described techniques to a selection ...

An enzyme logic bioprotonic transducer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyake, Takeo; Keene, Scott; Deng, Yingxin; Rolandi, Marco, E-mail: rolandi@uw.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2120 (United States); Josberger, Erik E. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2120 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2500 (United States)

2015-01-01

Translating ionic currents into measureable electronic signals is essential for the integration of bioelectronic devices with biological systems. We demonstrate the use of a Pd/PdH{sub x} electrode as a bioprotonic transducer that connects H{sup +} currents in solution into an electronic signal. This transducer exploits the reversible formation of PdH{sub x} in solution according to PdH↔Pd + H{sup +} + e{sup −}, and the dependence of this formation on solution pH and applied potential. We integrate the protonic transducer with glucose dehydrogenase as an enzymatic AND gate for glucose and NAD{sup +}. PdH{sub x} formation and associated electronic current monitors the output drop in pH, thus transducing a biological function into a measurable electronic output.

Modal content based damage indicators and phased array transducers for structural health monitoring of aircraft structures using ultrasonic guided waves

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Baiyang

Composite materials, especially carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP), have been widely used in the aircraft industry because of their high specific strength and stiffness, resistance to corrosion and good fatigue life. Due to their highly anisotropic material properties and laminated structures, joining methods like bolting and riveting are no longer appropriate for joining CFRP since they initiate defects during the assembly and severely compromise the integrity of the structure; thus new techniques for joining CFRP are highly demanded. Adhesive bonding is a promising method because it relieves stress concentration, reduces weight and provides smooth surfaces. Additionally, it is a low-cost alternative to the co-cured method which is currently used to manufacture components of aircraft fuselage. Adhesive defects, disbonds at the interface between adherend and adhesive layer, are focused on in this thesis because they can be initialized by either poor surface preparation during the manufacturing or fatigue loads during service. Aircraft need structural health monitoring (SHM) systems to increase safety and reduce loss, and adhesive bonds usually represent the hotspots of the assembled structure. There are many nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for bond inspection. However, these methods cannot be readily integrated into an SHM system because of the bulk size and weight of the equipment and requirement of accessibility to one side of the bonded joint. The first objective of this work is to develop instruments, actuators, sensors and a data acquisition system for SHM of bond lines using ultrasonic guided waves which are well known to be able to cover large volume of the structure and inaccessible regions. Different from widely used guided wave sensors like PZT disks, the new actuators, piezoelectric fiber composite (PFC) phased array transducers0 (PAT), can control the modal content of the excited waves and the new sensors, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF

Guided ultrasonic wave beam skew in silicon wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Pizzolato, Marco; Masserey, Bernard; Robyr, Jean-Luc; Fromme, Paul

2018-04-01

In the photovoltaic industry, monocrystalline silicon wafers are employed for solar cells with high conversion efficiency. Micro-cracks induced by the cutting process in the thin wafers can lead to brittle wafer fracture. Guided ultrasonic waves would offer an efficient methodology for the in-process non-destructive testing of wafers to assess micro-crack density. The material anisotropy of the monocrystalline silicon leads to variations of the guided wave characteristics, depending on the propagation direction relative to the crystal orientation. Selective guided ultrasonic wave excitation was achieved using a contact piezoelectric transducer with custom-made wedges for the A0 and S0 Lamb wave modes and a transducer holder to achieve controlled contact pressure and orientation. The out-of-plane component of the guided wave propagation was measured using a non-contact laser interferometer. The phase slowness (velocity) of the two fundamental Lamb wave modes was measured experimentally for varying propagation directions relative to the crystal orientation and found to match theoretical predictions. Significant wave beam skew was observed experimentally, especially for the S0 mode, and investigated from 3D finite element simulations. Good agreement was found with the theoretical predictions based on nominal material properties of the silicon wafer. The important contribution of guided wave beam skewing effects for the non-destructive testing of silicon wafers was demonstrated.

Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers for 3-D Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann

of state-of-the-art 3-D ultrasound systems. The focus is on row-column addressed transducer arrays. This previously sparsely investigated addressing scheme offers a highly reduced number of transducer elements, resulting in reduced transducer manufacturing costs and data processing. To produce...... such transducer arrays, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) technology is chosen for this project. Properties such as high bandwidth and high design flexibility makes this an attractive transducer technology, which is under continuous development in the research community. A theoretical...... treatment of CMUTs is presented, including investigations of the anisotropic plate behaviour and modal radiation patterns of such devices. Several new CMUT fabrication approaches are developed and investigated in terms of oxide quality and surface protrusions, culminating in a simple four-mask process...

In Situ Guided Wave Structural Health Monitoring System

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, George; Tittmann, Bernhard R.

2011-01-01

Aircraft engine rotating equipment operates at high temperatures and stresses. Noninvasive inspection of microcracks in those components poses a challenge for nondestructive evaluation. A low-cost, low-profile, high-temperature ultrasonic guided wave sensor was developed that detects cracks in situ. The transducer design provides nondestructive evaluation of structures and materials. A key feature of the sensor is that it withstands high temperatures and excites strong surface wave energy to inspect surface and subsurface cracks. The sol-gel bismuth titanate-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor can generate efficient SAWs for crack inspection. The sensor is very thin (submillimeter) and can generate surface waves up to 540 C. Finite element analysis of the SAW transducer design was performed to predict the sensor behavior, and experimental studies confirmed the results. The sensor can be implemented on structures of various shapes. With a spray-coating process, the sensor can be applied to the surface of large curvatures. It has minimal effect on airflow or rotating equipment imbalance, and provides good sensitivity.

Parameter sensitivity study of a Field II multilayer transducer model on a convex transducer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bæk, David; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Willatzen, Morten

2009-01-01

A multilayer transducer model for predicting a transducer impulse response has in earlier works been developed and combined with the Field II software. This development was tested on current, voltage, and intensity measurements on piezoceramics discs (Bæk et al. IUS 2008) and a convex 128 element...... ultrasound imaging transducer (Bæk et al. ICU 2009). The model benefits from its 1D simplicity and hasshown to give an amplitude error around 1.7‐2 dB. However, any prediction of amplitude, phase, and attenuation of pulses relies on the accuracy of manufacturer supplied material characteristics, which may...... is a quantitative calibrated model for a complete ultrasound system. This includes a sensitivity study aspresented here.Statement of Contribution/MethodsThe study alters 35 different model parameters which describe a 128 element convex transducer from BK Medical Aps. The changes are within ±20 % of the values...

Using Portable Transducers to Measure Tremor Severity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodger Elble

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Portable motion transducers, suitable for measuring tremor, are now available at a reasonable cost. The use of these transducers requires knowledge of their limitations and data analysis. The purpose of this review is to provide a practical overview and example software for using portable motion transducers in the quantification of tremor. Methods: Medline was searched via PubMed.gov in December 2015 using the Boolean expression “tremor AND (accelerometer OR accelerometry OR gyroscope OR inertial measurement unit OR digitizing tablet OR transducer.” Abstracts of 419 papers dating back to 1964 were reviewed for relevant portable transducers and methods of tremor analysis, and 105 papers written in English were reviewed in detail. Results: Accelerometers, gyroscopes, and digitizing tablets are used most commonly, but few are sold for the purpose of measuring tremor. Consequently, most software for tremor analysis is developed by the user. Wearable transducers are capable of recording tremor continuously, in the absence of a clinician. Tremor amplitude, frequency, and occurrence (percentage of time with tremor can be computed. Tremor amplitude and occurrence correlate strongly with clinical ratings of tremor severity. Discussion: Transducers provide measurements of tremor amplitude that are objective, precise, and valid, but the precision and accuracy of transducers are mitigated by natural variability in tremor amplitude. This variability is so great that the minimum detectable change in amplitude, exceeding random variability, is comparable for scales and transducers. Research is needed to determine the feasibility of detecting smaller change using averaged data from continuous long-term recordings with wearable transducers.

Microhydraulic transducer technology for actuation and power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Hagood, Nesbitt W.; Roberts, David C.; Saggere, Laxminarayana; Breuer, Kenneth S.; Chen, Kuo-Shen; Carretero, Jorge A.; Li, Hanqing; Mlcak, Richard; Pulitzer, Seward W.; Schmidt, Martin A.; Spearing, S. Mark; Su, Yu-Hsuan

2000-06-01

The paper introduces a novel transducer technology, called the solid-state micro-hydraulic transducer, currently under development at MIT. The new technology is enabled through integration of micromachining technology, piezoelectrics, and microhydraulic concepts. These micro-hydraulic transducers are capable of bi-directional electromechanical energy conversion, i.e., they can operate as both an actuator that supplies high mechanical force in response to electrical input and an energy generator that transduces electrical energy from mechanical energy in the environment. These transducers are capable of transducing energy at very high specific power output in the order of 1 kW/kg, and thus, they have the potential to enable many novel applications. The concept, the design, and the potential applications of the transducers are presented. Present efforts towards the development of these transducers, and the challenges involved therein, are also discussed.

Time domain simulation of piezoelectric excitation of guided waves in rails using waveguide finite elements

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Loveday, PW

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Piezoelectric transducers are commonly used to excite waves in elastic waveguides such as pipes, rock bolts and rails. While it is possible to simulate the operation of these transducers attached to the waveguide, in the time domain, using...

Charge pumping in InAs nanowires by surface acoustic waves

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roddaro, Stefano; Strambini, Elia; Romeo, Lorenzo; Piazza, Vincenzo; Nilsson, Kristian; Samuelson, Lars; Beltram, Fabio

2010-01-01

We investigate the interaction between surface acoustic waves on a piezoelectric LiNbO3 substrate and charge carriers in InAs nanowire transistors. Interdigital transducers are used to excite electromechanical waves on the chip surface and their influence on the transport in the nanowire devices is

A ring transducer system for medical ultrasound research.

Science.gov (United States)

Waag, Robert C; Fedewa, Russell J

2006-10-01

An ultrasonic ring transducer system has been developed for experimental studies of scattering and imaging. The transducer consists of 2048 rectangular elements with a 2.5-MHz center frequency, a 67% -6 dB bandwidth, and a 0.23-mm pitch arranged in a 150-mm-diameter ring with a 25-mm elevation. At the center frequency, the element size is 0.30lambda x 42lambda and the pitch is 0.38lambda. The system has 128 parallel transmit channels, 16 parallel receive channels, a 2048:128 transmit multiplexer, a 2048:16 receive multiplexer, independently programmable transmit waveforms with 8-bit resolution, and receive amplifiers with time variable gain independently programmable over a 40-dB range. Receive signals are sampled at 20 MHz with 12-bit resolution. Arbitrary transmit and receive apertures can be synthesized. Calibration software minimizes system nonidealities caused by noncircularity of the ring and element-to-element response differences. Application software enables the system to be used by specification of high-level parameters in control files from which low-level hardware-dependent parameters are derived by specialized code. Use of the system is illustrated by producing focused and steered beams, synthesizing a spatially limited plane wave, measuring angular scattering, and forming b-scan images.

Capacitive pressure transducer using flexible films. Junan film wo mochiita seiden yoryoshiki atsukaku transducer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, Y.; Tsuchida, N.; Imai, K. (Toyota Technological Institute, Aichi (Japan)); Fujita, K. (Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka (Japan)): Tsuboi, O. (Fujitsu Corp., Tokyo (Japan))

1992-12-20

This paper describes the design, manufacture, and evaluation of a capacitive pressure transducer made of polyimide films. The structure of a pressure transducer cell was first determined, and then, the deflection-stress and capacitance-load characteristics of the surface film were analyzed using finite element methods. For the practical stage of manufacture, a polyimide film was emboss processed and electrodes were deposited on the film to construct a pressure transducer cell to which a Schmidt-trigger detecting circuit was connected. As a consequence of the examination of operational characteristics of the cell, it was found that the actual relation between the deflection and load approximately agreed with the linear analyses, and that the capacitance depended with little hysteresis on the gap regardless of the native visco-elasticity of the film. Furthermore, small stick-slip vibration of a contact rubber surface was detected by the transducer to verify its high sensitivity. 17 refs., 18 figs.

Online monitoring of cracking in concrete structures using embedded piezoelectric transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumoulin, C; Karaiskos, G; Deraemaeker, A; Sener, J-Y

2014-01-01

Online damage detection is of great interest in the field of concrete structures and, more generally, within the construction industry. Current economic requirements impose the reduction of the operating costs related to such inspection while the security and the reliability of structures must constantly be improved. In this paper, nondestructive testing is applied using piezoelectric transducers embedded in concrete structures. These transducers are especially adapted for online ultrasonic monitoring, due to their low cost, small size, and broad frequency band. These recent transducers are called smart aggregates. The technique of health monitoring developed in this study is based on a ultrasonic pulse velocity test with an embedded ultrasonic emitter-receiver pair (pitch-catch). The damage indicator focuses on the early wave arrival. The Belgian company MS3 takes an interest in evaluating the quality of the concrete around the anchorage system of highway security barriers after important shocks. The failure mechanism can be viewed as a combination of a bending and the failure of the anchorages. Accordingly, the monitoring technique has been applied both on a three-points bending test and several pull-out tests. The results indicate a very high sensitivity of the method, which is able to detect the crack initiation phase and follow the crack propagation over the entire duration of the test. (paper)

Development of an intravascular ultrasound elastography based on a dual-element transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Cho-Chiang; Chen, Pei-Yu; Ma, Teng; Zhou, Qifa; Shung, K. Kirk; Huang, Chih-Chung

2018-04-01

The ability to measure the elastic properties of plaques and vessels would be useful in clinical diagnoses, particularly for detecting a vulnerable plaque. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the combination of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and acoustic radiation force elasticity imaging for detecting the distribution of stiffness within atherosclerotic arteries ex vivo. A dual-frequency IVUS transducer with two elements was used to induce the propagation of the shear wave (by the 8.5 MHz pushing element) which could be simultaneously monitored by the 31 MHz imaging element. The wave-amplitude image and the wave-velocity image were reconstructed by measuring the peak displacement and wave velocity of shear wave propagation, respectively. System performance was verified using gelatin phantoms. The phantom results demonstrate that the stiffness differences of shear modulus of 1.6 kPa can be distinguished through the wave-amplitude and wave-velocity images. The stiffness distributions of the atherosclerotic aorta from a rabbit were obtained, for which the values of peak displacement and the shear wave velocity were 3.7 ± 1.2 µm and 0.38 ± 0.19 m s-1 for the lipid-rich plaques, and 1.0 ± 0.2 µm and 3.45 ± 0.45 m s-1 for the arterial walls, respectively. These results indicate that IVUS elasticity imaging can be used to distinguish the elastic properties of plaques and vessels.

Long-Range Piping Inspection by Ultrasonic Guided Waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, Young Sang; Lim, Sa Hoe; Eom, Heung Seop; Kim, Jae Hee

2005-01-01

The ultrasonic guided waves are very promising for the long-range inspection of large structures because they can propagate a long distance along the structures such as plates, shells and pipes. The guided wave inspection could be utilized for an on-line monitoring technique when the transmitting and receiving transducers are positioned at a remote point on the structure. The received signal has the information about the integrity of the monitoring area between the transmitting and receiving transducers. On-line monitoring of a pipe line using an ultrasonic guided wave can detect flaws such as corrosion, erosion and fatigue cracking at an early stage and collect useful information on the flaws. However the guided wave inspection is complicated by the dispersive characteristics for guided waves. The phase and group velocities are a function of the frequency-thickness product. Therefore, the different frequency components of the guided waves will travel at different speeds and the shape of the received signal will changed as it propagates along the pipe. In this study, we analyze the propagation characteristics of guided wave modes in a small diameter pipe of nuclear power plant and select the suitable mode for a long-range inspection. And experiments will be carried out for the practical application of a long-range inspection in a 26m long pipe by using a high-power ultrasonic inspection system

Turbulence closure: turbulence, waves and the wave-turbulence transition – Part 1: Vanishing mean shear

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Z. Baumert

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper extends a turbulence closure-like model for stably stratified flows into a new dynamic domain in which turbulence is generated by internal gravity waves rather than mean shear. The model turbulent kinetic energy (TKE, K balance, its first equation, incorporates a term for the energy transfer from internal waves to turbulence. This energy source is in addition to the traditional shear production. The second variable of the new two-equation model is the turbulent enstrophy (Ω. Compared to the traditional shear-only case, the Ω-equation is modified to account for the effect of the waves on the turbulence time and space scales. This modification is based on the assumption of a non-zero constant flux Richardson number in the limit of vanishing mean shear when turbulence is produced exclusively by internal waves. This paper is part 1 of a continuing theoretical development. It accounts for mean shear- and internal wave-driven mixing only in the two limits of mean shear and no waves and waves but no mean shear, respectively.

The new model reproduces the wave-turbulence transition analyzed by D'Asaro and Lien (2000b. At small energy density E of the internal wave field, the turbulent dissipation rate (ε scales like ε~E². This is what is observed in the deep sea. With increasing E, after the wave-turbulence transition has been passed, the scaling changes to ε~E¹. This is observed, for example, in the highly energetic tidal flow near a sill in Knight Inlet. The new model further exhibits a turbulent length scale proportional to the Ozmidov scale, as observed in the ocean, and predicts the ratio between the turbulent Thorpe and Ozmidov length scales well within the range observed in the ocean.

Coherent structures in wave boundary layers. Part 2. Solitary motion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sumer, B. Mutlu; Jensen, Palle Martin; Sørensen, Lone B.

2010-01-01

This study continues the investigation of wave boundary layers reported by Carstensen, Sumer & Fredsøe (J. Fluid Mech., 2010, part 1 of this paper). The present paper summarizes the results of an experimental investigation of turbulent solitary wave boundary layers, simulated by solitary motion...... the boundary-layer flow experiences a regular array of vortex tubes near the bed over a short period of time during the deceleration stage; and (iii) transitional regime characterized with turbulent spots, revealed by single/multiple, or, sometimes, quite dense spikes in the bed shear stress traces...

Acousto-optic modulation of a photonic crystal nanocavity with Lamb waves in microwave K band

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tadesse, Semere A. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States); School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States); Li, Huan; Liu, Qiyu; Li, Mo, E-mail: moli@umn.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States)

2015-11-16

Integrating nanoscale electromechanical transducers and nanophotonic devices potentially can enable acousto-optic devices to reach unprecedented high frequencies and modulation efficiency. Here, we demonstrate acousto-optic modulation of a photonic crystal nanocavity using Lamb waves with frequency up to 19 GHz, reaching the microwave K band. The devices are fabricated in suspended aluminum nitride membrane. Excitation of acoustic waves is achieved with interdigital transducers with period as small as 300 nm. Confining both acoustic wave and optical wave within the thickness of the membrane leads to improved acousto-optic modulation efficiency in these devices than that obtained in previous surface acoustic wave devices. Our system demonstrates a scalable optomechanical platform where strong acousto-optic coupling between cavity-confined photons and high frequency traveling phonons can be explored.

Wave propagation numerical models in damage detection based on the time domain spectral element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostachowicz, W; Kudela, P

2010-01-01

A Spectral Element Method is used for wave propagation modelling. A 3D solid spectral element is derived with shape functions based on Lagrange interpolation and Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre points. This approach is applied for displacement approximation suited for fundamental modes of Lamb waves as well as potential distribution in piezoelectric transducers. The novelty is the model geometry extension from flat to curved elements for application in shell-like structures. Exemplary visualisations of waves excited by the piezoelectric transducers in curved shell structure made of aluminium alloy are presented. Simple signal analysis of wave interaction with crack is performed. The crack is modelled by separation of appropriate nodes between elements. An investigation of influence of the crack length on wave propagation signals is performed. Additionally, some aspects of the spectral element method implementation are discussed.

Lateral acoustic wave resonator comprising a suspended membrane of low damping resonator material

Science.gov (United States)

Olsson, Roy H.; El-Kady; , Ihab F.; Ziaei-Moayyed, Maryam; Branch; , Darren W.; Su; Mehmet F.,; Reinke; Charles M.,

2013-09-03

A very high-Q, low insertion loss resonator can be achieved by storing many overtone cycles of a lateral acoustic wave (i.e., Lamb wave) in a lithographically defined suspended membrane comprising a low damping resonator material, such as silicon carbide. The high-Q resonator can sets up a Fabry-Perot cavity in a low-damping resonator material using high-reflectivity acoustic end mirrors, which can comprise phononic crystals. The lateral overtone acoustic wave resonator can be electrically transduced by piezoelectric couplers. The resonator Q can be increased without increasing the impedance or insertion loss by storing many cycles or wavelengths in the high-Q resonator material, with much lower damping than the piezoelectric transducer material.

Calculation of pressure fields from arbitrarily shaped, apodized, and excited ultrasound transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Svendsen, Niels Bruun

1992-01-01

A method for simulation of pulsed pressure fields from arbitrarily shaped, apodized and excited ultrasound transducers is suggested. It relies on the Tupholme-Stepanishen method for calculating pulsed pressure fields, and can also handle the continuous wave and pulse-echo case. The field...... is calculated by dividing the surface into small rectangles and then Summing their response. A fast calculation is obtained by using the far-field approximation. Examples of the accuracy of the approach and actual calculation times are given...

Coaxial Transducer

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ruffa, Anthony A

2008-01-01

The invention as disclosed is of a coaxial transducer that uses lead zirconate titanate ceramic or other suitable material as an isolator between the conductors in a coaxial cable to transmit acoustic...

Measurement of vehicle-load using capacitance and acceleration transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, S; Yang, W; Yang, Y

2007-01-01

Over-loading is a common problem in some developing countries. Currently, large and fixed measurement systems are used to measure the load of vehicles travelling on highways. This paper presents an on-vehicle measuring device, which is based on measurement of change in capacitance due to variation in distance between electrodes mounted on vehicles. The on-vehicle leaf springs are used as a key part of the weighing transducer. Acceleration transducers are used to measure the vehicle's forward and the vertical accelerations. A feature of this on-vehicle measuring device is that it can provide both static and dynamic load measurements. The drivers can check the load in the cab, and the highway inspectors can check the load at any time and any place through radio communication, thus identifying over-loaded vehicles

Experimental Observation of Cumulative Second-Harmonic Generation of Circumferential Guided Wave Propagation in a Circular Tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Ming-Xi; Gao Guang-Jian; Li Ming-Liang

2015-01-01

The experimental observation of cumulative second-harmonic generation of the primary circumferential guided wave propagation is reported. A pair of wedge transducers is used to generate the primary circumferential guided wave desired and to detect its fundamental-frequency and second-harmonic amplitudes on the outside surface of the circular tube. The amplitudes of the fundamental waves and the second harmonics of the circumferential guided wave propagation are measured for different separations between the two wedge transducers. At the driving frequency where the primary and the double-frequency circumferential guided waves have the same linear phase velocities, the clear second-harmonic signals can be observed. The quantitative relationships between the second-harmonic amplitudes and circumferential angle are analyzed. It is experimentally verified that the second harmonics of primary circumferential guided waves do have a cumulative growth effect with the circumferential angle. (paper)

Structural model of standard ultrasonic transducer array developed for FEM analysis of mechanical crosstalk.

Science.gov (United States)

Celmer, M; Opieliński, K J; Dopierała, M

2018-02-01

One of the reasons of distortions in ultrasonic imaging are crosstalk effects. They can be divided into groups according to the way of their formation. One of them is constituted by mechanical crosstalk, which is propagated by a construction of a multi-element array of piezoelectric transducers. When an individual transducer is excited, mechanical vibrations are transferred to adjacent construction components, thereby stimulating neighboring transducers to an undesired operation. In order to explore ways of the propagation of such vibrations, the authors developed the FEM model of the array of piezoelectric transducers designed for calculations in COMSOL Multiphysics software. Simulations of activating individual transducers and calculated electrical voltages appearing on transducers unstimulated intentionally, were performed in the time domain in order to assess the propagation velocity of different vibration modes through the construction elements. On this basis, conclusions were drawn in terms of the participation of various construction parts of the array of piezoelectric transducers in the process of creating the mechanical crosstalk. The elaborated FEM model allowed also to examine the ways aimed at reducing the transmission of mechanical crosstalk vibrations through the components of the array. Studies showed that correct cuts in the fasteners and the front layer improve the reduction of the mechanical crosstalk effect. The model can become a helpful tool in the process of design and modifications of manufactured ultrasonic arrays particularly in terms of mechanical crosstalk reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Guided Wave Sensing In a Carbon Steel Pipe Using a Laser Vibrometer System

Science.gov (United States)

Ruíz Toledo, Abelardo; Salazar Soler, Jordi; Chávez Domínguez, Juan Antonio; García Hernández, Miguel Jesús; Turó Peroy, Antoni

2010-05-01

Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques have achieved a great development during the last decades as a valuable tool for material characterization, manufacturing control and structural integrity tests. Among these tools, the guided wave technology has been rapidly extended because it reduces inspection time and costs compared to the ordinary point by point testing in large structures, as well as because of the possibility of inspecting under insulation and coating conditions. This fast development has motivated the creation of several inspection and material characterization systems including different technologies which can be combined with this technique. Different measurements systems based on laser techniques have been presented in order to inspect pipes, plates and diverse structures. Many of them are experimental systems of high cost and complexity which combine the employment of a laser for generation of waves in the structure and an interferometer for detection. Some of them employ air-coupled ultrasound generation transducers, with high losses in air and which demand high energy for exciting waves in materials of high stiffness. The combined employment of a commercial vibrometer system for Lamb wave sensing in plates has been successfully shown in the literature. In this paper we present a measurement system based on the combined employment of a piezoelectric wedge transducer and a laser vibrometer to sense guided acoustic waves in carbon steel pipes. The measurement system here presented is mainly compounded of an angular wedge transducer, employed to generate the guided wave and a commercial laser vibrometer used in the detection process. The wedge transducer is excited by means of a signal function generator whose output signal has been amplified with a power signal amplifier. A high precision positioning system is employed to place the laser beam at different points through the pipe surface. The signal detected by the laser vibrometer system is

The Dynamic Performance of Flexural Ultrasonic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Feeney

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Flexural ultrasonic transducers are principally used as proximity sensors and for industrial metrology. Their operation relies on a piezoelectric ceramic to generate a flexing of a metallic membrane, which delivers the ultrasound signal. The performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers has been largely limited to excitation through a short voltage burst signal at a designated mechanical resonance frequency. However, a steady-state amplitude response is not generated instantaneously in a flexural ultrasonic transducer from a drive excitation signal, and differences in the drive characteristics between transmitting and receiving transducers can affect the measured response. This research investigates the dynamic performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers using acoustic microphone measurements and laser Doppler vibrometry, supported by a detailed mechanical analog model, in a process which has not before been applied to the flexural ultrasonic transducer. These techniques are employed to gain insights into the physics of their vibration behaviour, vital for the optimisation of industrial ultrasound systems.

Development of a bi-directional standing wave linear piezoelectric actuator with four driving feet.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yingxiang; Shi, Shengjun; Li, Chunhong; Chen, Weishan; Wang, Liang; Liu, Junkao

2018-03-01

A bi-directional standing wave linear piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator with four driving feet is proposed in this work. Two sandwich type transducers operated in longitudinal-bending hybrid modes are set parallelly. The working mode of the transducer is not simple hybrid vibrations of a longitudinal one and a bending one, but a special coupling vibration mode contained both longitudinal and bending components. Two transducers with the same structure and unsymmetrical boundary conditions are set parallelly to accomplish the bi-directional driving: the first transducer can push the runner forward, while the other one produces the backward driving. In the experiments, two voltages with different amplitudes are applied on the two transducers, respectively: the one with higher voltage serves as the actuator, whereas the other one applied with lower voltage is used to reduce the frictional force. The prototype achieves maximum no-load speed and thrust force of 244 mm/s and 9.8 N. This work gives a new idea for the construction of standing wave piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator with bi-directional driving ability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fatigue disbonding analysis of wide composite panels by means of Lamb waves

Science.gov (United States)

Michalcová, Lenka; Rechcígel, Lukáš; Bělský, Petr; Kucharský, Pavel

2018-03-01

Guided wave-based monitoring of composite structures plays an important role in the area of structural health monitoring (SHM) of aerospace structures. Adhesively bonded joints have not yet fulfilled current airworthiness requirements; hence, assemblies of carbon fibre-reinforced parts still require mechanical fasteners, and a verified SHM method with reliable disbonding/delamination detection and propagation assessment is needed. This study investigated the disbonding/delamination propagation in adhesively bonded panels using Lamb waves during fatigue tests. Analyses focused on the proper frequency and mode selection, sensor placement and selection of parameter sensitive to the growth of disbonding areas. Piezoelectric transducers placed across the bonded area were used as actuators and sensors. Lamb wave propagation was investigated considering the actual shape of the crack front and the mode of the crack propagation. The actual cracked area was determined by ultrasonic A-scans. A correlation between the crack propagation rate and the A0 mode velocity was found.

The Schenberg gravitational wave detector: status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguiar, O.D.; Barroso, J.J; Bessada, D.F.A.; Carvalho, N.C; Castro, P.J.; Montana, C.E. Cedeno; Costa, C.F. da Silva; Araujo, J.C.N de; Evangelista, E.F.D.; Furtado, S.R; Miranda, O.D.; Moraes, P.H.R.S.; Pereira, Eduardo S.; Silveira, P.R.; Stellati, C.; Weber, J.

2011-01-01

Full text: The quest for gravitational wave detection has been one of the toughest technological challenges ever faced by experimental physicists and engineers. Despite all difficulties, after four decades of research, the community involved in this area is continuously growing. One of the main reasons for this is because the first gravitational wave detection and the regular observation of gravitational waves are among the most important scientific goals for the beginning of this millennium. They will test one of the foundations of physics, Einstein's theory of general relativity, and will open a new window for the observation of the universe, which certainly will cause a revolution in our knowledge of physics and astrophysics. In this talk we present the status report of the Brazilian Schenberg gravitational wave detector, which started commissioning runs in September 2006 under the full support of FAPESP. We have been upgrading the detector since 2008, installing a dilution refrigerator, a new complete set of transducers, and a new suspension and vibration isolation system for the cabling and microstrip antennas, in order to restart operation with a higher sensitivity. We also have been studying an innovative approach, which could transform Schenberg into a broadband gravitational wave detector by the use of an ultra-high sensitivity non-resonant nanogap transducer, constructed by the application of recent achievements of nanotechnology. A spherical antenna, such as Schenberg or Mini-Grail, could add to this quality the advantage of wave position and polarity determination. (author)

Simulation study of a chaotic cavity transducer based virtual phased array used for focusing in the bulk of a solid material.

Science.gov (United States)

Delrue, Steven; Van Den Abeele, Koen; Bou Matar, Olivier

2016-04-01

In acoustic and ultrasonic non-destructive testing techniques, it is sometimes beneficial to concentrate sound energy at a chosen location in space and at a specific instance in time, for example to improve the signal-to-noise ratio or activate the nonlinearity of damage features. Time Reversal (TR) techniques, taking advantage of the reversible character of the wave equation, are particularly suited to focus ultrasonic waves in time and space. The characteristics of the energy focusing in solid media using principles of time reversed acoustics are highly influenced by the nature and dimensions of the medium, the number of transducers and the length of the received signals. Usually, a large number of transducers enclosing the domain of interest is needed to improve the quality of the focusing. However, in the case of highly reverberant media, the number of transducers can be reduced to only one (single-channel TR). For focusing in a non-reverberant medium, which is impossible when using only one source, an adaptation of the single-channel reciprocal TR procedure has been recently suggested by means of a Chaotic Cavity Transducer (CCT), a single element transducer glued on a cavity of chaotic shape. In this paper, a CCT is used to focus elastic energy, at different times, in different points along a predefined line on the upper surface of a thick solid sample. Doing so, all focusing points can act as a virtual phased array transducer, allowing to focus in any point along the depth direction of the sample. This is impossible using conventional reciprocal TR, as you need to have access to all points in the bulk of the material for detecting signals to be used in the TR process. To asses and provide a better understanding of this concept, a numerical study has been developed, allowing to verify the basic concepts of the virtual phased array and to illustrate multi-component time reversal focusing in the bulk of a solid material. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All

A Baseline-Free Defect Imaging Technique in Plates Using Time Reversal of Lamb Waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Hyunjo; Cho, Sungjong; Wei, Wei

2011-01-01

We present an analytical investigation for a baseline-free imaging of a defect in plate-like structures using the time-reversal of Lamb waves. We first consider the flexural wave (A 0 mode) propagation in a plate containing a defect, and reception and time reversal process of the output signal at the receiver. The received output signal is then composed of two parts: a directly propagated wave and a scattered wave from the defect. The time reversal of these waves recovers the original input signal, and produces two additional sidebands that contain the time-of-flight information on the defect location. One of the side-band signals is then extracted as a pure defect signal. A defect localization image is then constructed from a beamforming technique based on the time-frequency analysis of the side band signal for each transducer pair in a network of sensors. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme enables the accurate, baseline-free imaging of a defect. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

Waves in plasmas (part 1 - wave-plasma interaction general background)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumont, R.

2004-01-01

This document gathers a series of transparencies presented in the framework of the week-long lectures 'hot plasmas 2004' and dedicated to the physics of wave-plasma interaction. The structure of this document is as follows: 1) wave and diverse plasmas, 2) basic equations (Maxwell equations), 3) waves in a fluid plasma, and 4) waves in a kinetic plasma (collisionless plasma)

Linear Array Ultrasonic Transducers: Sensitivity and Resolution Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramb, V.A.

2005-01-01

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) under contract by the US Air Force has designed and integrated a fully automated inspection system for the inspection of turbine engines that incorporates linear phased array ultrasonic transducers. Phased array transducers have been successfully implemented into weld and turbine blade root inspections where the defect types are well known and characterized. Embedded defects in aerospace turbine engine components are less well defined, however. In order to determine the applicability of linear arrays to aerospace inspections the sensitivity of array transducers to embedded defects in engine materials must be characterized. In addition, the implementation of array transducers into legacy inspection procedures must take into account any differences in sensitivity between the array transducer and that of the single element transducer currently used. This paper discusses preliminary results in a study that compares the sensitivity of linear array and conventional single element transducers to synthetic hard alpha defects in a titanium alloy

Application of Underwater Shock Wave Focusing to the Development of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Science.gov (United States)

Takayama, Kazuyoshi

1993-05-01

This paper describes a summary of a research project for the development of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), which has been carried out, under close collaboration between the Shock Wave Research Center of Tohoku University and the School of Medicine, Tohoku University. The ESWL is a noninvasive clinical treatment of disintegrating human calculi and one of the most peaceful applications of shock waves. Underwater spherical shock waves were generated by explosion of microexplosives. Characteristics of the underwater shock waves and of ultrasound focusing were studied by means of holographic interferometric flow visualization and polyvinyliden-difluoride (PVDF) pressure transducers. These focused pressures, when applied to clinical treatments, could effectively and noninvasively disintegrate urinary tract stones or gallbladder stones. However, despite clincal success, tissue damage occurs during ESWL treatments, and the possible mechanism of tissue damage is briefly described.

Simulation and Measurements of Small Arms Blast Wave Overpressure in the Process of Designing a Silencer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hristov Nebojša

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Simulation and measurements of muzzle blast overpressure and its physical manifestations are studied in this paper. The use of a silencer can have a great influence on the overpressure intensity. A silencer is regarded as an acoustic transducer and a waveguide. Wave equations for an acoustic dotted source of directed effect are used for physical interpretation of overpressure as an acoustic phenomenon. Decomposition approach has proven to be suitable to describe the formation of the output wave of the wave transducer. Electroacoustic analogies are used for simulations. A measurement chain was used to compare the simulation results with the experimental ones.

Development of inter digital transducers to the control structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takpara, R.; Fall, D.; Duquennoy, M.; Ouaftouh, M.; Courtois, C.; Rguiti, M.; Gonon, M.; Maurye, N.; Martic, G.; Lardot, V.; Seronveaux, L.; Halleux, J.; Pelegris, C.; Guessasma, M.

2015-01-01

This work deals with the realization of interdigital transducers (IDT) in order to characterize the quality of coatings and surfaces of structures. The challenge of this study is three fold. Firstly, the aim is to have efficient sensors to generate surface acoustic wave (SAW) since these wave sare well suited for this type of characterization. The second objective ofthis study is to provide flexible sensors so that they can adapt to different shapes of structures. Finally, relatively inexpensive technologies are favored for the development of these sensors because this allows continuous monitoring (structural health monitoring) by incorporating these sensors permanently on the structures to be tested. To meet these goals, several French and Belgian laboratories have gathered around the PRISTIFLEX project INTERREG IV. After a presentation of the manufacturing process and the characteristics of the piezo electric material developed in this study, we discussed modeling which helped to define the dimensional parameters of the piezo electric plate that composes the sensor. Then, the techniques for producing the electrodes (laserablation and inkjet printing) were presented and an example of performed electrode was provided. Finally, the effectiveness of these sensors from the measurement of the displacement caused by the surface wave excited by these IDT sensors were demonstrated. (author)

A novel traveling wave piezoelectric actuated tracked mobile robot utilizing friction effect

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liang; Shu, Chengyou; Jin, Jiamei; Zhang, Jianhui

2017-03-01

A novel traveling wave piezoelectric-actuated tracked mobile robot with potential application to robotic rovers was proposed and investigated in this study. The proposed tracked mobile robot is composed of a parallelogram-frame-structure piezoelectric transducer with four rings and a metal track. Utilizing the converse piezoelectric and friction effects, traveling waves were propagated in the rings and then the metal track was actuated by the piezoelectric transducer. Compared with traditional tracked mechanisms, the proposed tracked mobile robot has a simpler and more compact structure without lubricant, which eliminates the problem of lubricant volatilization and deflation, thus, it could be operated in the vacuum environment. Dynamic characteristics were simulated and measured to reveal the mechanism of actuating track of the piezoelectric transducer. Experimental investigations of the traveling wave piezoelectric-actuated tracked mobile robot were then carried out, and the results indicated that the robot prototype with a pair of exciting voltages of 460 Vpp is able to achieve a maximum velocity of 57 mm s-1 moving on the foam plate and possesses the obstacle crossing capability with a maximum height of 27 mm. The proposed tracked mobile robot exhibits potential to be the driving system of robotic rovers.

Development of Flexible Capacitive Ultrasound Transducers and the Use of Ultrasound for Bone Repair

Science.gov (United States)

Wentzell, Scott A.

Ultrasound is a widely applicable technique for therapy in the biomedical arena. However, conventional ultrasound transducers are not conducive for non-planar surfaces. Therefore, we developed flexible transducers capable of performing ultrasound and evaluated their use in biomedical applications. Flexible capacitive ultrasound transducers based on micrometer-thick dielectric tapes were developed and fabricated. These transducers were able to be made by hand at low-cost while still demonstrating good tolerances in center operating frequency. Intensities of up to 120 mW/cm2 were recorded and operation was dependent upon the applied AC and DC voltages along with the thickness of the dielectric insulation. These capacitive ultrasound transducers were used to stimulate MC3T3-E1 murine osteoblast cells to investigate the effects of low-frequency ultrasound on osteogenic gene expression and anabolic signaling pathways. After stimulation by 94.5 kHz continuous wave ultrasound for 20 minutes, significant increases in the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway and concentration of intracellular calcium were observed. Daily stimulation by ultrasound showed a trend of increased osteogenic gene expression across the phases of matrix deposition, maturation and calcification by osteoblasts. Finally, the heating of osteoblasts for stimulating osteoclastogenic responses was investigated. The application of increased temperatures of 42 and 47 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes showed significant increases in the RANKL/OPG ratio in media conditioned by osteoblasts. However, the altered RANKL/OPG ratio was not able to generate increases in osteoclastogenesis for RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells culture in the condition media. This was possibly due to high overall osteoprotegerin expression, or unwanted inducement of M1 and M2 macrophage activation in the cell population. The overall work of this thesis demonstrates the development of novel capacitive transducers. These conformable

Investigation of bulk acoustic microwaves excited by an interdigital transducer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reshotka O. G.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Excitation of bulk and surface acoustic waves with the interdigital transducer (IDT, which is deposited on the surface of piezoelectric crystal, is widely used in the development of devices in acoustoelectronics and in the design of the microwave acousto-optic deflectors. Excitation of bulk acoustic waves by IDT in the devices on surface acoustic waves leads to the appearance of spurious signals. At the same time excitation of bulk acoustic waves with IDT from the surface of lithium niobate crystals allows creating high frequency acousto-optic deflectors, which makes possible to significantly simplify the technology of their production. Therefore, significant attention is paid to the task of excitation and distribution of bulk acoustic waves with IDT including recent times by the method of simulation of their excitation and distribution. The obtained theoretical results require experimental verification. This paper documents the visualization of acoustic beams excited with IDT from the XY-surface of lithium niobate crystals. The Bragg cells with LiNbO3 crystals coated with IDT with a different period of electrodes were manufactured for the experimental research of excitation and distribution of bulk acoustic waves. Visualization results have shown that the acoustic waves excited with IDT distribute in both the Fresnel zone and the Fraunhofer zone. The length of these zones is caused by individual elementary emitters of which consists the IDT (by their size. At the same time the far zone for IDT is located at distances much greater than the actual size of the LiNbO3 crystals. This peculiarity is not always taken into account when calculating diffraction. The achieved results can be used to design high-frequency acousto-optic devices, as well as in the development of devices based on surface acoustic waves.

A Solitary Wave-Based Sensor to Monitor the Setting of Fresh Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piervincenzo Rizzo

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We present a proof-of-principle study about the use of a sensor for the nondestructive monitoring of strength development in hydrating concrete. The nondestructive evaluation technique is based on the propagation of highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs, which are non-dispersive mechanical waves that can form and travel in highly nonlinear systems, such as one-dimensional particle chains. A built-in transducer is adopted to excite and detect the HNSWs. The waves are partially reflected at the transducer/concrete interface and partially transmitted into the concrete. The time-of-flight and the amplitude of the waves reflected at the interface are measured and analyzed with respect to the hydration time, and correlated to the initial and final set times established by the penetration test (ASTM C 403. The results show that certain features of the HNSWs change as the concrete curing progresses indicating that it has the potential of being an efficient, cost-effective tool for monitoring strengths/stiffness development.

Grain size measurements by ultrasonic Rayleigh surface waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palanichamy, P.; Jayakumar, T.

1996-01-01

The use of Rayleigh surface waves to determine average grain size nondestructively in an austenitic stainless steel AISI type 316 stainless is discussed. Two commercial type 4MHz frequency surface wave transducers, one as transmitter and the other as receiver were employed for the measurement of surface wave amplitudes. Relative amplitudes of the Rayleigh surface waves were correlated with the metallographically obtained grain sizes. Results indicate that surface/sub-surface average grain sizes of AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel can be estimated with a confidence level of more than 80% in the grain size range 30-170 μm. (author)

Determination of acoustic impedances of multi matching layers for narrowband ultrasonic airborne transducers at frequencies <2.5 MHz - Application of a genetic algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Saffar, Saber; Abdullah, Amir

2012-01-01

The effective ultrasonic energy radiation into the air of piezoelectric transducers requires using multilayer matching systems with accurately selected acoustic impedances and the thickness of particular layers. One major problem of ultrasonic transducers, radiating acoustic energy into air, is to find the proper acoustic impedances of one or more matching layers. This work aims at developing an original solution to the acoustic impedance mismatch between transducer and air. If the acoustic impedance defences between transducer and air be more, then finding best matching layer(s) is harder. Therefore we consider PZT (lead zirconate titanate piezo electric) transducer and air that has huge acoustic impedance deference. The vibration source energy (PZT), which is used to generate the incident wave, consumes a part of the mechanical energy and converts it to an electrical one in theoretical calculation. After calculating matching layers, we consider the energy source as layer to design a transducer. However, this part of the mechanical energy will be neglected during the mathematical work. This approximation is correct only if the transducer is open-circuit. Since the possibilities of choosing material with required acoustic impedance are limited (the counted values cannot always be realized and applied in practice) it is necessary to correct the differences between theoretical values and the possibilities of practical application of given acoustic impedances. Such a correction can be done by manipulating other parameters of matching layers (e.g. by changing their thickness). The efficiency of the energy transmission from the piezoceramic transducer through different layers with different thickness and different attenuation enabling a compensation of non-ideal real values by changing their thickness was computer analyzed (base on genetic algorithm). Firstly, three theoretical solutions were investigated. Namely, Chebyshev, Desilets and Souquet theories. However, the

Special issue on electron cyclotron wave physics, technology, and applications - Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uckan, Nermin A.

2008-01-01

This issue of Fusion Science and Technology (FS and T) contains a compendium of full-length, peer-reviewed papers on electron cyclotron (EC) wave physics, technology, and applications on magnetically confined plasmas. The interest in this special issue started with a simple question from a single individual who asked if he could submit for publication in FS and T his paper ''ITER ECH Front Steering Upper Launcher,'' parts of which he was planning to present at the 14th Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating, Santorini Island, Greece, May 2006. Such interest quickly grew, and the decision was made to offer the same opportunity to other workshop participants as well as to other interested researchers from around the world to contribute to a special FS and T issue on EC wave physics, technology, and applications. The person who started this ''wave'' of interest is no other than Dr. Mark Henderson, who was later drafted and kindly agreed to serve as the guest editor for this issue. The worldwide research program on EC wave physics, technology, and applications has shown impressive progress over the past couple of years, and much of this progress is reflected in the fifty or so papers that are included in this two-part special issue - part 1 in August 2007 and part 2 in January 2008. To complement the contributed papers, several informative reviews, which will be valuable for years to come, were also invited and are included. These review papers provide an objective summary of the current state of the art in EC emission research, theory of EC waves, EC heating and current drive experiments, gyrotron development, launcher development, and transmission systems. In preparation for ITER, this special issue is timely and should be of interest to those already working in the field and to the new generation of scientists and engineers who will be the ones to design, build, and carry out experiments on ITER. We extend our

The research on high power transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Wuling; Li Yubin; Peng Shuwen

2014-01-01

This paper introduces the transducer structure used double PWM mode, the control system design of hardware and software. The transducer has been applied in factory. From the real experiment, it shows that the system has a high reliability. (authors)

Method and analysis for determining yielding of titanium alloy with nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Shifeng; Zhang, Lei; Mirshekarloo, Meysam Sharifzadeh; Chen, Shuting; Chen, Yi Fan; Wong, Zheng Zheng; Shen, Zhiyuan; Liu, Huajun; Yao, Kui, E-mail: k-yao@imre.a-star.edu.sg

2016-07-04

Methods for determining yielding of titanium (Ti) alloy material with second harmonic Rayleigh ultrasonic wave are investigated. Both piezoelectric angle beam transducers and high frequency laser scanning vibrometer (LSV) are used to detect ultrasonic signals in the Ti alloy specimens with different plastic strain levels. Technical features and outcomes with use of piezoelectric transducers and LSV are compared. The method using piezoelectric transducers, with much higher signal-to-noise ratio than LSV, has been further improved by deploying two transducers with central frequencies corresponding to the fundamental and second order harmonic signals respectively to improve the testing reliability and accuracy. Both the techniques using piezoelectric transducer and LSV demonstrate consistently that the acoustic nonlinearity increases with plastic strain, and the second harmonic Rayleigh ultrasonic wave can be utilized for effective determination of yielding in Ti alloy. Our experiments further show that the acoustic nonlinearity increases gradually with plastic strain at small plastic strain level, and there is a more significant increase of acoustic nonlinearity when the plastic strain reaches a higher level. Microscopic investigations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) are conducted for clarifying the relationship between the observed acoustic nonlinearity and micro-structural changes.

Surface Acoustic Wave Tag-Based Coherence Multiplexing

Science.gov (United States)

Youngquist, Robert C. (Inventor); Malocha, Donald (Inventor); Saldanha, Nancy (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based coherence multiplexing system includes SAW tags each including a SAW transducer, a first SAW reflector positioned a first distance from the SAW transducer and a second SAW reflector positioned a second distance from the SAW transducer. A transceiver including a wireless transmitter has a signal source providing a source signal and circuitry for transmitting interrogation pulses including a first and a second interrogation pulse toward the SAW tags, and a wireless receiver for receiving and processing response signals from the SAW tags. The receiver receives scrambled signals including a convolution of the wideband interrogation pulses with response signals from the SAW tags and includes a computing device which implements an algorithm that correlates the interrogation pulses or the source signal before transmitting against the scrambled signals to generate tag responses for each of the SAW tags.

A new high performance current transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Lijun; Lu Songlin; Li Deming

2003-01-01

A DC-100 kHz current transducer is developed using a new technique on zero-flux detecting principle. It was shown that the new current transducer is of high performance, its magnetic core need not be selected very stringently, and it is easy to manufacture

Monitoring of Grouting Compactness in a Post-Tensioning Tendon Duct Using Piezoceramic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianyong Jiang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A post-tensioning tendon duct filled with grout can effectively prevent corrosion of the reinforcement, maintain bonding behavior between the reinforcement and concrete, and enhance the load bearing capacity of concrete structures. In practice, grouting of the post-tensioning tendon ducts always causes quality problems, which may reduce structural integrity and service life, and even cause accidents. However, monitoring of the grouting compactness is still a challenge due to the invisibility of the grout in the duct during the grouting process. This paper presents a stress wave-based active sensing approach using piezoceramic transducers to monitor the grouting compactness in real time. A segment of a commercial tendon duct was used as research object in this study. One lead zirconate titanate (PZT piezoceramic transducer with marble protection, called a smart aggregate (SA, was bonded on the tendon and installed in the tendon duct. Two PZT patch sensors were mounted on the top outside surface of the duct, and one PZT patch sensor was bonded on the bottom outside surface of the tendon duct. In the active sensing approach, the SA was used as an actuator to generate a stress wave and the PZT sensors were utilized to detect the wave response. Cement or grout in the duct functions as a wave conduit, which can propagate the stress wave. If the cement or grout is not fully filled in the tendon duct, the top PZT sensors cannot receive much stress wave energy. The experimental procedures simulated four stages during the grout pouring process, which includes empty status, half grouting, 90% grouting, and full grouting of the duct. Experimental results show that the bottom PZT sensor can detect the signal when the grout level increases towards 50%, when a conduit between the SA and PZT sensor is formed. The top PZT sensors cannot receive any signal until the grout process is completely finished. The wavelet packet-based energy analysis was adopted in this

Classical wave experiments on chaotic scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhl, U; Stoeckmann, H-J; Weaver, R

2005-01-01

We review recent research on the transport properties of classical waves through chaotic systems with special emphasis on microwaves and sound waves. Inasmuch as these experiments use antennas or transducers to couple waves into or out of the systems, scattering theory has to be applied for a quantitative interpretation of the measurements. Most experiments concentrate on tests of predictions from random matrix theory and the random plane wave approximation. In all studied examples a quantitative agreement between experiment and theory is achieved. To this end it is necessary, however, to take absorption and imperfect coupling into account, concepts that were ignored in most previous theoretical investigations. Classical phase space signatures of scattering are being examined in a small number of experiments

Electromagnetic acoustic transducers noncontacting ultrasonic measurements using EMATS

CERN Document Server

Hirao, Masahiko

2017-01-01

This second edition provides comprehensive information on electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), from the theory and physical principles of EMATs to the construction of systems and their applications to scientific and industrial ultrasonic measurements on materials. The original version has been complemented with selected ideas on ultrasonic measurement that have emerged since the first edition was released. The book is divided into four parts: PART I offers a self-contained description of the basic elements of coupling mechanisms along with the practical designing of EMATs for various purposes. Several implementations to compensate for EMATs’ low transfer efficiency are provided, along with useful tips on how to make an EMAT. PART II describes the principle of electromagnetic acoustic resonance (EMAR), which makes the most of EMATs’ contactless nature and is the most successful amplification mechanism for precise measurements of velocity and attenuation. PART III applies EMAR to studying physical ...

Steerable Doppler transducer probes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fidel, H.F.; Greenwood, D.L.

1986-01-01

An ultrasonic diagnostic probe is described which is capable of performing ultrasonic imaging and Doppler measurement consisting of: a hollow case having an acoustic window which passes ultrasonic energy and including chamber means for containing fluid located within the hollow case and adjacent to a portion of the acoustic window; imaging transducer means, located in the hollow case and outside the fluid chamber means, and oriented to direct ultrasonic energy through the acoustic window toward an area which is to be imaged; Doppler transducer means, located in the hollow case within the fluid chamber means, and movably oriented to direct Doppler signals through the acoustic window toward the imaged area; means located within the fluid chamber means and externally controlled for controllably moving the Doppler transducer means to select one of a plurality of axes in the imaged area along which the Doppler signals are to be directed; and means, located external to the fluid chamber means and responsive to the means for moving, for providing an indication signal for identifying the selected axis

Thin-film transducers for the detection and imaging of Brillouin oscillations in transmission on cultured cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pérez-Cota, F; Smith, R J; Clark, M; Moradi, E; Webb, K

2016-01-01

Mechanical imaging and characterisation of biological cells has been a subject of interest for the last twenty years. Ultrasonic imaging based on the scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) and mechanical probing have been extensively reported. Large acoustic attenuation at high frequencies and the use of conventional piezo-electric transducers limit the operational frequency of a SAM. This limitation results in lower resolution compared to an optical microscope. Direct mechanical probing in the form of applied stress by contacting probes causes stress to cells and exhibits poor depth resolution. More recently, laser ultrasound has been reported to detect ultrasound in the GHz range via Brillouin oscillations on biological cells. This technique offers a promising new high resolution acoustic cell imaging technique. In this work, we propose, design and apply a thin-film based opto-acoustic transducer for the detection in transmission of Brillouin oscillations on cells. The transducer is used to generate acoustic waves, protect the cells from laser radiation and enhance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Experimental traces are presented in water films as well as images of the Brillouin frequency of phantom and fixed 3T3 fibroblast cells. (paper)

Design and simulation study of high frequency response for surface acoustic wave device by using CST software

Science.gov (United States)

Zakaria, M. R.; Hashim, U.; Amin, Mohd Hasrul I. M.; Ayub, R. Mat; Hashim, M. N.; Adam, T.

2015-05-01

This paper focuses on the enhancement and improvement of the Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) device performance. Due to increased demand in the international market for biosensor product, the product must be emphasized in terms of quality. However, within the technological advances, demand for device with low cost, high efficiency and friendly-user preferred. Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) device with the combination of pair electrode know as Interdigital Transducer (IDT) was fabricated on a piezoelectric substrate. The design of Interdigital Transducer (IDT) parameter is changes in several sizes and values for which it is able to provide greater efficiency in sensing sensitivity by using process simulation with CST STUDIO Suite software. In addition, Interdigital Transducer (IDT) parameters also changed to be created the products with a smaller size and easy to handle where it also reduces the cost of this product. Parameter values of an Interdigital Transducer (IDT) will be changed in the design is the total number of fingers pair, finger length, finger width and spacing, aperture and also the thickness of the Interdigital Transducer (IDT). From the result, the performance of the sensor is improved significantly after modification is done.

Transducers for Sound and Vibration - FEM Based Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Bin

2001-01-01

Design of transducers for measurement of vibration (piezoelectric accelerometers) and sound (condenser microphones) is a very labour intensive work. The design work is mostly based on experience and on simple analogies to electrical circuit design. Often a time consuming itterative loop is used......: Specification of the transducer, production of a physical prototype, measurements on the prototype, changed specification of the transducer etc. Furthermore are many transducers made based on customer requirements which also increases the amount of required design work. For these reasons there is a need...... for methods that can reduce the design time consumption and the number of itterations. The present work proposes to use finite element based programs for simulating the behaviour of a transducer with a given set of specifications. A simulation program for accelerometers was developed and has been tested...

High Temperature, High Power Piezoelectric Composite Transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyeong Jae; Zhang, Shujun; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, StewarT.

2014-01-01

Piezoelectric composites are a class of functional materials consisting of piezoelectric active materials and non-piezoelectric passive polymers, mechanically attached together to form different connectivities. These composites have several advantages compared to conventional piezoelectric ceramics and polymers, including improved electromechanical properties, mechanical flexibility and the ability to tailor properties by using several different connectivity patterns. These advantages have led to the improvement of overall transducer performance, such as transducer sensitivity and bandwidth, resulting in rapid implementation of piezoelectric composites in medical imaging ultrasounds and other acoustic transducers. Recently, new piezoelectric composite transducers have been developed with optimized composite components that have improved thermal stability and mechanical quality factors, making them promising candidates for high temperature, high power transducer applications, such as therapeutic ultrasound, high power ultrasonic wirebonding, high temperature non-destructive testing, and downhole energy harvesting. This paper will present recent developments of piezoelectric composite technology for high temperature and high power applications. The concerns and limitations of using piezoelectric composites will also be discussed, and the expected future research directions will be outlined. PMID:25111242

Home Automation System Based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez-Albela, Manuel; Fraga-Lamas, Paula; Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M.; Dapena, Adriana; González-López, Miguel

2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel home automation system named HASITE (Home Automation System based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers), which has been specifically designed to identify and configure transducers easily and quickly. These features are especially useful in situations where many transducers are deployed, since their setup becomes a cumbersome task that consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. HASITE simplifies the deployment of a home automation system by using wireless networks and both self-configuration and self-registration protocols. Thanks to the application of these three elements, HASITE is able to add new transducers by just powering them up. According to the tests performed in different realistic scenarios, a transducer is ready to be used in less than 13 s. Moreover, all HASITE functionalities can be accessed through an API, which also allows for the integration of third-party systems. As an example, an Android application based on the API is presented. Remote users can use it to interact with transducers by just using a regular smartphone or a tablet. PMID:27690031

Home Automation System Based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers.

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez-Albela, Manuel; Fraga-Lamas, Paula; Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M; Dapena, Adriana; González-López, Miguel

2016-09-28

This paper presents a novel home automation system named HASITE (Home Automation System based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers), which has been specifically designed to identify and configure transducers easily and quickly. These features are especially useful in situations where many transducers are deployed, since their setup becomes a cumbersome task that consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. HASITE simplifies the deployment of a home automation system by using wireless networks and both self-configuration and self-registration protocols. Thanks to the application of these three elements, HASITE is able to add new transducers by just powering them up. According to the tests performed in different realistic scenarios, a transducer is ready to be used in less than 13 s. Moreover, all HASITE functionalities can be accessed through an API, which also allows for the integration of third-party systems. As an example, an Android application based on the API is presented. Remote users can use it to interact with transducers by just using a regular smartphone or a tablet.

Home Automation System Based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Suárez-Albela

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel home automation system named HASITE (Home Automation System based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers, which has been specifically designed to identify and configure transducers easily and quickly. These features are especially useful in situations where many transducers are deployed, since their setup becomes a cumbersome task that consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. HASITE simplifies the deployment of a home automation system by using wireless networks and both self-configuration and self-registration protocols. Thanks to the application of these three elements, HASITE is able to add new transducers by just powering them up. According to the tests performed in different realistic scenarios, a transducer is ready to be used in less than 13 s. Moreover, all HASITE functionalities can be accessed through an API, which also allows for the integration of third-party systems. As an example, an Android application based on the API is presented. Remote users can use it to interact with transducers by just using a regular smartphone or a tablet.

Acoustic tweezers via sub-time-of-flight regime surface acoustic waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, David J; Devendran, Citsabehsan; Ma, Zhichao; Ng, Jia Wei; Neild, Adrian; Ai, Ye

2016-07-01

Micrometer-scale acoustic waves are highly useful for refined optomechanical and acoustofluidic manipulation, where these fields are spatially localized along the transducer aperture but not along the acoustic propagation direction. In the case of acoustic tweezers, such a conventional acoustic standing wave results in particle and cell patterning across the entire width of a microfluidic channel, preventing selective trapping. We demonstrate the use of nanosecond-scale pulsed surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with a pulse period that is less than the time of flight between opposing transducers to generate localized time-averaged patterning regions while using conventional electrode structures. These nodal positions can be readily and arbitrarily positioned in two dimensions and within the patterning region itself through the imposition of pulse delays, frequency modulation, and phase shifts. This straightforward concept adds new spatial dimensions to which acoustic fields can be localized in SAW applications in a manner analogous to optical tweezers, including spatially selective acoustic tweezers and optical waveguides.

Tungsten Oxide Photonic Crystals as Optical Transducer for Gas Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Amrehn, Sabrina; Wu, Xia; Wagner, Thorsten

2018-01-26

Some metal oxide semiconductors, such as tungsten trioxide or tin dioxide, are well-known as resistive transducers for gas sensing and offer high sensitivities down to the part per billion level. Electrical signal read-out, however, limits the information obtained on the electronic properties of metal oxides to a certain frequency range and its application because of the required electrical contacts. Therefore, a novel approach for building an optical transducer for gas reactions utilizing metal oxide photonic crystals is presented here. By the rational design of the structure and composition it is possible to synthesize a functional material which allows one to obtain insight into its electronic properties in the optical frequency range with simple experimental measures. The concept is demonstrated by tungsten trioxide inverse opal structure as optical transducer material for hydrogen sensing. The sensing behavior is analyzed in a temperature range from room temperature to 500 °C and in a wide hydrogen concentration range (3000 ppm to 10%). The sensing mechanism is mainly the refractive index change resulting from hydrogen intercalation in tungsten trioxide, but the back reaction has also impact on the optical properties of this system. Detailed chemical reaction studies provide suggestions for specific sensing conditions.

A proposal for improving the noise floor of the gravitational wave antenna Niobe

CERN Document Server

Ribeiro, K L; Blair, D G; Tobar, M E; Aguiar, O D; Frajuca, C

2002-01-01

The gravity wave detector at the University of Western Australia is based on a bending flap of 0.45 kg tuned near the fundamental resonant frequency of a 1.5 tonne resonant bar of 710 Hz. The displacement of the bending flap is monitored with a 9.5 GHz superconducting re-entrant cavity transducer. The performance of the transducer is related to the development of a low-noise microwave pump oscillator to drive the transducer. In this study we describe how to improve the quality of the existing microwave pump oscillator using a second servo frequency control system.

Capacitance high temperature strain transducer by Interatom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fortmann, M.

1987-01-01

Special strain transducers are necessary to perform structure mechanical experiments on real components under creep-fatigue load. The new development of the transducer was able to solve the problem. In the meantime, different characteristics of the transducer have been examined and many successful applications have been effected. Some important aspects are given in this report. Up to now the longest operation period has been 24000 h on a pipe at 630 0 C service temperature in a conventional power station. (orig./DG) [de

Time Reversal Methods for Structural Health Monitoring of Metallic Structures Using Guided Waves

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

measure elastic properties of thin isotropic materials and laminated composite plates. Two types of waves propagate a symmetric wave and antisymmetric...compare it to the original signal. In this time reversal procedure wave propagation from point-A to point-B and can be modeled as a convolution ...where * is the convolution operator and transducer transmit and receive transfer function are neglected for simplification. In the frequency

High Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Real-time Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N.; Coyle, Thomas W.

A broadband ultrasonic transducer with a novel porous ceramic backing layer is introduced to operate at 700 °C. 36° Y-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO3) single crystal was selected for the piezoelectric element. By appropriate choice of constituent materials, porosity and pore size, the acoustic impedance and attenuation of a zirconia-based backing layer were optimized. An active brazing alloy with high temperature and chemical stability was selected to bond the transducer layers together. Prototype transducers have been tested at temperatures up to 700 °C. The experiments confirmed that transducer integrity was maintained.

Time reversed Lamb wave for damage detection in a stiffened aluminum plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bijudas, C R; Mitra, M; Mujumdar, P M

2013-01-01

According to the concept of time reversibility of the Lamb wave, in the absence of damage, a Lamb wave signal can be reconstructed at the transmitter location if a time reversed signal is sent back from the receiver location. This property is used for baseline-free damage detection, where the presence of damage breaks down the time reversibility and the mismatch between the reconstructed and the input signal is inferred as the presence of damage. This paper presents an experimental and a simulation study of baseline-free damage detection in a stiffened aluminum plate by time reversed Lamb wave (TRLW). In this study, single Lamb wave mode (A 0 ) is generated and sensed using piezoelectric (PZT) transducers through specific transducer placement and amplitude tuning. Different stiffening configurations such as plane and T-stiffeners are considered. Damage cases of disbonding of stiffeners from the base plate, and vertical and embedded cracks in the stiffened plate, are studied. The results show that TRLW based schemes can efficiently identify the presence of damage in a stiffened plate. (paper)

Development of ultrasonic testing technique with the large transducer to inspect the containment vessel plates of nuclear power plant embedded in concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishida, Hitoshi; Kurozumi, Yasuo; Kaneshima, Yoshiari

2004-01-01

The containment vessel plates embedded in concrete on Pressurized Water Reactors are inaccessible to inspect directly. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare inspection technology to detect existence and a location of corrosion on the embedded plates indirectly. In order to establish ultrasonic testing technique to be able to inspect the containment vessel plates embedded in concrete widely at the accessible point, experiments to detect artificial hollows simulating corrosion on a surface of a carbon steel plate mock-up covered with concrete simulating the embedded containment vessel plates were carried out with newly made ultrasonic transducers. We made newly low frequency (0.3 MHz and 0.5 MHz) surface shear horizontal (SH) wave transducers combined with three large active elements, which were equivalent to a 120mm width element. As a result of the experiments, the surface SH transducers could detect clearly the echo from the hollows with a depth of 9.5 mm and 19 mm at a distance of 1500mm from the transducers on the surface of the mock-up covered with concrete. Therefore, we evaluate that it is possible to detect the defects such as corrosion on the plates embedded in concrete with the newly made low frequency surface SH transducers with large elements. (author)

Research on levitation coupled with standing wave levitation and electromagnetic levitation:

OpenAIRE

Jiao, Xiao Yang; Li, Xinbo; Liu, GuoJun; Liu, JianFang; Liu, XiaoLun; Lu, Song

2013-01-01

In order to solve the problem caused by metal materials' inability to be cooled without contact with other materials after being heated by electromagnetic levitation, a new method is proposed: using a standing wave levitator to levitate the melted metal. The standing wave levitator adopts a concave spherical surface on the emitter and the reflector. Using ANSYS software, the transducer and the standing wave fields were simulated. Based on the simulation, the distribution and the maximum acous...

Irradiation Testing of Ultrasonic Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daw, J.; Rempe, J.; Palmer, J.; Tittmann, B.; Reinhardt, B.; Kohse, G.; Ramuhalli, P.; Montgomery, R.; Chien, H.T.; Villard, J.F.

2013-06-01

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of numerous parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of single, small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. Other efforts include an ultrasonic technique to detect morphology changes (such as crack initiation and growth) and acoustic techniques to evaluate fission gas composition and pressure. These efforts are limited by the lack of existing knowledge of ultrasonic transducer material survivability under irradiation conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer performance in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10 21 n/cm 2 (E> 0.1 MeV). This test will be an instrumented lead test; and real-time transducer performance data will be collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. By characterizing magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer survivability during irradiation, test results will enable the development of novel radiation tolerant ultrasonic sensors for use in Material and Test Reactors (MTRs). The current work bridges the gap between proven out-of-pile ultrasonic techniques and in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors by acquiring the data necessary to demonstrate the performance of ultrasonic transducers. (authors)

Efeito das dimensões da seção transversal e da frequência do transdutor na velocidade de propagação de ondas de ultra-som na madeira Effect of the transversal section dimensions and transducer frequency on ultrasound wave propagation velocity in wood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Julio Trinca

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Diversas pesquisas vêm sendo realizadas com o uso da velocidade de propagação de ondas de ultra-som como parâmetro para estimar propriedades mecânicas da madeira. Tendo em vista que essa velocidade pode ser influenciada pela forma da peça ensaiada, bem como pela frequência do transdutor utilizado no ensaio, conhecer essas fontes de influência é fator importante para a obtenção de resultados confiáveis. Durante estudo mais amplo sobre a influência da dimensão do corpo-de-prova em ensaios destrutivos de compressão paralela às fibras, os corpos-de-prova de 0,03 x 0,03 x 0,09 m e de 0,05 x 0,05 x 0,15 m foram também utilizados para avaliar a variação da velocidade de propagação de ondas de ultrassom em razão da dimensão da peça ensaiada. Para a avaliação da influência da frequência, os ensaios foram realizados com transdutores de onda longitudinal (compressão de 25 kHz, 45 kHz, 80 kHz, 100 kHz, 500 kHz e 1 MHz, em 119 corpos-de-prova de Pinus elliottii e 244 de Eucalyptus grandis. Os resultados indicaram que, em ambas as espécies, a seção transversal exerceu influência na propagação da onda de ultrassom e que a velocidade longitudinal foi fortemente afetada pela frequência do transdutor para frequências abaixo de 500 kHz, corroborando a importância de sempre se adotarem, nos ensaios, relações de comprimento de percurso/comprimento de onda superiores a 3,0.Several works use the ultrasound wave propagation velocity as the main parameter to determine the mechanical properties of wood. Since this velocity can be influenced by the specimen's dimension or by the transducer's frequency, this influence must be known to obtain reliable results. During research on the influence of specimen dimension on destructive testing of the compression parallel to the grain, 0.03 x 0.03 x 0.09 m and 0.05 x 0.05 x 0.15 m specimens were tested to evaluate the variation in wave propagation velocity as a function of specimen dimension

Ultrasonic Transducer Peak-to-Peak Optical Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Skarvada

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Possible optical setups for measurement of the peak-to-peak value of an ultrasonic transducer are described in this work. The Michelson interferometer with the calibrated nanopositioner in reference path and laser Doppler vibrometer were used for the basic measurement of vibration displacement. Langevin type of ultrasonic transducer is used for the purposes of Electro-Ultrasonic Nonlinear Spectroscopy (EUNS. Parameters of produced mechanical vibration have to been well known for EUNS. Moreover, a monitoring of mechanical vibration frequency shift with a mass load and sample-transducer coupling is important for EUNS measurement.

Detection of Interfacial Debonding in a Rubber-Steel-Layered Structure Using Active Sensing Enabled by Embedded Piezoceramic Transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Qian; Kong, Qingzhao; Jiang, Jian; Liang, Yabin; Song, Gangbing

2017-09-01

Rubber-steel-layered structures are used in many engineering applications. Laminated rubber-steel bearing, as a type of seismic isolation device, is one of the most important applications of the rubber-steel-layered structures. Interfacial debonding in rubber-steel-layered structures is a typical failure mode, which can severely reduce their load-bearing capacity. In this paper, the authors developed a simple but effective active sensing approach using embedded piezoceramic transducers to provide an in-situ detection of the interfacial debonding between the rubber layers and steel plates. A sandwiched rubber-steel-layered specimen, consisting of one rubber layer and two steel plates, was fabricated as the test specimen. A novel installation technique, which allows the piezoceramic transducers to be fully embedded into the steel plates without changing the geometry and the surface conditions of the plates, was also developed in this research. The active sensing approach, in which designed stress waves can propagate between a pair of the embedded piezoceramic transducers (one as an actuator and the other one as a sensor), was employed to detect the steel-rubber debonding. When the rubber-steel debonding occurs, the debonded interfaces will attenuate the propagating stress wave, so that the amplitude of the received signal will decrease. The rubber-steel debonding was generated by pulling the two steel plates in opposite directions in a material-testing machine. The changes of the received signal before and after the debonding were characterized in a time domain and further quantified by using a wavelet packet-based energy index. Experiments on the healthy rubber-steel-layered specimen reveal that the piezoceramic-induced stress wave can propagate through the rubber layer. The destructive test on the specimen demonstrates that the piezoceramic-based active sensing approach can effectively detect the rubber-steel debonding failure in real time. The active sensing

Piezoelectric Nanotube Array for Broadband High-Frequency Ultrasonic Transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Liew, Weng Heng; Yao, Kui; Chen, Shuting; Tay, Francis Eng Hock

2018-03-01

Piezoelectric materials are vital in determining ultrasonic transducer and imaging performance as they offer the function for conversion between mechanical and electrical energy. Ultrasonic transducers with high-frequency operation suffer from performance degradation and fabrication difficulty of the demanded piezoelectric materials. Hence, we propose 1-D polymeric piezoelectric nanostructure with controlled nanoscale features to overcome the technical limitations of high-frequency ultrasonic transducers. For the first time, we demonstrate the integration of a well-aligned piezoelectric nanotube array to produce a high-frequency ultrasonic transducer with outstanding performance. We find that nanoconfinement-induced polarization orientation and unique nanotube structure lead to significantly improved piezoelectric and ultrasonic transducing performance over the conventional piezoelectric thin film. A large bandwidth, 126% (-6 dB), is achieved at high center frequency, 108 MHz. Transmission sensitivity of nanotube array is found to be 46% higher than that of the monolithic thin film transducer attributed to the improved electromechanical coupling effectiveness and impedance match. We further demonstrate high-resolution scanning, ultrasonic imaging, and photoacoustic imaging using the obtained nanotube array transducers, which is valuable for biomedical imaging applications in the future.

Assessing the accuracy of Greenland ice sheet ice ablation measurements by pressure transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Fausto, R. S.; van As, D.; Ahlstrøm, A. P.

2012-04-01

In the glaciological community there is a need for reliable mass balance measurements of glaciers and ice sheets, ranging from daily to yearly time scales. Here we present a method to measure ice ablation using a pressure transducer. The pressure transducer is drilled into the ice, en-closed in a hose filled with a liquid that is non-freezable at common Greenlandic temperatures. The pressure signal registered by the transducer is that of the vertical column of liquid over the sensor, which can be translated in depth knowing the density of the liquid. As the free-standing AWS moves down with the ablating surface and the hose melts out of the ice, an increasingly large part of the hose will lay flat on the ice surface, and the hydrostatic pressure from the vertical column of liquid in the hose will get smaller. This reduction in pressure provides us with the ablation rate. By measuring at (sub-) daily timescales this assembly is well-suited to monitor ice ablation in remote regions, with clear advantages over other well-established methods of measuring ice ablation in the field. The pressure transducer system has the potential to monitor ice ablation for several years without re-drilling and the system is suitable for high ablation areas. A routine to transform raw measurements into ablation values will also be presented, including a physically based method to remove air pressure variability from the signal. The pressure transducer time-series is compared to that recorded by a sonic ranger for the climatically hostile setting on the Greenland ice sheet.

A New Low-frequency Sonophoresis System Combined with Ultrasonic Motor and Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Pancheng; Peng, Hanmin; Yang, Jianzhi; Mao, Ting; Sheng, Juan

2018-03-01

Low frequency sonophoresis (LFS) is currently being attempted as a transdermal drug delivery method in clinical areas. However, it lacks both an effective control method and the equipment to satisfy the varying drug dosage requirements of individual patients. Herein, a novel method aimed at controlling permeability is proposed and developed, using a pressure control strategy which is based on an accurate, adjustable and non-invasive ultrasound transdermal drug delivery system in in vitro LFS. The system mainly consists of a lead screw linear ultrasonic motor and an ultrasonic transducer, in which the former offers pressure and the latter provides ultrasound wave in the liquid. The ultrasound can enhance non-invasive permeation and the pressure from the motor can control the permeability. The calculated and experimental results demonstrate that the maximum pressure on artificial skin is under the area with the maximum vibration amplitude of the ultrasonic transducer, and the total pressure consists of acoustic pressure from the transducer and approximate static pressure from the motor. Changing the static pressure from the ultrasonic motor can effectively control the non-invasive permeability, by adjusting the duty ratio or the amplitude of the motor’s driving voltage. In addition, the permeability control of calcein by thrust control is realized in 15 min, indicating the suitability of this method for application in accurate medical technology. The obtained results reveal that the issue of difficult permeability control can be addressed, using this control method in in vitro LFS to open up a route to the design of accurate drug delivery technology for individual patients.

A pulse coding and decoding strategy to perform Lamb wave inspections using simultaneously multiple actuators

Science.gov (United States)

De Marchi, Luca; Marzani, Alessandro; Moll, Jochen; Kudela, Paweł; Radzieński, Maciej; Ostachowicz, Wiesław

2017-07-01

The performance of Lamb wave based monitoring systems, both in terms of diagnosis time and data complexity, can be enhanced by increasing the number of transducers used to actuate simultaneously the guided waves in the inspected medium. However, in case of multiple simultaneously-operated actuators the interference among the excited wave modes within the acquired signals has to be considered for the further processing. To this aim, in this work a code division strategy based on the Warped Frequency Transform is presented. At first, the proposed procedure encodes actuation pulses using Gold sequences. Next, for each considered actuator the acquired signals are compensated from dispersion by cross correlating the warped version of the actuated and received signals. Compensated signals form the base for a final wavenumber imaging meant at emphasizing defects and or anomalies by removing incident wavefield and edge reflections. The proposed strategy is tested numerically, and validated through an experiment in which guided waves are actuated in a plate by four piezoelectric transducers operating simultaneously.

Analysis of eigenfrequencies in piezoelectric transducers using the finite element method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Henrik

1988-01-01

transducers, which include the complete set of piezoelectric equations, have been included. They can find eigenfrequencies for undamped transducers and perform forced-response analysis for transducers with internal and radiation damping. The superelement technique is used to model the transducer backing......It is noted that the finite-element method is a valuable supplement to the traditional methods for design of novel transducer types because it can determine the vibrational pattern of piezoelectric transducers and is applicable to any geometry. Computer programs for analysis of axisymmetric...

High-speed measurement of firearm primer blast waves

OpenAIRE

Courtney, Michael; Daviscourt, Joshua; Eng, Jonathan; Courtney, Amy

2012-01-01

This article describes a method and results for direct high-speed measurements of firearm primer blast waves employing a high-speed pressure transducer located at the muzzle to record the blast pressure wave produced by primer ignition. Key findings are: 1) Most of the lead styphnate based primer models tested show 5.2-11.3% standard deviation in the magnitudes of their peak pressure. 2) In contrast, lead-free diazodinitrophenol (DDNP) based primers had standard deviations of the peak blast p...

Using PVDF for wavenumber-frequency analysis and excitation of guided waves

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Baiyang; Cho, Hwanjeong; Lissenden, Cliff J.

2018-04-01

The role of transducers in nondestructive evaluation using ultrasonic guided waves cannot be overstated. Energy conversion from electrical to mechanical for actuation and then back to electrical for signal processing broadly describes transduction, but there are many other aspects of transducers that determine their effectiveness. Recently we have reported on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) array sensors that enable determination of the wavenumber spectrum, which enables modal content in the received signal to be characterized. Modal content is an important damage indicator because, for example, mode conversion is a frequent consequence of wave interaction with defects. Some of the positive attributes of PVDF sensors are: broad frequency bandwidth, compliance for use on curved surfaces, limited influence on the passing wave, minimal cross-talk between elements, low profile, low mass, and inexpensive. The anisotropy of PVDF films also enables them to receive either Lamb waves or shear horizontal waves by proper alignment of the material principal coordinate axes. Placing a patterned set of electrodes on the PVDF film provides data from an array of elements. A linear array of elements is used to enable a 2D fast Fourier transform to determine the wavenumber spectrum of both Lamb waves and shear horizontal waves in an aluminum plate. Moreover, since PVDF film can sustain high voltage excitation, high power pulsers can be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The capability of PVDF as a transmitter has been demonstrated with high voltage excitation.

Modal analysis and nonlinear characterization of an airborne power ultrasonic transducer with rectangular plate radiator.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrés, R R; Acosta, V M; Lucas, M; Riera, E

2018-01-01

Some industrial processes like particle agglomeration or food dehydration among others can be enhanced by the use of power ultrasonic technologies. These technologies are based on an airborne power ultrasonic transducer (APUT) constituted by a pre-stressed Langevin-type transducer, a mechanical amplifier and an extensive plate radiator. In order to produce the desired effects in industrial processing, the transducer has to vibrate in an extensional mode driving an extensive radiator in the desired flexural mode with high amplitude displacements. Due to the generation of these high amplitude displacements in the radiator surfaces, non-linear effects like frequency shifts, hysteresis or modal interactions, among others, may be produced in the transducer behavior. When any nonlinear effect appears, when applying power, the stability and efficiency of this ultrasonic technology decreases, and the transducer may be damaged depending on the excitation power level and the nature of the nonlinearity. In this paper, an APUT with flat rectangular radiator is presented, as the active part of an innovative system with stepped reflectors. The nonlinear behavior of the APUT has been characterized numerically and experimentally in case of the modal analysis and experimentally in the case of dynamic analysis. According to the results obtained after the experiments, no modal interactions are expected, nor do other nonlinear effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In Situ Estimation of Applied Biaxial Loads with Lamb Waves (Preprint)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-01

be correct. IV. EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS Fatigue tests were conducted for an array of six surface-bonded PZT transducers permanently attached to...because of their cumulative effects on the fatigue life of the structures. Waves propagating between array elements are directly affected by applied loads...their cumulative effects on the fatigue life of the structures. Waves propagating between array elements are directly affected by applied loads

On the imaginary part of the S-wave pion-nucleus optical potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Germond, J.F.; Lombard, R.J.

1991-01-01

The contribution of pion absorption to the imaginary part of the S-wave pion-nucleus optical potential is calculated with Slater determinantal antisymmetrized nuclear wave funtions, taking fully into accout the spin and isospin degrees of freedom. The potential obtained has an explicit dependence on the proton and neutron nuclear densities whose coefficients are directly related to the two-nucleon absorption coupling constants. The values of these coefficients extracted from mesic atoms data are in good agreement with those deduced from exclusive pion absorption experiments in 3 He, but larger than the predictions of the pion rescattering model. (orig.)

Numerical simulation of ultrasonic wave propagation in elastically anisotropic media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, Victoria Cristina Cheade; Jospin, Reinaldo Jacques; Bittencourt, Marcelo de Siqueira Queiroz

2013-01-01

The ultrasonic non-destructive testing of components may encounter considerable difficulties to interpret some inspections results mainly in anisotropic crystalline structures. A numerical method for the simulation of elastic wave propagation in homogeneous elastically anisotropic media, based on the general finite element approach, is used to help this interpretation. The successful modeling of elastic field associated with NDE is based on the generation of a realistic pulsed ultrasonic wave, which is launched from a piezoelectric transducer into the material under inspection. The values of elastic constants are great interest information that provide the application of equations analytical models, until small and medium complexity problems through programs of numerical analysis as finite elements and/or boundary elements. The aim of this work is the comparison between the results of numerical solution of an ultrasonic wave, which is obtained from transient excitation pulse that can be specified by either force or displacement variation across the aperture of the transducer, and the results obtained from a experiment that was realized in an aluminum block in the IEN Ultrasonic Laboratory. The wave propagation can be simulated using all the characteristics of the material used in the experiment valuation associated to boundary conditions and from these results, the comparison can be made. (author)

Nondestructive testing of thin films using surface acoustic waves and laser ultrasonics

Science.gov (United States)

Jenot, Frédéric; Fourez, Sabrina; Ouaftouh, Mohammadi; Duquennoy, Marc

2018-04-01

Thin films are widely used in many fields such as electronics, optics or materials science. For example, they find applications in thermal or mechanical sensors design. They are also very useful as protective or reinforcement layers for many structures. However, some coating defects such as thickness variations, microfissuring or poor adhesion are common problems. Therefore, nondestructive testing of these structures using acoustic waves generated and detected by lasers represents a major interest. Indeed, in comparison with conventional methods based on the use of piezoelectric transducers, laser ultrasonics leads to non-contact investigations with a large bandwidth. Usually, bulk acoustic waves are used and a pulse-echo technique is considered that needs high frequencies and implies local measurements. In order to avoid this limitation, we propose to use surface acoustic waves in a frequency range up to 45 MHz. The samples consist of a micrometric gold layer deposited on silicon substrates. In a first part, using dispersion analysis, theoretical and experimental results clearly reveal that the first Rayleigh mode allows the detection of film thickness variations and open cracks. In a second part, a localized adhesion defect is introduced in a similar sample. The effects of such a flaw on the Rayleigh modes dispersion curves are theoretically described. Finally, we experimentally show that the first Rayleigh mode allows the defect detection only under specific conditions.

Influence of Installation Errors On the Output Data of the Piezoelectric Vibrations Transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Kozuch, Barbara; Chelmecki, Jaroslaw; Tatara, Tadeusz

2017-10-01

The paper examines an influence of installation errors of the piezoelectric vibrations transducers on the output data. PCB Piezotronics piezoelectric accelerometers were used to perform calibrations by comparison. The measurements were performed with TMS 9155 Calibration Workstation version 5.4.0 at frequency in the range of 5Hz - 2000Hz. Accelerometers were fixed on the calibration station in a so-called back-to-back configuration in accordance with the applicable international standard - ISO 16063-21: Methods for the calibration of vibration and shock transducers - Part 21: Vibration calibration by comparison to a reference transducer. The first accelerometer was calibrated by suitable methods with traceability to a primary reference transducer. Each subsequent calibration was performed when changing one setting in relation to the original calibration. The alterations were related to negligence and failures in relation to the above-mentioned standards and operating guidelines - e.g. the sensor was not tightened or appropriate substance was not placed. Also, there was modified the method of connection which was in the standards requirements. Different kind of wax, light oil, grease and other assembly methods were used. The aim of the study was to verify the significance of standards requirements and to estimate of their validity. The authors also wanted to highlight the most significant calibration errors. Moreover, relation between various appropriate methods of the connection was demonstrated.

Design and Development of transducer for IR radiation measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pattarachindanuwong, Surat; Poopat, Bovornchoke; Meethong, Wachira

2003-06-01

Recently, IR radiation has many important roles such as for plastics industry, food industry and medical instrumentation. The consequence of exposed irradiation objects from IR can be greatly affected by the quantity of IR radiation. Therefore the objectively this research is to design and develop a transducer for IR radiation measurement. By using a quartz halogen lamp as a IR heat source of IR radiation and a thermopile sensor as a transducer. The thermal conductivity of transducer and air flow, were also considered for design and development of transducer. The study shows that the designed transducer can be used and applied in high temperature process, for example, the quality control of welding, the non-contact temperature measurement of drying oven and the testing of IR source in medical therapy device

Guided wave based structural health monitoring: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitra, Mira; Gopalakrishnan, S

2016-01-01

The paper provides a state of the art review of guided wave based structural health monitoring (SHM). First, the fundamental concepts of guided wave propagation and its implementation for SHM is explained. Following sections present the different modeling schemes adopted, developments in the area of transducers for generation, and sensing of wave, signal processing and imaging technique, statistical and machine learning schemes for feature extraction. Next, a section is presented on the recent advancements in nonlinear guided wave for SHM. This is followed by section on Rayleigh and SH waves. Next is a section on real-life implementation of guided wave for industrial problems. The paper, though briefly talks about the early development for completeness, is primarily focussed on the recent progress made in the last decade. The paper ends by discussing and highlighting the future directions and open areas of research in guided wave based SHM. (topical review)

Pneumatic pressure wave generator provides economical, simple testing of pressure transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Gaal, A. E.; Weldon, T. P.

1967-01-01

Testing device utilizes the change in pressure about a bias or reference pressure level produced by displacement of a center-driven piston in a closed cylinder. Closely controlled pneumatic pressure waves allow testing under dynamic conditions.

Acoustic wave filter based on periodically poled lithium niobate.

Science.gov (United States)

Courjon, Emilie; Bassignot, Florent; Ulliac, Gwenn; Benchabane, Sarah; Ballandras, Sylvain

2012-09-01

Solutions for the development of compact RF passive transducers as an alternative to standard surface or bulk acoustic wave devices are receiving increasing interest. This article presents results on the development of an acoustic band-pass filter based on periodically poled ferroelectric domains in lithium niobate. The fabrication of periodically poled transducers (PPTs) operating in the range of 20 to 650 MHz has been achieved on 3-in (76.2-mm) 500-μm-thick wafers. This kind of transducer is able to excite elliptical as well as longitudinal modes, yielding phase velocities of about 3800 and 6500 ms(-1), respectively. A new type of acoustic band-pass filter is proposed, based on the use of PPTs instead of the SAWs excited by classical interdigital transducers. The design and the fabrication of such a filter are presented, as well as experimental measurements of its electrical response and transfer function. The feasibility of such a PPT-based filter is thereby demonstrated and the limitations of this method are discussed.

Development of a Fully Automated Guided Wave System for In-Process Cure Monitoring of CFRP Composite Laminates

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Tyler B.; Hou, Tan-Hung; Grimsley, Brian W.; Yaun, Fuh-Gwo

2016-01-01

A guided wave-based in-process cure monitoring technique for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites was investigated at NASA Langley Research Center. A key cure transition point (vitrification) was identified and the degree of cure was monitored using metrics such as amplitude and time of arrival (TOA) of guided waves. Using an automated system preliminarily developed in this work, high-temperature piezoelectric transducers were utilized to interrogate a twenty-four ply unidirectional composite panel fabricated from Hexcel (Registered Trademark) IM7/8552 prepreg during cure. It was shown that the amplitude of the guided wave increased sharply around vitrification and the TOA curve possessed an inverse relationship with degree of cure. The work is a first step in demonstrating the feasibility of transitioning the technique to perform in-process cure monitoring in an autoclave, defect detection during cure, and ultimately a closed-loop process control to maximize composite part quality and consistency.

Piezoelectric Polymer Ultrasound Transducers and Its Biomedical Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Kang Lyeol; Cao, Yanggang [Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

PVDF(poly vinylidene fluoride) and P(VDF-TrFE)(poly vinylidene fluoride-tetrafluoroethylene) are the typical piezoelectric polymers with unique properties. Even they are inferior to conventional piezoelectric ceramics PZT in electromechanical conversion efficiency and interior loss, though they are superior in receiving sensitivity and frequency bandwidth. Their acoustic impedances are relatively close to water or biological tissue and it is easier to make thin film than other piezoelectric materials. Furthermore, the film is so flexible that it is easy to attach on a complex surface. Those properties are suitable for the ultrasound transducers which are useful for medical and biological application, so that various types of polymer transducers have been developed. In this paper, several important considerations for design and fabrication of piezoelectric polymer transducers were described and their effect on the transducer performance were demonstrated through the KLM model analysis. Then, it was briefly reviewed about the structures of the polymer transducers developed for obtaining images as well as the characteristics of the images in several important medical and biological application fields.

Receive-Noise Analysis of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozkurt, Ayhan; Yaralioglu, G Goksenin

2016-11-01

This paper presents an analysis of thermal (Johnson) noise received from the radiation medium by otherwise noiseless capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) membranes operating in their fundamental resonance mode. Determination of thermal noise received by multiple numbers of transducers or a transducer array requires the assessment of cross-coupling through the radiation medium, as well as the self-radiation impedance of the individual transducer. We show that the total thermal noise received by the cells of a CMUT has insignificant correlation, and is independent of the radiation impedance, but is only determined by the mass of each membrane and the electromechanical transformer ratio. The proof is based on the analytical derivations for a simple transducer with two cells, and extended to transducers with numerous cells using circuit simulators. We used a first-order model, which incorporates the fundamental resonance of the CMUT. Noise power is calculated by integrating over the entire spectrum; hence, the presented figures are an upper bound for the noise. The presented analyses are valid for a transimpedance amplifier in the receive path. We use the analysis results to calculate the minimum detectable pressure of a CMUT. We also provide an analysis based on the experimental data to show that output noise power is limited by and comparable to the theoretical upper limit.

Research and development of in-core transducers at the CIAE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Yucai; Liu Yupu; Jia Guozhen; Liu Lianping

1996-01-01

In this paper, R and D of in-core transducers at the CIAE are briefly summarized. With the construction and commissioning of PWR nuclear power plant in China, fuel rod behaviour need to be studied carefully. As conventional transducers cannot meet the requirements of in-core applications, R and D of in-core transducers are developed. Since 1980's, several kinds of in-core transducers have been successfully fabricated and tested under the conditions simulating PWR. At present, in-pile tests of the transducers combining with the studies of individual behaviour of PWR fuel rod are being planned at the CIAE. (author). 11 refs, 12 figs, 4 tabs

Simultaneous excitation system for efficient guided wave structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Jiadong; Michaels, Jennifer E.; Chen, Xin; Lin, Jing

2017-10-01

Many structural health monitoring systems utilize guided wave transducer arrays for defect detection and localization. Signals are usually acquired using the ;pitch-catch; method whereby each transducer is excited in turn and the response is received by the remaining transducers. When extensive signal averaging is performed, the data acquisition process can be quite time-consuming, especially for metallic components that require a low repetition rate to allow signals to die out. Such a long data acquisition time is particularly problematic if environmental and operational conditions are changing while data are being acquired. To reduce the total data acquisition time, proposed here is a methodology whereby multiple transmitters are simultaneously triggered, and each transmitter is driven with a unique excitation. The simultaneously transmitted waves are captured by one or more receivers, and their responses are processed by dispersion-compensated filtering to extract the response from each individual transmitter. The excitation sequences are constructed by concatenating a series of chirps whose start and stop frequencies are randomly selected from a specified range. The process is optimized using a Monte-Carlo approach to select sequences with impulse-like autocorrelations and relatively flat cross-correlations. The efficacy of the proposed methodology is evaluated by several metrics and is experimentally demonstrated with sparse array imaging of simulated damage.

Accelerated optimizations of an electromagnetic acoustic transducer with artificial neural networks as metamodels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Wang

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs are noncontact transducers generating ultrasonic waves directly in the conductive sample. Despite the advantages, their transduction efficiencies are relatively low, so it is imperative to build accurate multiphysics models of EMATs and optimize the structural parameters accordingly, using a suitable optimization algorithm. The optimizing process often involves a large number of runs of the computationally expensive numerical models, so metamodels as substitutes for the real numerical models are helpful for the optimizations. In this work the focus is on the artificial neural networks as the metamodels of an omnidirectional EMAT, including the multilayer feedforward networks trained with the basic and improved back propagation algorithms and the radial basis function networks with exact and nonexact interpolations. The developed neural-network programs are tested on an example problem. Then the model of an omnidirectional EMAT generating Lamb waves in a linearized steel plate is introduced, and various approaches to calculate the amplitudes of the displacement component waveforms are discussed. The neural-network metamodels are then built for the EMAT model and compared to the displacement component amplitude (or ratio of amplitudes surface data on a discrete grid of the design variables as the reference, applying a multifrequency model with FFT (fast Fourier transform/IFFT (inverse FFT processing. Finally the two-objective optimization problem is formulated with one objective function minimizing the ratio of the amplitude of the S0-mode Lamb wave to that of the A0 mode, and the other objective function minimizing as the negative amplitude of the A0 mode. Pareto fronts in the criterion space are solved with the neural-network models and the total time consumption is greatly decreased. From the study it could be observed that the radial basis function network with exact interpolation has the best

Performance of Honeywell silicon pressure transducers

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

VijayKumar, K.; Joseph, A.; Desai, R.G.P.; Nagvekar, S.; Prabhudesai, S.; Damodaran, V.

pressure. The precision pressure transducer – ruggedized (PPTR) manufactured by Honeywell is provided with a special “Hastelloy” material isolation-diaphragm to protect the transducer port against corrosive effects during its prolonged exposure...-scale output (an intelligent technique anufacturers to hide the non-linearity of the product at all data points below ore realistic estimate of linearity is obtained by ean of a few samples) based on the corresponding true ethod employed by performance...

Damage detection in concrete structures with smart piezoceramic transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Naidu, Akshay S. K.; Bhalla, Suresh

2003-10-01

Detection of damages and progressive deterioration in structures is a critical issue. Visual inspections are tedious and unreliable. Incipient damages are often not discernible by low frequency dynamic response and other NDE techniques. Smart piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) transducers are emerging as an effective alternative in health monitoring of structures. The electro-mechanical impedance method employs the self-actuating and sensing characteristics of the PZT, without having to use actuators and sensors separately. When excited by an ac source, the PZT transducers bonded to the host structure activates the higher modes of vibration locally. Changes in the admittance response of the transducer serves as an indicator of damage around the transducer. In this paper, the effectiveness of PZT transducers for characterizing damages in concrete, in terms of the damage extent and location, is experimentally examined. The root mean square deviation (RMSD) index, adopted to quantify the changes in the admittance signatures, correlates with the damage extent. The damages on the surface that is not mounted by the PZT are also discernible. An array of transducers proves effective in detecting the damaged zone. The progressive incipient crack can be detected much before it actually becomes visible to the naked eye.

Study on electrical impedance matching for broadband ultrasonic transducer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Geon Woo [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Bok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Center for Safety Measurement, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Kwang Sae [Elache Co., Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

Ultrasonic transducers with high resolution and resonant frequency are required to detect small defects (less than hundreds of μm) by ultrasonic testing. The resonance frequency and resolution of an ultrasonic transducer are closely related to the thickness of piezo-electric materials, backing materials, and the electric impedance matching technique. Among these factors, electrical impedance matching plays an important role because it can reduce the loss and reflection of ultrasonic energy differences in electrical impedance between an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic defects detecting system. An LC matching circuit is the most frequently used electric matching method. It is necessary for the electrical impedance of an ultrasonic transducer to correspond to approximately 50 Ω to compensate the difference in electrical impedance between both connections. In this study, a 15 MHz immersion ultrasonic transducer was fabricated and an LC electrical impedance circuit was applied to that for having broad-band frequency characteristic.

Bonding and impedance matching of acoustic transducers using silver epoxy.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Kyu Tak; Lee, Chin C

2012-04-01

Silver epoxy was selected to bond transducer plates on glass substrates. The properties and thickness of the bonding medium affect the electrical input impedance of the transducer. Thus, the thickness of the silver epoxy bonding layer was used as a design parameter to optimize the structure for the transducer input impedance to match the 50 Ω output impedance of most radio frequency (RF) generators. Simulation and experimental results show that nearly perfect matching is achieved without using any matching circuit. At the matching condition, the transducer operates at a frequency band a little bit below the half-wavelength resonant frequency of the piezoelectric plate. In experiments, lead titanate (PT) piezoelectric plates were employed. Both full-size, 11.5 mm × 2 mm × 0.4 mm, and half-size, 5.75 mm × 2 mm × 0.4 mm, can be well matched using optimal silver epoxy thickness. The transducer assemblies demonstrate high efficiency. The conversion loss from electrical power to acoustic power in soda-lime glass is 4.3 dB. This loss is low considering the fact that the transducers operate at off-resonance by 12%. With proper choice of silver epoxy thickness, the transducer can be matched at the fundamental, the 3rd and 5th harmonic frequencies. This leads to the possible realization of triple-band transducers. Reliability was assessed with thermal cycling test according to Telcordia GR-468-Core recommendation. Of the 30 transducer assemblies tested, none broke until 2900 cycles and 27 have sustained beyond 4050 cycles. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Shuyu; Tian Hua

2008-01-01

A sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is studied. The transducer consists of front and back metal masses, and coaxially segmented, thickness polarized piezoelectric ceramic thin rings. For this kind of sandwich piezoelectric transducers in thickness vibration, it is required that the lateral dimension of the transducer is sufficiently large compared with its longitudinal dimension so that no lateral displacements in the transducer can occur (laterally clamped). In this paper, the thickness vibration of the piezoelectric ceramic stack consisting of a number of identical piezoelectric ceramic thin rings is analysed and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. The resonance frequency equation for the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is derived. Based on the frequency equation, two sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducers are designed and manufactured, and their resonance frequencies are measured. It is shown that the measured resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the theoretical results. This kind of sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is expected to be used in megasonic ultrasonic cleaning and sonochemistry where high power and high frequency ultrasound is needed

Features calibration of the dynamic force transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Sc., M. Yu Prilepko D.; Lysenko, V. G.

2018-04-01

The article discusses calibration methods of dynamic forces measuring instruments. The relevance of work is dictated by need to valid definition of the dynamic forces transducers metrological characteristics taking into account their intended application. The aim of this work is choice justification of calibration method, which provides the definition dynamic forces transducers metrological characteristics under simulation operating conditions for determining suitability for using in accordance with its purpose. The following tasks are solved: the mathematical model and the main measurements equation of calibration dynamic forces transducers by load weight, the main budget uncertainty components of calibration are defined. The new method of dynamic forces transducers calibration with use the reference converter “force-deformation” based on the calibrated elastic element and measurement of his deformation by a laser interferometer is offered. The mathematical model and the main measurements equation of the offered method is constructed. It is shown that use of calibration method based on measurements by the laser interferometer of calibrated elastic element deformations allows to exclude or to considerably reduce the uncertainty budget components inherent to method of load weight.

Simulation tools for guided wave based structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Mesnil, Olivier; Imperiale, Alexandre; Demaldent, Edouard; Baronian, Vahan; Chapuis, Bastien

2018-04-01

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a thematic derived from Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) based on the integration of sensors onto or into a structure in order to monitor its health without disturbing its regular operating cycle. Guided wave based SHM relies on the propagation of guided waves in plate-like or extruded structures. Using piezoelectric transducers to generate and receive guided waves is one of the most widely accepted paradigms due to the low cost and low weight of those sensors. A wide range of techniques for flaw detection based on the aforementioned setup is available in the literature but very few of these techniques have found industrial applications yet. A major difficulty comes from the sensitivity of guided waves to a substantial number of parameters such as the temperature or geometrical singularities, making guided wave measurement difficult to analyze. In order to apply guided wave based SHM techniques to a wider spectrum of applications and to transfer those techniques to the industry, the CEA LIST develops novel numerical methods. These methods facilitate the evaluation of the robustness of SHM techniques for multiple applicative cases and ease the analysis of the influence of various parameters, such as sensors positioning or environmental conditions. The first numerical tool is the guided wave module integrated to the commercial software CIVA, relying on a hybrid modal-finite element formulation to compute the guided wave response of perturbations (cavities, flaws…) in extruded structures of arbitrary cross section such as rails or pipes. The second numerical tool is based on the spectral element method [2] and simulates guided waves in both isotropic (metals) and orthotropic (composites) plate like-structures. This tool is designed to match the widely accepted sparse piezoelectric transducer array SHM configuration in which each embedded sensor acts as both emitter and receiver of guided waves. This tool is under development and

Simulation and Optimization of Surface Acoustic Wave Devises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dühring, Maria Bayard

2007-01-01

In this paper a method to model the interaction of the mechanical field from a surface acoustic wave and the optical field in the waveguides of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is presented. The surface acoustic waves are generated by interdigital transducers using a plane strain model...... in effective refractive index introduced in the Mach-Zehnder interferometer arms by the stresses from the surface acoustic wave is calculated. It is shown that the effective refractive index of the fundamental optical mode increases at a surface acoustic wave crest and decreases at a trough. The height...... of a piezoelectric, inhomogeneous material and reflections from the boundaries are avoided by applying perfectly matched layers. The optical modes in the waveguides are modeled by the time-harmonic wave equation for the magnetic field. The two models are coupled using the stress-optical relation and the change...

High-frequency Doppler ultrasound transducer for the peripheral circulatory system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Youngmin; Yang, Jeongwon; Kang, Uk; Kim, Guanghoon [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Ansan (Korea, Republic of)

2011-12-15

A Doppler ultrasound transducer was designed and implemented to measure the blood flow velocity in tiny vessels near the skin of hands or feet. The geometric parameters of the transducer for defining the observation volume were derived and implemented with an acoustic window made of polystyrene. The observation volume designed in this study was located 6.5 mm from the transducer, which was comparable to the value predicted geometrically. The two-way insertion loss of the transducer was -11.3 dB on ultrasound frequency of 20 MHz, and the 3-dB bandwidth was approximately 2 MHz. In addition, the Doppler shift in the frequency measured by using a Doppler device composed of the transducer and a Doppler signal processing unit was proportional to the flow velocity generated by a homemade flowing system. Finally, we concluded that the transducer could be applied to measure the blood flow velocity in hands or feet.

High-frequency Doppler ultrasound transducer for the peripheral circulatory system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Youngmin; Yang, Jeongwon; Kang, Uk; Kim, Guanghoon

2011-01-01

A Doppler ultrasound transducer was designed and implemented to measure the blood flow velocity in tiny vessels near the skin of hands or feet. The geometric parameters of the transducer for defining the observation volume were derived and implemented with an acoustic window made of polystyrene. The observation volume designed in this study was located 6.5 mm from the transducer, which was comparable to the value predicted geometrically. The two-way insertion loss of the transducer was -11.3 dB on ultrasound frequency of 20 MHz, and the 3-dB bandwidth was approximately 2 MHz. In addition, the Doppler shift in the frequency measured by using a Doppler device composed of the transducer and a Doppler signal processing unit was proportional to the flow velocity generated by a homemade flowing system. Finally, we concluded that the transducer could be applied to measure the blood flow velocity in hands or feet.

Biasing of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caliano, Giosue; Matrone, Giulia; Savoia, Alessandro Stuart

2017-02-01

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) represent an effective alternative to piezoelectric transducers for medical ultrasound imaging applications. They are microelectromechanical devices fabricated using silicon micromachining techniques, developed in the last two decades in many laboratories. The interest for this novel transducer technology relies on its full compatibility with standard integrated circuit technology that makes it possible to integrate on the same chip the transducers and the electronics, thus enabling the realization of extremely low-cost and high-performance devices, including both 1-D or 2-D arrays. Being capacitive transducers, CMUTs require a high bias voltage to be properly operated in pulse-echo imaging applications. The typical bias supply residual ripple of high-quality high-voltage (HV) generators is in the millivolt range, which is comparable with the amplitude of the received echo signals, and it is particularly difficult to minimize. The aim of this paper is to analyze the classical CMUT biasing circuits, highlighting the features of each one, and to propose two novel HV generator architectures optimized for CMUT biasing applications. The first circuit proposed is an ultralow-residual ripple (generator that uses an extremely stable sinusoidal power oscillator topology. The second circuit employs a commercially available integrated step-up converter characterized by a particularly efficient switching topology. The circuit is used to bias the CMUT by charging a buffer capacitor synchronously with the pulsing sequence, thus reducing the impact of the switching noise on the received echo signals. The small area of the circuit (about 1.5 cm 2 ) makes it possible to generate the bias voltage inside the probe, very close to the CMUT, making the proposed solution attractive for portable applications. Measurements and experiments are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approaches presented.

Analysis on Coupled Vibration of a Radially Polarized Piezoelectric Cylindrical Transducer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Xu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Coupled vibration of a radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer is analyzed with the mechanical coupling coefficient method. The method has been utilized to analyze the metal cylindrical transducer and the axially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer. In this method, the mechanical coupling coefficient is introduced and defined as the stress ratio in different directions. Coupled vibration of the cylindrical transducer is regarded as the interaction of the plane radial vibration of a ring and the longitudinal vibration of a tube. For the radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer, the radial and longitudinal electric admittances as functions of mechanical coupling coefficients and angular frequencies are derived, respectively. The resonance frequency equations are obtained. The dependence of resonance frequency and mechanical coupling coefficient on aspect ratio is studied. Vibrational distributions on the surfaces of the cylindrical transducer are presented with experimental measurement. On the support of experiments, this work is verified and provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis and design of the radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer.

Angular Spectrum Method for the Focused Acoustic Field of a Linear Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Belgroune, D.; de Belleval, J. F.; Djelouah, H.

Applications involving non-destructive testing or acoustical imaging are more and more sophisticated. In this context, a model based on the angular spectrum approach is tackled in view to calculate the focused impulse field radiated by a linear transducer through a plane fluid-solid interface. It is well known that electronic focusing, based on a cylindrical delay law, like for the classical cases (lenses, curved transducer), leads to an inaccurate focusing in the solid due to geometric aberrations errors affecting refraction. Generally, there is a significant difference between the acoustic focal distance and the geometrical focal due to refraction. In our work, an optimized delay law, based on the Fermat's principle is established, particularly at an oblique incidence where the geometrical considerations, relatively simple in normal incidence, become quickly laborious. Numerical simulations of impulse field are judiciously carried out. Subsequently, the input parameters are optimally selected in order to achieve good computation accuracy and a high focusing. The overall results, involving compression and shear waves, have highlighted the focusing improvement in the solid when compared to the currently available approaches. Indeed, the acoustic focal distance is very close to geometrical focal distance and then, allows better control of the refracted angular beam profile (refraction angle, focusing depth and focal size).

Dynamic behavior of microscale particles controlled by standing bulk acoustic waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenhall, J.; Raeymaekers, B., E-mail: bart.raeymaekers@utah.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 (United States); Guevara Vasquez, F. [Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 (United States)

2014-10-06

We analyze the dynamic behavior of a spherical microparticle submerged in a fluid medium, driven to the node of a standing bulk acoustic wave created by two opposing transducers. We derive the dynamics of the fluid-particle system taking into account the acoustic radiation force and the time-dependent and time-independent drag force acting on the particle. Using this dynamic model, we characterize the transient and steady-state behavior of the fluid-particle system as a function of the particle and fluid properties and the transducer operating parameters. The results show that the settling time and percent overshoot of the particle trajectory are dependent on the ratio of the acoustic radiation force and time-independent damping force. In addition, we show that the particle oscillates around the node of the standing wave with an amplitude that depends on the ratio of the time-dependent drag forces and the particle inertia.

Ultrahigh-frequency surface acoustic wave generation for acoustic charge transport in silicon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Büyükköse, S.; Vratzov, B.; van der Veen, Johan (CTIT); Santos, P.V.; van der Wiel, Wilfred Gerard

2013-01-01

We demonstrate piezo-electrical generation of ultrahigh-frequency surface acoustic waves on silicon substrates, using high-resolution UV-based nanoimprint lithography, hydrogen silsequioxane planarization, and metal lift-off. Interdigital transducers were fabricated on a ZnO layer sandwiched between

A method for determining losses in magnetostrictive transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Krysin, V. N.; Ketlerov, A. S.

A method for estimating energy losses in magnetostrictive transducers is described. It is shown that domain remagnetization is responsible for the greatest energy loss in magnetostrictive transducers. Energy losses associated with Foucault currents and Joule heat are an order of magnitude less.

New Analysis Scheme of Flow-Acoustic Coupling for Gas Ultrasonic Flowmeter with Vortex near the Transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yanzhao; Zhang, Tao; Zheng, Dandan

2018-04-10

Ultrasonic flowmeters with a small or medium diameter are widely used in process industries. The flow field disturbance on acoustic propagation caused by a vortex near the transducer inside the sensor as well as the mechanism and details of flow-acoustic interaction are needed to strengthen research. For that reason, a new hybrid scheme is proposed; the theories of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), wave acoustics, and ray acoustics are used comprehensively by a new step-by-step method. The flow field with a vortex near the transducer, and its influence on sound propagation, receiving, and flowmeter performance are analyzed in depth. It was found that, firstly, the velocity and vortex intensity distribution were asymmetric on the sensor cross-section and acoustic path. Secondly, when passing through the vortex zone, the central ray trajectory was deflected significantly. The sound pressure on the central line of the sound path also changed. Thirdly, the pressure deviation becomes larger with as the flow velocity increases. The deviation was up to 17% for different velocity profiles in a range of 0.6 m/s to 53 m/s. Lastly, in comparison to the theoretical value, the relative deviation of the instrument coefficient for the velocity profile with a vortex near the transducer reached up to -17%. In addition, the rationality of the simulation was proved by experiments.

New Analysis Scheme of Flow-Acoustic Coupling for Gas Ultrasonic Flowmeter with Vortex near the Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tao; Zheng, Dandan

2018-01-01

Ultrasonic flowmeters with a small or medium diameter are widely used in process industries. The flow field disturbance on acoustic propagation caused by a vortex near the transducer inside the sensor as well as the mechanism and details of flow-acoustic interaction are needed to strengthen research. For that reason, a new hybrid scheme is proposed; the theories of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), wave acoustics, and ray acoustics are used comprehensively by a new step-by-step method. The flow field with a vortex near the transducer, and its influence on sound propagation, receiving, and flowmeter performance are analyzed in depth. It was found that, firstly, the velocity and vortex intensity distribution were asymmetric on the sensor cross-section and acoustic path. Secondly, when passing through the vortex zone, the central ray trajectory was deflected significantly. The sound pressure on the central line of the sound path also changed. Thirdly, the pressure deviation becomes larger with as the flow velocity increases. The deviation was up to 17% for different velocity profiles in a range of 0.6 m/s to 53 m/s. Lastly, in comparison to the theoretical value, the relative deviation of the instrument coefficient for the velocity profile with a vortex near the transducer reached up to −17%. In addition, the rationality of the simulation was proved by experiments. PMID:29642577

New Analysis Scheme of Flow-Acoustic Coupling for Gas Ultrasonic Flowmeter with Vortex near the Transducer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanzhao Sun

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic flowmeters with a small or medium diameter are widely used in process industries. The flow field disturbance on acoustic propagation caused by a vortex near the transducer inside the sensor as well as the mechanism and details of flow-acoustic interaction are needed to strengthen research. For that reason, a new hybrid scheme is proposed; the theories of computational fluid dynamics (CFD, wave acoustics, and ray acoustics are used comprehensively by a new step-by-step method. The flow field with a vortex near the transducer, and its influence on sound propagation, receiving, and flowmeter performance are analyzed in depth. It was found that, firstly, the velocity and vortex intensity distribution were asymmetric on the sensor cross-section and acoustic path. Secondly, when passing through the vortex zone, the central ray trajectory was deflected significantly. The sound pressure on the central line of the sound path also changed. Thirdly, the pressure deviation becomes larger with as the flow velocity increases. The deviation was up to 17% for different velocity profiles in a range of 0.6 m/s to 53 m/s. Lastly, in comparison to the theoretical value, the relative deviation of the instrument coefficient for the velocity profile with a vortex near the transducer reached up to −17%. In addition, the rationality of the simulation was proved by experiments.

New improvement of the combined optical fiber transducer for landslide monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Z.-W.; Yuan, Q.-Y.; Liu, D.-Y.; Liu, B.; Liu, J.-C.; Luo, H.

2014-08-01

Landslide monitoring is important in predicting the behavior of landslides, thereby ensuring environmental, life, and property safety. On the basis of our previous studies, we conducted the double shear test by using a third-generation optical fiber transducer that uses expandable polystyrene (EPS) as base material. However, the third-generation transducer has poor performance when cohesive force is present between the grout and capillary stainless steel pipe of the transducer. Thus, the fourth-generation optical fiber transducer was invented. Similar to the third-generation transducer, the fourth-generation transducer also used EPS as its base material. Single shear test was conducted on the fourth-generation transducer after being grouted with cement mortar (1 : 1 mix ratio). The micro-bend loss mechanism of the optical fiber was considered, and the optical time domain reflectometry instrument was used. The fact that the loss sequence of optical fibers subjected to loading is different at various locations is found. The relationship of the loading-point displacement vs. optical fiber sliding distance and optical loss were measured. Results show that the maximum initial measurement precision of the newly proposed device is 1 mm, the corresponding sliding distance is 21 mm, and the dynamic range is 0-20 mm. The fourth-generation transducer can measure the movement direction of loadings, thus making this transducer applicable for landslide monitoring.

Switch-shock wave structure in a magnetized partly-ionized gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cramer, N.F.

1975-01-01

The effect of the interaction of plasma and neutral gas on the structure of switch-type shock waves propagating in a partly-ionized gas is studied. These shocks, in which the magnetic field is perpendicular to the shock front either upstream or downstream, exhibit a spiralling behaviour of the magnetic field in the shock transition region, if the Hall term is important in the Ohm's law. Observations of this behaviour for shocks propagating into a plasma with a residual neutral content of about 15% has implied an anomalously high resistivity of the plasma. We show that this can be partly explained by considering the collisions of ions with the neutral atoms in a magnetic field. We show that the extra dissipation due to the increase in resistivity goes primarily to the ions and neutrals. Thus even in the absence of viscous dissipation within each species, the heavy particles can be appreciably heated in a shock propagating into a partly-ionized gas in a magnetic field. (author)

Experimental Evaluation of Three Designs of Electrodynamic Flexural Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tobias J. R. Eriksson

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Three designs for electrodynamic flexural transducers (EDFT for air-coupled ultrasonics are presented and compared. An all-metal housing was used for robustness, which makes the designs more suitable for industrial applications. The housing is designed such that there is a thin metal plate at the front, with a fundamental flexural vibration mode at ∼50 kHz. By using a flexural resonance mode, good coupling to the load medium was achieved without the use of matching layers. The front radiating plate is actuated electrodynamically by a spiral coil inside the transducer, which produces an induced magnetic field when an AC current is applied to it. The transducers operate without the use of piezoelectric materials, which can simplify manufacturing and prolong the lifetime of the transducers, as well as open up possibilities for high-temperature applications. The results show that different designs perform best for the generation and reception of ultrasound. All three designs produced large acoustic pressure outputs, with a recorded sound pressure level (SPL above 120 dB at a 40 cm distance from the highest output transducer. The sensitivity of the transducers was low, however, with single shot signal-to-noise ratio ( SNR ≃ 15 dB in transmit–receive mode, with transmitter and receiver 40 cm apart.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF POTENTIOMETER-BASED NONLINEAR TRANSDUCER EMULATOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheroz Khan

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This work attempts to design and implement in hardware a transducer with a nonlinear response using potentiometer. Potentiometer is regarded as a linear transducer, while a the response of a nonlinear transducer can be treated as a concatenation of linear segments made out of the response curve of an actual nonlinear transducer at the points of inflections being exhibited by the nonlinear curve. Each straight line segment is characterized by its slope and a constant, called the y-intercept, which is ultimately realized by a corresponding electronic circuit. The complete circuit diagram is made of three stages: (i the input stage for range selection, (ii a digital logic to make appropriate selection, (iii a conditioning circuit for realizing a given straight-line segment identified by its relevant slope and reference voltage. The simulation of the circuit is carried using MULTISIM, and the designed circuit is afterward tested to verify that variations of the input voltage give us an output voltage very close to the response pattern envisaged in the analytical stage of the design. The utility of this work lies in its applications in emulating purpose built transducers that could be used to nicely emulate a transducer in a real world system that is to be controlled by a programmable digital system.

Piezoelectric transducer vibrations in a one-dimensional approximation

CERN Document Server

Hilke, H J

1973-01-01

The theory of piezoelectric transducer vibrations, which may be treated as one-dimensional, is developed in detail for thin discs vibrating in a pure thickness extensional mode. An effort has been made to obtain relations of general validity, which include losses, and which are in a simple explicit form convenient for practical calculations. The behaviour of transducers is discussed with special attention to their characteristics at the two fundamental frequencies, the so-called parallel and series resonances. Several peculiarities occur when transducers are coupled to media with considerably different acoustic impedances. These peculiarities are discussed and illustrated by numerical results for quartz and PZT 4 piezoelectric discs radiating into water, air and liquid hydrogen. The application of the theory to different types of vibrations is briefly illustrated for thin bars vibrating longitudinally. Short discussions are included on compound transducer systems, and on the properties of thin discs as receiv...

A new concept of smart flexible phased array transducer to inspect component of complex geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, O.; Mauhaut, S.; Casula, O.; Cattiaux, G.

2001-01-01

In most of industries as aeronautics, aerospace and nuclear, the main part of the non destructive testing is carried out directly in touch with the inspected component. Among others, the cooling piping of French pressurized water reactor comprises many welding components with complex geometry: elbows, butt welds, nozzles. In service inspections of such components performed with conventional ultrasonic contact transducers present limited performances. First, variations in sensitivity, due to unmatched contact on depressions or irregular surface are observed, resulting in poor detection performances. In addition, the beam orientation transmitted through complex interfaces cannot be totally controlled, because of the disorientations suffered by the transducer during its displacement. As a result, the possible defect cannot be correctly detected, positioned and characterized. To overcome these difficulties and to improve the performances of such inspections, the French Atomic Energy Commission has developed a new concept of transducer, allowing both to take into account the varying profile of the tested component and to efficiently compensate these effects. This transducer is a flexible phased array able to match the surface of the inspected specimen and to efficiently compensate the deformation of its own surface, in order to preserve the ultrasonic beam characteristics in spite of the profile variations encountered during the scanning. This ability is achieved thanks to a specific instrumentation, which measures the deformation of the transducer radiating surface, made of individual ultrasonic elements mechanically jointed to fit the actual surface of the component being inspected. Inspections in pulse-echo mode have been performed on a specimen with an irregular profile containing artificial embedded reflectors. The comparison with inspection carried out using conventional transducer shows the efficiency of the system to characterize defects under such complex

Analysis and optimization of Love wave liquid sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakoby, B; Vellekoop, M J

1998-01-01

Love wave sensors are highly sensitive microacoustic devices, which are well suited for liquid sensing applications thanks to the shear polarization of the wave. The sensing mechanism thereby relies on the mechanical (or acoustic) interaction of the device with the liquid. The successful utilization of Love wave devices for this purpose requires proper shielding to avoid unwanted electric interaction of the liquid with the wave and the transducers. In this work we describe the effects of this electric interaction and the proper design of a shield to prevent it. We present analysis methods, which illustrate the impact of the interaction and which help to obtain an optimized design of the proposed shield. We also present experimental results for devices that have been fabricated according to these design rules.

Lamb wave propagation in monocrystalline silicon wafers.

Science.gov (United States)

Fromme, Paul; Pizzolato, Marco; Robyr, Jean-Luc; Masserey, Bernard

2018-01-01

Monocrystalline silicon wafers are widely used in the photovoltaic industry for solar panels with high conversion efficiency. Guided ultrasonic waves offer the potential to efficiently detect micro-cracks in the thin wafers. Previous studies of ultrasonic wave propagation in silicon focused on effects of material anisotropy on bulk ultrasonic waves, but the dependence of the wave propagation characteristics on the material anisotropy is not well understood for Lamb waves. The phase slowness and beam skewing of the two fundamental Lamb wave modes A 0 and S 0 were investigated. Experimental measurements using contact wedge transducer excitation and laser measurement were conducted. Good agreement was found between the theoretically calculated angular dependency of the phase slowness and measurements for different propagation directions relative to the crystal orientation. Significant wave skew and beam widening was observed experimentally due to the anisotropy, especially for the S 0 mode. Explicit finite element simulations were conducted to visualize and quantify the guided wave beam skew. Good agreement was found for the A 0 mode, but a systematic discrepancy was observed for the S 0 mode. These effects need to be considered for the non-destructive testing of wafers using guided waves.

Turbine transducer developed for adverse conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, D.R.; Edson, J.L.

1982-01-01

This paper reviews the latest developments that the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has made on a turbine transducer used in measurement of two-phase flow. It is operated in a modular configuration with a drag transducer to provide mass flow data. Current configurations allow its use in single modules or in multiples to provide flow profile information. The turbine can also provide mass flow data when used with associated instrumentation such as a densitometer. The transducer, which is the product of long investigations and test series, is subject to high vibration loading and high temperatures as well as a borated liquid environment; flow conditions range from all liquid to all steam and from ambient temperatures to over 600 0 F at pressures up to 2200 psi. Graphite bearing and carbide shaft materials were selected to provide corrosion resistance along with mechanical integrity, and resistance to wear. The new turbine design has met all operational requirements in actual use and in extended lifetime tests

Design of HIFU Transducers to Generate Specific Nonlinear Ultrasound Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Khokhlova, Vera A.; Yuldashev, Petr V.; Rosnitskiy, Pavel B.; Maxwell, Adam D.; Kreider, Wayne; Bailey, Michael R.; Sapozhnikov, Oleg A.

Various clinical applications of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) have different requirements on the pressure level and degree of nonlinear waveform distortion at the focus. Applications that utilize nonlinear waves with developed shocks are of growing interest, for example, for mechanical disintegration as well as for accelerated thermal ablation oftissue. In this work, an inverse problem of determining transducer parameters to enable formation of shockswith desired amplitude at the focus is solved. The solution was obtained by performing multipledirect simulations of the parabolic Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation for various parameters of the source. It is shown that results obtained within the parabolic approximation can be used to describe the focal region of single element spherical sourcesas well as complex transducer arrays. It is also demonstrated that the focal pressure level at which fully developed shocksare formed mainly depends on the focusing angle of the source and only slightly depends on its aperture and operating frequency. Using the simulation results, a 256-element HIFU array operating at 1.5 MHz frequency was designed for a specific application of boiling-histotripsy that relies on the presence of 90-100 MPa shocks at the focus. The size of the array elements and focusing angle of the array were chosen to satisfy technical limitations on the intensity at the array elements and desired shock amplitudes in the focal waveform. Focus steering capabilities of the array were analysed using an open-source T-Array software developed at Moscow State University.

A new hybrid longitudinal–torsional magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karafi, Mohammad Reza; Hojjat, Yousef; Sassani, Farrokh

2013-01-01

In this paper, a novel hybrid longitudinal–torsional magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer (HL–TMUT) is introduced. The transducer is composed of a magnetostrictive exponential horn and a stainless steel tail mass. In this transducer a spiral magnetic field made up of longitudinal and circumferential magnetic fields is applied to the magnetostrictive horn. As a result, the magnetostrictive horn oscillates simultaneously both longitudinally and torsionally in accordance with the Joule and Wiedemann effects. The magnetostrictive exponential horn is designed in such a manner that it has the same longitudinal and torsional resonant frequency. It is made up of ‘2V Permendur’, which has isotropic magnetic properties. The differential equations of the torsional and longitudinal vibration of the horn are derived, and a HL–TMUT is designed with a resonant frequency of 20 573 Hz. The natural frequency and mode shapes of the transducer are considered theoretically and numerically. The experimental results show that this transducer resonates torsionally and longitudinally with frequencies of 20 610 Hz and 20 830 Hz respectively. The maximum torsional displacement is 1.5 mrad m −1 and the maximum longitudinal displacement is 0.6 μm. These are promising features for industrial applications. (paper)

Design of a Smart Ultrasonic Transducer for Interconnecting Machine Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Xu

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A high-frequency ultrasonic transducer for copper or gold wire bonding has been designed, analyzed, prototyped and tested. Modeling techniques were used in the design phase and a practical design procedure was established and used. The transducer was decomposed into its elementary components. For each component, an initial design was obtained with simulations using a finite elements model (FEM. Simulated ultrasonic modules were built and characterized experimentally through the Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV and electrical resonance spectra. Compared with experimental data, the FEM could be iteratively adjusted and updated. Having achieved a remarkably highly-predictive FEM of the whole transducer, the design parameters could be tuned for the desired applications, then the transducer is fixed on the wire bonder with a complete holder clamping was calculated by the FEM. The approach to mount ultrasonic transducers on wire bonding machines also is of major importance for wire bonding in modern electronic packaging. The presented method can lead to obtaining a nearly complete decoupling clamper design of the transducer to the wire bonder.

Air-Coupled Piezoelectric Transducers with Active Polypropylene Foam Matching Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomás E. Gómez Alvarez-Arenas

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This work presents the design, construction and characterization of air-coupled piezoelectric transducers using 1–3 connectivity piezocomposite disks with a stack of matching layers being the outer one an active quarter wavelength layer made of polypropylene foam ferroelectret film. This kind of material has shown a stable piezoelectric response together with a very low acoustic impedance (<0.1 MRayl. These features make them a suitable candidate for the dual use or function proposed here: impedance matching layer and active material for air-coupled transduction. The transducer centre frequency is determined by the l/4 resonance of the polypropylene foam ferroelectret film (0.35 MHz, then, the rest of the transducer components (piezocomposite disk and passive intermediate matching layers are all tuned to this frequency. The transducer has been tested in several working modes including pulse-echo and pitch-catch as well as wide and narrow band excitation. The performance of the proposed novel transducer is compared with that of a conventional air-coupled transducers operating in a similar frequency range.

Thermal properties photonic crystal fiber transducers with ferromagnetic nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Przybysz, N.; Marć, P.; Kisielewska, A.; Jaroszewicz, L. R.

2015-12-01

The main aim of the research is to design new types of fiber optic transducers based on filled photonic crystal fibers for sensor applications. In our research we propose to use as a filling material nanoparticles' ferrofluids (Fe3O4 NPs). Optical properties of such transducers are studied by measurements of spectral characteristics' changes when transducers are exposed to temperature and magnetic field changes. From synthesized ferrofluid several mixtures with different NPs' concentrations were prepared. Partially filled commercially available photonic crystal fiber LMA 10 (NKT Photonics) was used to design PCF transducers. Their thermo-optic properties were tested in a temperature chamber. Taking into account magnetic properties of synthetized NPs the patch cords based on a partially filled PM 1550 PCF were measured.

Energy harvesting for wireless sensors by using piezoelectric transducers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duerager, Christian [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Duebendorf (Switzerland)

2012-07-01

Wireless sensor technology, which integrates transducers, measurement electronics and wireless communication, has become increasingly vital in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Compared to traditional wired systems, wireless solutions reduce the installation time and costs and are not subjected to breakage caused by harsh weather conditions or other extreme events. Because of the low installation costs, wireless sensor networks allow the deployment of a big number of wireless sensor nodes on the structures. Moreover, the nodes can be placed on particularly critical components of the structure difficult to reach by wires. In most of the cases the power supply are conventional batteries, which could be a problem because of their finite life span. Furthermore, in the case of wireless sensor nodes located on structures, it is often advantageous to embed them, which makes an access impossible. Therefore, if a method of obtaining the untapped energy surrounding these sensors was implemented, significant life could be added to the power supply. Various approaches to energy harvesting and energy storage are discussed and limitations associated with the current technology are addressed. In this paper we first discuss the research that has been performed in the area of energy harvesting for wireless sensor technologies by using the ambient vibration energy. In many cases the energy produced by the ambient vibrations is far too small to directly power a wireless sensor node. Therefore, in a second step we discuss the development process for an electronic energy harvesting circuit optimized for piezoelectric transducers. In the last part of this paper an experiment with different piezoelectric transducers and their applicability for energy harvesting applications on vibrating structures will be discussed. (orig.)

Performance Evaluation of Pressure Transducers for Water Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Vassilakos, Gregory J.; Stegall, David E.; Treadway, Sean

2012-01-01

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is being designed for water landings. In order to benchmark the ability of engineering tools to predict water landing loads, test programs are underway for scale model and full-scale water impacts. These test programs are predicated on the reliable measurement of impact pressure histories. Tests have been performed with a variety of pressure transducers from various manufacturers. Both piezoelectric and piezoresistive devices have been tested. Effects such as thermal shock, pinching of the transducer head, and flushness of the transducer mounting have been studied. Data acquisition issues such as sampling rate and anti-aliasing filtering also have been studied. The response of pressure transducers have been compared side-by-side on an impulse test rig and on a 20-inch diameter hemisphere dropped into a pool of water. The results have identified a range of viable configurations for pressure measurement dependent on the objectives of the test program.

Thermal effects on transducer material for heat assisted magnetic recording application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Rong, E-mail: Ji-Rong@dsi.a-star.edu.sg; Xu, Baoxi; Cen, Zhanhong; Ying, Ji Feng; Toh, Yeow Teck [Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117608 (Singapore)

2015-05-07

Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) is a promising technology for next generation hard disk drives with significantly increased data recording capacities. In HAMR, an optical near-field transducer (NFT) is used to concentrate laser energy on a magnetic recording medium to fulfill the heat assist function. The key components of a NFT are transducer material, cladding material, and adhesion material between the cladding and the transducer materials. Since transducer materials and cladding materials have been widely reported, this paper focuses on the adhesion materials between the Au transducer and the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} cladding material. A comparative study for two kinds of adhesion material, Ta and Cr, has been conducted. We found that Ta provides better thermal stability to the whole transducer than Cr. This is because after thermal annealing, chromium forms oxide material at interfaces and chromium atoms diffuse remarkably into the Au layer and react with Au to form Au alloy. This study also provides insights on the selection of adhesion material for HAMR transducer.

Determination of the response time of pressure transducers using the direct method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perillo, S.R.P.

1994-01-01

The available methods to determine the response time of nuclear safety related pressure transducers are discussed, with emphasis to the direct method. In order to perform the experiments, a Hydraulic Ramp Generator was built. The equipment produces ramp pressure transients simultaneously to a reference transducer and to the transducer under test. The time lag between the output of the two transducers, when they reach a predetermined setpoint, is measured as the time delay of the transducer under test. Some results using the direct method to determine the time delay of pressure transducers (1 E Class Conventional) are presented. (author). 18 refs, 35 figs, 12 tabs

Modal approach for the full simulation of nondestructive tests by elastic guided waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jezzine, K.

2006-11-01

Tools for simulating nondestructive tests by elastic guided waves are developed. Two overall formulations based on modal formalism and reciprocity are derived depending on whether transmission and reception are separated or not. They relate phenomena of guided wave radiation by a transducer, their propagation, their scattering by a non-uniformity of the guide or a defect and their reception. Receiver electrical output is expressed as a product of terms relating to each phenomenon that can be computed separately. Their computation uses developments based on the semi-analytical finite elements method, dealing with guides of arbitrary cross-section and cracks normal to the guide axis. Simulation tools are used to study means for selecting a single mode using a transducer positioned on the guide section, such a selection making easier the interpretation of the results of testing by guided waves. Two methods of mode selection are proposed, based on the use of two specific frequencies (which existence depends on guide geometry and mode symmetry). Mimicking the normal stress distribution of the mode at one of these two frequencies or the other makes it possible to radiate solely or predominantly the mode chosen. Examinations are simulated in configurations using a single or two separated transducers positioned on the section of various guide geometries and cracks of various shapes. The interest and performances of the two methods of mode selection are studied in these configurations. (author)

Polarization Control with Piezoelectric and LiNbO3 Transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, E.; Miles, E.; Loginov, B.; Vu, N.

Several Polarization control transducers have appeared on the market, and now automated, endless polarization control systems using these transducers are becoming available. Unfortunately it is not entirely clear what benchmark performance tests a polarization control system must pass, and the polarization disturbances a system must handle are open to some debate. We present quantitative measurements of realistic polarization disturbances and two benchmark tests we have successfully used to evaluate the performance of an automated, endless polarization control system. We use these tests to compare the performance of a system using piezoelectric transducers to that of a system using LiNbO3 transducers.

Clinical acceptance testing and scanner comparison of ultrasound shear wave elastography.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Zaiyang; Tradup, Donald J; Song, Pengfei; Stekel, Scott F; Chen, Shigao; Glazebrook, Katrina N; Hangiandreou, Nicholas J

2018-03-15

Because of the rapidly growing use of ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) in clinical practices, there is a significant need for development of clinical physics performance assessment methods for this technology. This study aims to report two clinical medical physicists' tasks: (a) acceptance testing (AT) of SWE function on ten commercial ultrasound systems for clinical liver application and (b) comparison of SWE measurements of targets across vendors for clinical musculoskeletal application. For AT, ten GE LOGIQ E9 XDclear 2.0 scanners with ten C1-6-D and ten 9L-D transducers were studied using two commercial homogenous phantoms. Five measurements were acquired at two depths for each scanner/transducer pair by two operators. Additional tests were performed to access effects of different coupling media, phantom locations and operators. System deviations were less than 5% of group mean or three times standard deviation; therefore, all systems passed AT. A test protocol was provided based on results that no statistically significant difference was observed between using ultrasound gel and salt water for coupling, among different phantom locations, and that interoperator and intraoperator coefficient of variation was less than 3%. For SWE target measurements, two systems were compared - a Supersonic Aixplorer scanner with a SL10-2 and a SL15-4 transducer, and an abovementioned GE scanner with 9L-D transducer. Two stepped cylinders with diameters of 4.05-10.40 mm were measured both longitudinally and transaxially. Target shear wave speed quantification was performed using an in-house MATLAB program. Using the target shear wave speed deduced from phantom specs as a reference, SL15-4 performed the best at the measured depth. However, it was challenging to reliably measure a 4.05 mm target for either system. The reported test methods and results could provide important information when dealing with SWE-related tasks in the clinical environment. © 2018 The Authors

Immersion apparatus and process for an ultrasonic transducer in a liquid metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Baud, P.

1987-01-01

The ultrasonic transducer is introduced in a casing. The coupling zone of the transducer is covered by a layer of liquid metal. This layer is solidified and then the transducer with his coating layer is introduced in the liquid metal under an inert atmosphere. The device for immersing the transducer is claimed [fr

Resonant surface acoustic wave chemical detector

Science.gov (United States)

Brocato, Robert W.; Brocato, Terisse; Stotts, Larry G.

2017-08-08

Apparatus for chemical detection includes a pair of interdigitated transducers (IDTs) formed on a piezoelectric substrate. The apparatus includes a layer of adsorptive material deposited on a surface of the piezoelectric substrate between the IDTs, where each IDT is conformed, and is dimensioned in relation to an operating frequency and an acoustic velocity of the piezoelectric substrate, so as to function as a single-phase uni-directional transducer (SPUDT) at the operating frequency. Additionally, the apparatus includes the pair of IDTs is spaced apart along a propagation axis and mutually aligned relative to said propagation axis so as to define an acoustic cavity that is resonant to surface acoustic waves (SAWs) at the operating frequency, where a distance between each IDT of the pair of IDTs ranges from 100 wavelength of the operating frequency to 400 wavelength of the operating frequency.

Acoustic Wave Propagation Modeling by a Two-dimensional Finite-difference Summation-by-parts Algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Petersson, N. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Rodgers, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-10-25

Acoustic waveform modeling is a computationally intensive task and full three-dimensional simulations are often impractical for some geophysical applications such as long-range wave propagation and high-frequency sound simulation. In this study, we develop a two-dimensional high-order accurate finite-difference code for acoustic wave modeling. We solve the linearized Euler equations by discretizing them with the sixth order accurate finite difference stencils away from the boundary and the third order summation-by-parts (SBP) closure near the boundary. Non-planar topographic boundary is resolved by formulating the governing equation in curvilinear coordinates following the interface. We verify the implementation of the algorithm by numerical examples and demonstrate the capability of the proposed method for practical acoustic wave propagation problems in the atmosphere.

Fundamentals for remote structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades - a preproject. Annex C. Fibre transducer for damage detection in adhesive layers of wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sendrup, P.

2002-01-01

displacement transducer for detection of damage in adhesive layers of wind turbine blades. It was chosen to base the transducer on the fibre optic micro-bend principle. The report contains the result of measurementsand optical simulations of light transmittance through optical fibres with micro......-bends and a suggestion for a micro-bend transducer design specifically suitable for detection of damage in adhesive layers between larger composite structures, as the shellsin a wind turbine blade. Such a damage will cause the joined parts to move slightly relative to each other, and the transducer is designed to change...... optic micro-bend transducer would be in the range between0.5%/um to 1 %/um depending on the number of bends on the fibre. A measurement on the final transducer showed that the sensitivity was 1.2 %/um. A large 50 % change in transmittance, that is easy to measure, is then obtained for displacements...

Numerical Analysis of Ultrasonic Beam Profile Due to the Change of the Number of Piezoelectric Elements for Phased Array Transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sang Woo; Lee, Joon Hyun

1999-01-01

A phased array is a multi-element piezoelectric device whose elements are individually excited by electric pulses at programmed delay time. One of the advantages of using phased array in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) application over conventional ultrasonic transducers is their great maneuverability of ultrasonic beam. There are some parameters such as the number and the size of the piezoelectric elements and the inter-element spacing of the elements to design phased array transducer. In this study, the characteristic of ultrasonic beam for phased array transducer due to the variation of the number of elements has been simulated for ultrasonic SH-wave on the basis of Huygen's principle. Ultrasonic beam directivity and focusing due to the change of time delay of each element were discussed due to the change of the number of piezoelectric elements. It was found that ultrasonic beam was much more spreaded and hence its sound pressure was decreased as steering angle of ultrasonic beam was increased. In addition, the ability of ultrasonic bean focusing decreased gradually with the increase of focal length at the same piezoelectric elements. However, the ability of beam focusing was improved as the number of consisting elements was increased

Mechano-electric optoisolator transducer with hysteresis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciurus, I M; Dimian, M; Graur, A

2011-01-01

This article presents a theoretical and experimental study of designing a mechano-electric optoisolator transducer with hysteresis. Our research is centred upon designing transducers on the basis of optical sensors, as photoelectric conversions eliminate the influence of electromagnetic disturbances. Conversion of the rotation/translation motions into electric signals is performed with the help of a LED-photoresistor Polaroid optocoupler. The driver of the optocoupler's transmitter module is an independent current source. The signal conditioning circuit is a Schmitt trigger circuit. The device is designed to be applied in the field of automation and mechatronics.

Optical detection of radio waves through a nanomechanical transducer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagci, Tolga; Simonsen, A; Schmid, Silvan

2013-01-01

Low-loss transmission and sensitive recovery of weak radio-frequency (rf) and microwave signals is an ubiquitous technological challenge, crucial in fields as diverse as radio astronomy, medical imaging, navigation and communication, including those of quantum states. Efficient upconversion of rf-signals...... to an optical carrier would allow transmitting them via optical fibers instead of copper wires dramatically reducing losses, and give access to the mature toolbox of quantum optical techniques, routinely enabling quantum-limited signal detection. Research in the field of cavity optomechanics [1, 2] has shown...... reflected off its metallized surface. The circuit acts as an antenna; the voltage signals it induces are detected as an optical phase shift with quantum-limited sensitivity. The corresponding half-wave voltage is in the microvolt range, orders of magnitude below that of standard optical modulators...

Broadband electrical impedance matching for piezoelectric ultrasound transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Haiying; Paramo, Daniel

2011-12-01

This paper presents a systematic method for designing broadband electrical impedance matching networks for piezoelectric ultrasound transducers. The design process involves three steps: 1) determine the equivalent circuit of the unmatched piezoelectric transducer based on its measured admittance; 2) design a set of impedance matching networks using a computerized Smith chart; and 3) establish the simulation model of the matched transducer to evaluate the gain and bandwidth of the impedance matching networks. The effectiveness of the presented approach is demonstrated through the design, implementation, and characterization of impedance matching networks for a broadband acoustic emission sensor. The impedance matching network improved the power of the acquired signal by 9 times.

Detecting Lamb waves with broadband acousto-ultrasonic signals in composite structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kautz, Harold E.

1992-01-01

Lamb waves can be produced and detected in ceramic matrix composites (CMC) and metal matrix composites (MMC) plates using the acousto-ultrasonic configuration employing broadband transducers. Experimental dispersion curves of lowest symmetric and lowest antisymmetric modes behave in a manner analogous to the graphite/polymer theoretical curves. In this study a basis has been established for analyzing Lamb wave velocities for characterizing composite plates. Lamb wave disperison curves and group velocities were correlated with variations in axial stiffness and shear stiffness in MMC and CMC. For CMCs, interfacial shear strength was also correlated with the first antisymmetric Lamb mode.

Modeling and experimental investigations of Lamb waves focusing in anisotropic plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapuis, Bastien; Terrien, Nicolas; Royer, Daniel

2011-01-01

The phenomenon of Lamb waves focusing in anisotropic plates is theoretically and experimentally investigated. An analysis based on a far field approximation of the Green's function shows that Lamb waves focusing is analog to the phonon focusing effect. In highly anisotropic structures like composite plates the focusing of A 0 and S 0 mode is strong; the energy propagates preferentially in the fibre directions, which are minima of the slowness. This has to be taken into account when developing, for example, a transducer array for structural health monitoring systems based on Lamb waves in order to avoid dead zones.

Corrosion monitoring using high-frequency guided waves

Science.gov (United States)

Fromme, P.

2016-04-01

Corrosion can develop due to adverse environmental conditions during the life cycle of a range of industrial structures, e.g., offshore oil platforms, ships, and desalination plants. Generalized corrosion leading to wall thickness loss can cause the reduction of the strength and thus degradation of the structural integrity. The monitoring of corrosion damage in difficult to access areas can be achieved using high frequency guided waves propagating along the structure from accessible areas. Using standard ultrasonic wedge transducers with single sided access to the structure, guided wave modes were selectively generated that penetrate through the complete thickness of the structure. The wave propagation and interference of the different guided wave modes depends on the thickness of the structure. Laboratory experiments were conducted for wall thickness reduction due to milling of the steel structure. From the measured signal changes due to the wave mode interference the reduced wall thickness was monitored. Good agreement with theoretical predictions was achieved. The high frequency guided waves have the potential for corrosion damage monitoring at critical and difficult to access locations from a stand-off distance.

Intravascular forward-looking ultrasound transducers for microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jinwook; Lindsey, Brooks D; Chang, Wei-Yi; Dai, Xuming; Stavas, Joseph M; Dayton, Paul A; Jiang, Xiaoning

2017-06-14

Effective removal or dissolution of large blood clots remains a challenge in clinical treatment of acute thrombo-occlusive diseases. Here we report the development of an intravascular microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis device for improving thrombolytic rate and thus minimizing the required dose of thrombolytic drugs. We hypothesize that a sub-megahertz, forward-looking ultrasound transducer with an integrated microbubble injection tube is more advantageous for efficient thrombolysis by enhancing cavitation-induced microstreaming than the conventional high-frequency, side-looking, catheter-mounted transducers. We developed custom miniaturized transducers and demonstrated that these transducers are able to generate sufficient pressure to induce cavitation of lipid-shelled microbubble contrast agents. Our technology demonstrates a thrombolysis rate of 0.7 ± 0.15 percent mass loss/min in vitro without any use of thrombolytic drugs.

Part I. Mechanisms of injury associated with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy; Part II. Exsolution of volatiles

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Danny Dwayne

Part I - Shock waves are focused in extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) machines to strengths sufficient to fracture kidney stones. Substantial side effects-most of them acute-have resulted from this procedure, including injury to soft tissue. The focusing of shock waves through various layers of tissue is a complex process which stimulates many bio-mechano-chemical responses.This thesis presents results of an in vitro study of the initial mechanical stimulus. Planar nitrocellulose membranes of order 10 um thick were used as models of thin tissue structures. Two modes of failure were recorded: Failure due to cavitation collapsing on or near the membranes, and failure induced by altering the structure of shock waves. Tests were done in water at and around F2 to characterize the extent of cavitation damage, and was found to be confined within the focal region, 1.2 cm along the axis of focus.Scattering media were used to simulate the effects of acoustic nonuniformity of tissue and to alter the structure of focusing shock waves. 40 um diameter (average) hollow glass spheres were added to ethylene glycol, glycerine and castor oil to vary the properties of the scattering media. Multiple layer samples of various types of phantom tissue were tested in degassed castor oil to gauge the validity of the scattering media. The scattering media and tissue samples increased the rise time decreased strain rate in a similar fashion. Membranes were damaged by the decreased strain rate and accumulated effects of the altered structure: After about 20 or so shocks immersed in the scattering media and after about 100 shocks behind the tissue samples. The mode of failure was tearing with multiple tears in some cases from about .1 cm to about 3 cm depending of the number of shocks and membrane thickness.Part II - This work examines the exsolution of volatiles-carbon dioxide from water-in a cylindrical test cell under different pressure conditions. Water was supersaturated with

Characterisation and Modelling of MEMS Ultrasonic Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng, M F; Hariz, A J

2006-01-01

Silicon ultrasonic transducer micro arrays based on micro-electro-mechanicalsystem (MEMS) technologies are gaining popularity for applications in sonar sensing and excitation. A current challenge for many researchers is modelling the dynamic performance of these and other micro-mechanical devices to ascertain their performance and explain experimental observations reported. In this work, the performance simulation of a MEMS ultrasonic transducer array made from silicon nitride has been successfully carried out using CoventorWare package. The dynamic response of the entire transducer array was characterised, and the results were compared with theoretical predictions. Individual elements were found to vibrate with Bessel-like displacement patterns, and they were resonant at approximately 3 MHz, depending on thickness and lateral dimensions. The frequency shows a linear dependence around the common thickness of 2 μm. Peak displacement levels were examined as a function of frequency, DC bias voltage, and AC drive voltage. Accounting for fabrication variations, and uniformity variations across the wafer, the full array showed minimal variations in peak out-of-plane displacement levels across the device, and isolated elements that were over-responsive and under-responsive. Presently, the effect of observed variations across the array on the performance of the transducers and their radiated fields are being examined

Stress wave communication in concrete: II. Evaluation of low voltage concrete stress wave communications utilizing spectrally efficient modulation schemes with PZT transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siu, Sam; Wang, Kun; Ding, Zhi; Qing, Ji; Song, Gangbing

2014-01-01

Piezoelectric materials, traditionally used for structural health monitoring, have recently been used to implement stress wave communications. Within a protective encasing we fabricate a smart aggregate which enables transmission and reception of modulated stress waves for digital communication within concrete. Our research focuses on building a high efficiency stress wave communication system and comparing the performance of phase shift keying (PSK) with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Our experiments evaluate the performance of QPSK and 16QAM implemented with our stress wave communication system at a transmit voltage ranging from 32 dBV to 37 dBV. We also demonstrate the increase in spectral efficiency of 16QAM compared to QPSK. (paper)

Radiation-resistant pressure transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbasov, Sh.M.; Kerimova, T.I.

2005-01-01

Full text : The sensitive element of vibrofrequency tensor converter (VTC) is an electromechanical resonator of string type with electrostatic excitation of longitudinal mechanical vibrations. The string is made from tensosensitive thread-like monocrystal n-Ge1-x Six (length 1-5 mm, diameter 8-12 mcm) with current outlet and strictly fixed by ends at plate or deformable surface (in elastic element) at 50 mcm apartheid. With increasing Si atomic percent in n-Ge1-x Six the converter tens sensitivity increases. There has been shown the scheme of pressure transducer which contains monocrystalline silicon membrane and string tens converter from thread-like monocrystal Ge-Si. Using method, when crystal position on membrane while it deforms by pressure, corresponds to free (uptight) state, allowed to obtain the maximum sensitivity in measurement of pressure fluctuation. The transducers of absolute and pressure differential of this type can be used in automated systems of life activity. The high sensitivity of string transducers to pressure exceeding 100 hertz/mm (water column) permits to use them in devices for measuring gas concentration. The combination of optical and deformation methods of measurements forms the basis of their operation. The pressure change occurs due to the fact that gas molecules absorbing the quanta of incident light, become at excited state and then excitation energy of their vibrational-rotatory degrees of freedom converts to the energy of translational motion of molecules, i.e. to heat appropriate to pressure increase. Using these tens converters of high pressure one can prevent the possible accidents on oil pipe-like Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan

A transmission and reflection coupled ultrasonic process tomography based on cylindrical miniaturized transducers using PVDF films

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, J.; Yang, H.; Fan, F.; Su, M.

2017-12-01

A transmission and reflection coupled ultrasonic process tomography has been developed, which is characterized by a proposed dual-mode (DM) reconstruction algorithm, as well as an adaptive search approach to determine an optimal image threshold during the image binarization. In respect of hardware, to improve the accuracy of time-of-flight (TOF) and extend the lowest detection limit of particle size, a cylindrical miniaturized transducer using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films is designed. Besides, the development of range-gating technique for the identification of transmission and reflection waves in scanning is discussed. A particle system with four iron particles is then investigated numerically and experimentally to evaluate these proposed methods. The sound pressure distribution in imaging area is predicted numerically, followed by the analysis of the relationship between the emitting surface width of transducer and particle size. After the processing of experimental data for effective waveform extraction and fusion, the comparison between reconstructed results from transmission-mode (TM), reflection-mode (RM), and dual-mode reconstructions is carried out and the latter manifests obvious improvements from the blurring reduction to the enhancement of particle boundary.

Piezoelectric transducer array microspeaker

KAUST Repository

Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Castro, David; Kosel, Jü rgen; Foulds, Ian G.

2016-01-01

contains 2n piezoelectric transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a circular shape structure. The membrane is made out four layers: 300nm of platinum for the bottom electrode, 250nm or lead zirconate titanate (PZT

Analysis of a non-contact magnetoelastic torque transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreescu, R.; Spellman, B.; Furlani, E.P.

2008-01-01

Results are presented for the performance of a magnetoelastic torque transducer that converts a torque-induced strain in a non-magnetic shaft into changes in a measurable magnetic field. The magnetic field is generated by a thin magnetostrictive layer that is coated onto the circumference of the shaft. The layer is magnetized and has an initial residual strain. The magnetization within the layer rotates in response to changes in the strain which occur when the shaft is torqued. The magnetic field produced by the layer changes with the magnetization and this can be sensed by a magnetometer to monitor the torque on the shaft. In this paper, a phenomenological theory is developed for predicting the performance of the transducer. The theory can be used to predict the magnetic field distribution of the transducer as a function of the physical properties of the magnetic coating, its residual strain, and the applied torque. It enables rapid parametric analysis of transducer performance, which is useful for the development and optimization of novel non-contact torque sensors

Near-surface viscosity measurements with a love acoustic wave device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collings, A.F.; Cooper, B.J.; Lappas, S.; Sor, J.A.

1999-01-01

Full text: In the last decade, considerable research effort has been directed towards interfacing piezoelectric transducers with biological detection systems to produce efficient and highly selective biosensors. Several types of piezoelectric or, more specifically, acoustic wave transducers have been investigated. Our group has developed Love wave (guided surface skimming wave) devices which are made by attaching a thin overlayer with the appropriate acoustic properties to the surface of a conventional surface horizontal mode device. An optimised layer concentrates most of the propagating wave energy in the guiding layer and can improve the device sensitivity in detecting gas-phase mass loading on the surface some 20- to 40-fold. Love wave devices used in liquid phase sensing will also respond to viscous, as well as mass, loading on the device surface. We have studied the propagation of viscous waves into liquid sitting on a Love wave device both theoretically and experimentally. Modelling of the effect of a viscous liquid layer on a Love wave propagating in a layered medium predicts the velocity profile in the solid substrate and in the adjoining liquid. This is a function of the thickness of the guiding layer, the elastic properties of the guiding layer and the piezoelectric substrate, and of the viscosity and density of the liquid layer. We report here on measurements of the viscosity of aqueous glycerine solutions made with a quartz Love wave device with a 5.5 μm SiO 2 guiding layer. The linear relationship between the decrease in the device frequency and the square root of the viscosity density product is accurately observed at Newtonian viscosities. At higher viscosities, there is an increase in damping, the insertion loss of the device saturates, Δf is no longer proportional to (ηp) l/2 and reaches a maximum. We also show results for the determination of the gelation time in protein and inorganic aqueous gels and for the rate of change of viscosity with

Wave Shape and Impact Pressure Measurements at a Rock Coast Cliff

Science.gov (United States)

Varley, S. J.; Rosser, N. J.; Brain, M.; Vann Jones, E. C.

2016-02-01

Rock coast research focuses largely on wave behaviour across beaches and shore platforms but rarely considers direct wave interaction with cliffs. Hydraulic action is one of the most important drivers of erosion along rock coasts. The magnitude of wave impact pressure has been shown by numerical and laboratory studies to be related to the wave shape. In deep water, a structure is only subjected to the hydrostatic pressure due to the oscillating clapotis. Dynamic pressures, related to the wave celerity, are exerted in shallower water when the wave is breaking at the point of impact; very high magnitude, short duration shock pressures are theorised to occur when the approaching wavefront is vertical. As such, wave shape may directly influence the potential of the impact to weaken rock and cause erosion. Measurements of impact pressure at coastal cliffs are limited, and the occurrence and influence of this phenomenon is currently poorly constrained. To address this, we have undertaken a field monitoring study on the magnitude and vertical distribution of wave impact pressures at the rocky, macro-tidal coastline of Staithes, North Yorkshire, UK. A series of piezo-resistive pressure transducers and a camera were installed at the base of the cliff during low tide. Transducers were deployed vertically up the cliff face and aligned shore-normal to capture the variation in static and dynamic pressure with height during a full spring tidal cycle. Five minute bursts of 5 kHz pressure readings and 4 Hz wave imaging were sampled every 30 minutes for six hours during high tide. Pressure measurements were then compensated for temperature and combined with wave imaging to produce a pressure time series and qualitative wave shape category for each wave impact. Results indicate the presence of a non-linear relationship between pressure impact magnitude, the occurrence of shock pressures, wave shape and tidal stage, and suggest that breaker type on impact (and controls thereof) may

USE OF PELTIER COOLERS AS SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCERS.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, H.L.; Campbell, G.S.

1985-01-01

Peltier coolers were modified and calibrated to serve as soil heat flux transducers. The modification was to fill their interiors with epoxy. The average calibration constant on 21 units was 13. 6 plus or minus 0. 8 kW m** minus **2 V** minus **1 at 20 degree C. This sensitivity is about eight times that of the two thermopile transducers with which comparisons were made. The thermal conductivity of the Peltier cooler transducers was 0. 4 W m** minus **1 degree C** minus **1, which is comparable to that of dry soil.

Reflective array modeling for reflective and directional SAW transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, D P

1998-01-01

This paper presents a new approximate method for analyzing reflective SAW transducers, with much of the convenience of the coupled-mode (COM) method but with better accuracy. Transduction accuracy is obtained by incorporating the accurate electrostatic solution, giving for example correct harmonics, and allowance for electrode width variation, in a simple manner. Results are shown for a single-electrode transducer, Natural SPUDT and DART SPUDT, each using theoretically derived parameters. In contrast to the COM, the RAM can give accurate results for short or withdrawal-weighted transducers and for wide analysis bandwidth.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DETONATION ENGINES FOR HIGH-SPEED AEROSPACE AIRCRAFTS AND THE PROBLEM OF TRIPLE CONFIGURATIONS OF SHOCK WAVES. Part II - Research of counterpropagating shock waves and triple shock wave configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. V. Bulat

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with current issues of the interference theory development of gas-dynamic discontinuities as applied to a problem of propulsion refinement for the air-spacecrafts, designed for hypersonic flight speeds. In the first part of the review we have presented the history of detonation study and different concepts of detonation engines, as well as air intakes designed for hypersonic flight speeds. The second part provides an overview of works on the interference theory development for gas-dynamic discontinuities. We report about classification of the gas-dynamic discontinuities, shock wave propagation, shock-wave structures and triple configurations of shock waves. We have shown that many of these processes are accompanied by a hysteresis phenomenon, there are areas of ambiguity; therefore, in the design of engines and air intakes optimal shock-wave structures should be provided and their sustainability should be ensured. Much attention has recently been given to the use of the air intakes in the shock-wave structures with the rereflection of shock waves and the interference of shock waves in the opposite directions. This review provides increased focus on it, contains references to landmark works, the last calculated and experimental results. Unfortunately, foreign surveys missed many landmark works of the Soviet and Russian researchers, as they were not published in English. At the same time, it was the Soviet school of gas dynamics that has formulated the interference theory of gas-dynamic discontinuities in its present form. To fill this gap is one of this review scopes. The review may be recommended for professionals, engineers and scientists working in the field of aerospace engineering.

An ultrasonic guided wave approach for the inspection of overhead transmission line cables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yücel, Mehmet K.; Legg, Mathew; Kappatos, Vasileios

2017-01-01

as a non-destructive testing technique is well established for simple geometries such as plates, pipes, and rods. However, its application for multi-wire cables is still in development. In this study, ultrasonic guided waves excited by a shear mode transducer collar are utilised as a defect detection...... technique for untensioned aluminium conductor steel reinforced cable specimens. The identification and analysis of wave propagation for a broad range of frequencies is performed using a laser scanning vibrometer, and the effect of defect size on wave propagation is studied. Signal processing algorithms...

Single-transducer dual-frequency ultrasound generation to enhance acoustic cavitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hao-Li; Hsieh, Chao-Ming

2009-03-01

Dual- or multiple-frequency ultrasound stimulation is capable of effectively enhancing the acoustic cavitation effect over single-frequency ultrasound. Potential application of this sonoreactor design has been widely proposed such as on sonoluminescence, sonochemistry enhancement, and transdermal drug release enhancement. All currently available sonoreactor designs employed multiple piezoelectric transducers for generating single-frequency ultrasonic waves separately and then these waves were mixed and interfered in solutions. The purpose of this research is to propose a novel design of generating dual-frequency ultrasonic waves with single piezoelectric elements, thereby enhancing acoustic cavitation. Macroscopic bubbles were detected optically, and they were quantified at either a single-frequency or for different frequency combinations for determining their efficiency for enhancing acoustic cavitation. Visible bubbles were optically detected and hydrogen peroxide was measured to quantify acoustic cavitation. Test water samples with different gas concentrations and different power levels were used to determine the efficacy of enhancing acoustic cavitation of this design. The spectrum obtained from the backscattered signals was also recorded and examined to confirm the occurrence of stable cavitation. The results confirmed that single-element dual-frequency ultrasound stimulation can enhance acoustic cavitation. Under certain testing conditions, the generation of bubbles can be enhanced up to a level of five times higher than the generation of bubbles in single-frequency stimulation, and can increase the hydrogen peroxide production up to an increase of one fold. This design may serve as a useful alternative for future sonoreactor design owing to its simplicity to produce dual- or multiple-frequency ultrasound.

Transducer hygiene: comparison of procedures for decontamination of ultrasound transducers and their use in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Häggström, Mikael; Spira, Jack; Edelstam, Greta

2015-02-01

To determine whether current hygiene practices are appropriate during sonographic examinations. Five major hospitals in Sweden were investigated with a survey. At each hospital, the departments corresponding to the main types of sonographic examination were chosen. Personnel who were responsible for or acquainted with the local hygiene procedures completed a standardardized questionnaire. The surveys were completed by 25 departments, where the total number of sonographic examinations was approximately 20,000 per month. For transvaginal and transrectal sonographic examinations, the most common method for decontamination of the transducer was barrier protection during the procedure followed by cleansing with alcohol. Latex was the predominant cover material, but one department used polyethylene gloves, and another department used nitrile gloves. Both of these involved transvaginal ultrasonography. In transcutaneous examinations, all hospitals were using alcohol and paper or cloth for decontamination at a minimum. Transesophageal examinations were carried out without barrier protection, and decontamination was performed with an alkylating substance. The hygiene practices appear to be appropriate at most hospitals, but there is a prevalence of transducer cover materials of unacceptable permeability, as well as use of gloves on transducers despite insufficient evidence of safety. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Damage Identification of Wind Turbine Blades Using Piezoelectric Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong-Won Choi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the experimental results of active-sensing structural health monitoring (SHM techniques, which utilize piezoelectric transducers as sensors and actuators, for determining the structural integrity of wind turbine blades. Specifically, Lamb wave propagations and frequency response functions at high frequency ranges are used to estimate the condition of wind turbine blades. For experiments, a 1 m section of a CX-100 blade is used. The goal of this study is to assess and compare the performance of each method in identifying incipient damage with a consideration given to field deployability. Overall, these methods yielded a sufficient damage detection capability to warrant further investigation. This paper also summarizes the SHM results of a full-scale fatigue test of a 9 m CX-100 blade using piezoelectric active sensors. This paper outlines considerations needed to design such SHM systems, experimental procedures and results, and additional issues that can be used as guidelines for future investigations.

Manufacturing technologies for ultrasonic transducers in a broad frequency range

OpenAIRE

Gebhardt, Sylvia; Hohlfeld, Kai; Günther, Paul; Neubert, Holger

2018-01-01

According to the application field, working frequency of ultrasonic transducers needs to be tailored to a certain value. Low frequency ultrasonic transducers with working frequencies of 1 kHz to 1 MHz are especially interesting for sonar applications, whereas high frequency ultrasonic transducers with working frequencies higher than 15 MHz are favorable for high-resolution imaging in biomedical and non-destructive evaluation. Conventional non-destructive testing devices and clinical ultrasoun...

A theoretical study of cylindrical ultrasound transducers for intracavitary hyperthermia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, W.-L.; Fan, W.-C.; Yen, J.-Y.; Chen, Y.-Y.; Shieh, M.-J.

2000-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the heating patterns and penetration depth when a cylindrical ultrasound transducer is employed for intracavitary hyperthermia treatments. Methods and Materials: The present study employs a simulation program based on a simplified power deposition model for infinitely long cylindrical ultrasound transducers. The ultrasound power in the tissue is assumed to be exponentially attenuated according to the penetration depth of the ultrasound beam, and a uniform attenuation for the entire treatment region is also assumed. The distribution of specific absorption rate (SAR) ratio (the ratio of SAR for a point within the tissue to that for a specific point on the cavity surface) is used to determine the heating pattern for a set of given parameters. The parameters considered are the ultrasound attenuation in the tissue, the cavity size, and the transducer eccentricity. Results: Simulation results show that the ultrasound attenuation in the tissue, the cavity size, and the transducer eccentricity are the most influential parameters for the distribution of SAR ratio. A low frequency transducer located in a large cavity can produce a much better penetration. The cavity size is the major parameter affecting the penetration depth for a small cavity size, such as interstitial hyperthermia. The heating pattern can also be dramatically changed by the transducer eccentricity and radiating sector. In addition, for a finite length of cylindrical transducer, lower SAR ratio appears in the regions near the applicator's edges. Conclusion: The distribution of SAR ratio indicates the relationship between the treatable region and the parameters if an appropriate threshold of SAR ratio is taken. The findings of the present study comprehend whether or not a tumor is treatable, as well as select the optimal driving frequency, the appropriate cavity size, and the eccentricity of a cylindrical transducer for a specific treatment

Scalable Directed Self-Assembly Using Ultrasound Waves

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-04

the practical implementation of ultrasound DSA as a manufacturing technique requires linking the transducer arrangement and settings that generate ...function generator (Tektronix, AFG 3102), amplified by a 45 dB 50 W RF power amplifier (Electronic Navigation Industries, 440LA). Cross-linking of the...SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: We aim to understand how ultrasound waves can be used to create organized patterns of nanoparticles in a host medium such

Theoretical analysis of leaky surface acoustic waves of point-focused acoustic lens and some experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Isao; Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Ogura, Yukio; Katakura, Kageyoshi

1997-01-01

When a point-focused acoustic lens in the scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) is faced to test specimen and defocused to some extent, two effective echoes can be obtained. One is the echo of longitudinal wave, which is normally incident upon the specimen of an on-axis beam in the central region of the lens and is reflected normal to the lens surface, hence detected by the transducer. The other is of leaky surface acoustic waves(LSAW), which are mode converted front a narrow beam of off-axis longitudinal wave, then propagate across the surface of the specimen and reradiate at angles normal to the lens surface, thus detected by the transducer. These two echoes are either interfered or separated with each other depending ell the defocused distance. It turned out theoretically that the LSAW have a narrow focal spot in the central region of the point-focused acoustic lens, whose size is approximately 40% of the LSAW wavelength. On top of that, a wavelength of LSAW is about 50% short as that of longitudinal wave. So, It is expected that high resolution images can be obtained provided LSAW are used in the scanning acoustic microscope.

A Force Transducer from a Junk Electronic Balance

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar, Horacio Munguia; Aguilar, Francisco Armenta

2009-01-01

It is shown how the load cell from a junk electronic balance can be used as a force transducer for physics experiments. Recovering this device is not only an inexpensive way of getting a valuable laboratory tool but also very useful didactic work on electronic instrumentation. Some experiments on mechanics with this transducer are possible after a…

Design and analysis of fractional order seismic transducer for displacement and acceleration measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Veeraian, Parthasarathi; Gandhi, Uma; Mangalanathan, Umapathy

2018-04-01

Seismic transducers are widely used for measurement of displacement, velocity, and acceleration. This paper presents the design of seismic transducer in the fractional domain for the measurement of displacement and acceleration. The fractional order transfer function for seismic displacement and acceleration transducer are derived using Grünwald-Letnikov derivative. Frequency response analysis of fractional order seismic displacement transducer (FOSDT) and fractional order seismic acceleration transducer (FOSAT) are carried out for different damping ratio with the different fractional order, and the maximum dynamic measurement range is identified. The results demonstrate that fractional order seismic transducer has increased dynamic measurement range and less phase distortion as compared to the conventional seismic transducer even with a lower damping ratio. Time response of FOSDT and FOSAT are derived analytically in terms of Mittag-Leffler function, the effect of fractional behavior in the time domain is evaluated from the impulse and step response. The fractional order system is found to have significantly reduced overshoot as compared to the conventional transducer. The fractional order seismic transducer design proposed in this paper is illustrated with a design example for FOSDT and FOSAT. Finally, an electrical equivalent of FOSDT and FOSAT is considered, and its frequency response is found to be in close agreement with the proposed fractional order seismic transducer.

Simulation of an Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer Array by Using Analytical Method and FDTD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuedong Xie

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Previously, we developed a method based on FEM and FDTD for the study of an Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer Array (EMAT. This paper presents a new analytical solution to the eddy current problem for the meander coil used in an EMAT, which is adapted from the classic Deeds and Dodd solution originally intended for circular coils. The analytical solution resulting from this novel adaptation exploits the large radius extrapolation and shows several advantages over the finite element method (FEM, especially in the higher frequency regime. The calculated Lorentz force density from the analytical EM solver is then coupled to the ultrasonic simulations, which exploit the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD method to describe the propagation of ultrasound waves, in particular for Rayleigh waves. Radiation pattern obtained with Hilbert transform on time-domain waveforms is proposed to characterise the sensor in terms of its beam directivity and field distribution along the steering angle, which can produce performance parameters for an EMAT array, facilitating the optimum design of such sensors.

A mathematical model for transducer working at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabre, J.P.

1974-01-01

A mathematical model is proposed for a lithium niobate piezoelectric transducer working at high temperature in liquid sodium. The model proposed suitably described the operation of the high temperature transducer presented; it allows the optimization of the efficiency and band-pass [fr

Detecting Lamb waves with broad-band acousto-ultrasonic signals in composite structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kautz, Harold E.

1992-01-01

Lamb waves can be produced and detected in ceramic matrix composites (CMC) and metal matrix composites (MMC) plates using the acousto-ultrasonic configuration employing broadband transducers. Experimental dispersion curves of lowest symmetric and antisymmetric modes behave in a manner analogous to the graphite/polymer theoretical curves. In this study a basis has been established for analyzing Lamb wave velocities for characterizing composite plates. Lamb wave dispersion curves and group velocities were correlated with variations in axial stiffness and shear stiffness in MMC and CMC. For CMC, interfacial shear strength was also correlated with the first antisymmetric Lamb mode.

Submarine sand ridges and sand waves in the eastern part of the China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ziyin; Li, Shoujun; Shang, Jihong; Zhou, Jieqiong; Zhao, Dineng; Liang, Yuyang

2016-04-01

Integrated with multi-beam and single-beam echo sounding data, as well as historical bathymetric data, submarine bathymetric maps of the eastern part of the China Sea, including the Bohai Sea, Huanghai Sea, and East China Sea, are constructed to systematically study submarine sand ridges and sand waves in the eastern part of the China Sea, combined with high-resolution seismic, sub-bottom profile and borehole data. Submarine sand ridges are extraordinarily developed in the eastern part of the China Sea, and 7 sand ridge areas can be divided from north to south, that is, the Laotieshan Channel sand ridge area in the Bohai Sea, the Korea Bay sand ridge area in the southern Huanghai Sea, the sand ridge area in the eastern Huanghai islands and the Huanghai Troughs, the Jianggang sand ridge area in the western Huanghai Sea, the sand ridge area in the East China Sea shelf, and the sand ridge and sand wave area in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan Banks. The distribution area of the sand ridges and sand waves covers more than 450,000 km2, wherein ~10,000 km2 in the Bohai Bay, ~200,000 km2 in the Huanghai Sea, ~200,000 km2 in the East China Sea shelf, and ~40,000 km2 in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan Banks, respectively. The great mass of sand ridges are distributed within water depth of 5-160 m, with a total length of over 160 km and a main width of 5-10 km. The inner structure of the sand ridges presents features of high-angle inclined beddings, with main lithology of sands, sand-mud alternations partly visible, and a small number of mud cores. Dating results indicate that the sand ridges in the eastern part of the China Sea are mainly developed in the Holocene. Sea-level variation dominates the sand ridge evolution in the eastern part of the China Sea since the LGM, and the sand ridges developed in the area of < 60m water depth are appeared in bad activity, meanwhile sand ridges with good activity are still developed in large scale.

Study on the influence of the distance to shore for a wave energy farm operating in the central part of the Portuguese nearshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rusu, Eugen; Onea, Florin

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Nearshore impact of the wave farm (significant wave height fields and wave vectors). Conditions for a wave farm operating at 7 km from the shore, where: (a) average conditions for total time; (b) average conditions for winter time; (c) high energy non storm conditions. (MA) – Moderate absoption, (HA) – High absorption. - Highlights: • The coastal influence of a generic wave farm is assessed. • The target area is located in the central part of Portugal. • The wave decay down wave the farm is evaluated. • The impact on the coastal circulation is also assessed. - Abstract: The objective of the present work is to assess the coastal impact induced by a generic wave farm operating in the central part of the Portuguese continental coastal environment, south of Lisbon. In order to identify better the most relevant wave patterns in the target area, two data sets were processed and analyzed. The first is represented by the ‘in situ’ measurements provided by the Sines buoy, which operates in the immediate vicinity south of the target area, and the second consists in the wave data coming from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, in a point located offshore close to the target area. Three scenarios were considered for the numerical simulations that were carried out with a computational framework combining a wave and a circulation model. A generic wave farm was defined in the computational domain considering various distances from the shore: 1 km, 4 km and 7 km, respectively. In the first part of the work, the down-wave effect of the farm was evaluated taking into account the local wave characteristics in the target area and analyzing various wave parameters, as for example the wave power, wave height and mean wave direction. In the second part of the work, the influence of the farm on the nearshore circulation was also assessed. Based on the results of the present work it can be concluded that the nearshore impact of such a

Optimization of ultrasonic tube testing with concentric transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufayet, J.-P.; Gambin, Raymond.

1978-01-01

In order to test tubes by ultrasonics without rotation, concentric transducers can be used with conical mirrors to detect transverse defects and with helical shaped mirrors to detect longitudinal defects. Further optimization studies have been carried out in order to bring the system highly operational. The respective advantages brought by the rotating screen or by our especially designed sectorial transducers are discussed [fr

A top-crossover-to-bottom addressed segmented annular array using piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Joontaek; Lee, Wonjun; Kang, Woojin; Hong, Hyeryung; Yuen Song, Hi; Oh, Inn-yeal; Park, Chul Soon; Choi, Hongsoo

2015-11-01

We design and fabricate segmented annular arrays (SAAs) using piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) to demonstrate the feasibility of acoustic focusing of ultrasound. The fabricated SAAs have 25 concentric top-electrode signal lines and eight bottom-electrodes for grounding to enable electronic steering of selectively grouped ultrasonic transducers from 2393 pMUT elements. Each element in the array is connected by top-crossover-to-bottom metal bridges, which reduce the parasitic capacitance. Circular-shaped pMUT elements, 120 μm in diameter, are fabricated using 1 μm-thick sol-gel lead zirconate titanate on a silicon wafer. To utilize the high-density pMUT array, a deep reactive ion etching process is used for anisotropic silicon etching to realize the transducer membranes. The resonant frequency and effective coupling coefficient of the elements, measured with an impedance analyzer, yields 1.517 MHz and 1.29%, respectively, in air. The SAAs using pMUTs are packaged on a printed circuit board and coated with parylene C for acoustic intensity measurements in water. The ultrasound generated by each segmented array is focused on a selected point in space. When a 5 Vpp, 1.5 MHz square wave is applied, the maximum spatial peak temporal average intensity ({{I}\\text{spta}} ) is found to be 79 mW cm-2 5 mm from the SAAs’ surface without beamforming. The beam widths (-3 dB) of ultrasonic radiation patterns in the elevation and azimuth directions are recorded as 3 and 3.4 mm, respectively. The results successfully show the feasibility of focusing ultrasound on a small area with SAAs using pMUTs.

Numerical implementation of magneto-acousto-electrical tomography (MAET) using a linear phased array transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Soner Gözü, Mehmet; Zengin, Reyhan; Güneri Gençer, Nevzat

2018-02-01

In this study, the performance and implementation of magneto-acousto-electrical tomography (MAET) is investigated using a linear phased array (LPA) transducer. The goal of MAET is to image the conductivity distribution in biological bodies. It uses the interaction between ultrasound and a static magnetic field to generate velocity current density distribution inside the body. The resultant voltage due to velocity current density is sensed by surface electrodes attached on the body. In this study, the theory of MAET is reviewed. A 16-element LPA transducer with 1 MHz excitation frequency is used to provide beam directivity and steerability of acoustic waves. Different two-dimensional numerical models of breast and tumour are formed to analyze the multiphysics problem coupled with acoustics and electromagnetic fields. In these models, velocity current density distributions are obtained for pulse type ultrasound excitations. The static magnetic field is assumed as 1 T. To sense the resultant voltage caused by the velocity current density, it is assumed that two electrodes are attached on the surface of the body. The performance of MAET is shown through sensitivity matrix analysis. The sensitivity matrix is obtained for two transducer positions with 13 steering angles between -30\\circ to 30\\circ with 5\\circ angular intervals. For the reconstruction of the images, truncated singular value decomposition method is used with different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values (20 dB, 40 dB, 60 dB and 80 dB). The resultant images show that the perturbation (5 mm  ×  5 mm) placed 35 mm depth can be detected even if the SNR is 20 dB.

Investigation of Calibrating Force Transducer Using Sinusoidal Force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Li; Wang Yu; Zhang Lizhe

2010-01-01

Sinusoidal force calibration method was studied several years before at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). A similar dynamic force calibration system is developed at Changcheng Institute of Metrology and Measurement (CIMM). It uses electro-dynamic shakers to generate dynamic force in the range from 1 N to 20 kN, and heterodyne laser interferometers are used for acceleration measurement. The force transducer to be calibrated is mounted on the shaker, and a mass block is screwed on the top of force transducer, the sinusoidal forces realized by accelerated load masses are traceable to acceleration and mass according to the force definition. The methods of determining Spatial-dependent acceleration on mass block and measuring the end mass of force transducer in dynamic force calibration are discussed in this paper.

Prototype gauge for measuring contour and wall thicknesses of hemispherical parts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aarts, H.J.; Robertson, J.H.

1976-01-01

A prototype gauge (gage) was designed and fabricated using air bearings in a new configuration to provide less error and distortion during inspection of hemispherical parts. No wear occurs on the moving parts during operations and accuracy of alignment is maintained. The gauge will check outside radial distance, inside radial, and outside radial and wall, and inner radial and wall thicknesses of parts. The gauge contains only four moving parts, which increases the measuring accuracy. A horizontal table rotates. A table mounted on the horizontal table at 45 0 rotates through two transducers. All moving parts are mounted on hydrostatic gas bearings. Laser interferometric, air-bearing gauge heads are used to obtain the required data. Investigation of a hemispherical part is in any desired spiral path from equator to pole. Measurement information is obtained from two laser interferometric transducers using linear air bearings. The transducers use a Spectra Physics Model-120 helium and neon laser. Working range of each transducer is 1.5 inches. The fringe voltage signals are amplified and converted to inches to be displayed on a digital readout. A punched paper tape contains the nominal inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter (OD) information in Binary Coded Decimal form. The tape is fed into a digital computer which calculates error information on ID, OD, and wall thickness. This information is converted to analog form and displayed simultaneously on a strip-chart recorder

Positioning calibration apparatus for transducers employed in nuclear reactor vessel inspection apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsner, H.J.

1981-01-01

The invention provides a calibration apparatus suitable for verifying the position and orientation of transducers used in reactor vessel ultrasonic inspection. The apparatus includes moveable mounting means which secures a transducer within the tank in its normal inspection orientation. A drive is also provided for moving the transducer in the tank relative to a target. The target is slidably positioned in the tank at a distance from the transducer which is selected to avoid the distortion effects in the near field of the transducer. The drive mechanism may be provided with graduated indicia of travel, or a scale may be affixed to the side of the tank. (L.L.)

Design of a saturated analogue and digital current transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pross, Alexander

2002-01-01

This project describes the development of a new analogue and digital current transducer, providing a range of new theoretical design methods for these novel devices. The main control feature is the limit cycling operation, and the novel use of the embedded sigma-delta modulator sensor structure to derive a low component count digital sensor. The research programme was initiated into the design, development and evaluation of a novel non-Hall sensing analogue and digital current transducer. These transducers are used for measurement of high currents in power systems applications. The investigation is concerned with a new design which uses a magnetic ferrite core without an air gap for current measurement. The motivation for this work was to design a new control circuit which provides a low component count, and utilises the non-linear properties of the magnetic ferrite core to transmit direct current. The use of a limit cycle control circuit was believed to be particularly suitable for the analogue and digital transducers, for two main reasons: the low component count, and the output signal is directly digital. In line with the motivations outlined above, the outcome of the research has witnessed the design, development and evaluation of a practically realisable analogue and digital current transducer. The design procedure, which is documented in this thesis, is considered to be a major contribution to the field of transducers design and development using a control systems approach. Mathematical models for both analogue and digital transducers were developed and the resulting model based predictions were found to be in good agreement with measured results. Simplification of the new model sensing device was achieved by approximating the non-linear ferrite core using FFT analysis. This is also considered to be a significant contribution. The development analogue and digital current censors employed a sampled data control systems design and utilised limit cycling

Eddy Current Transducer Dedicated for Sigma Phase Evaluation in Duplex Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grzegorz Psuj

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describes a new transducer dedicated for evaluation of a duplex stainless steel (DSS. Different phases which exist in DSS have influence on mechanical as well as on electrical properties. Therefore, an eddy current transducer was utilized. In order to achieve high sensitivity, a differential type of the transducer was selected. The performance of the transducer was verified by utilizing the samples which had a different amount of sigma phase.

Piezoelectric textured ceramics: Effective properties and application to ultrasonic transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Levassort, Franck; Pham Thi, Mai; Hemery, Henry; Marechal, Pierre; Tran-Huu-Hue, Louis-Pascal; Lethiecq, Marc

2006-12-22

Piezoelectric textured ceramics obtained by homo-template grain growth (HTGG) were recently demonstrated. A simple model with several assumptions has been used to calculate effective parameters of these new materials. Different connectivities have been simulated to show that spatial arrangements between the considered phases have little influence on the effective parameters, even through the 3-0 connectivity delivers the highest electromechanical thickness factor. A transducer based on a textured ceramic sample has been fabricated and characterised to show the efficiency of these piezoelectric materials. Finally, in a single element transducer configuration, simulation shows an improvement of 2 dB sensitivity for a transducer made with textured ceramic in comparison with a similar transducer design based on standard soft PZT (at equivalent bandwidths).

Ultrasonic guided wave tomography for wall thickness mapping in pipes

Science.gov (United States)

Willey, Carson L.

Corrosion and erosion damage pose fundamental challenges to operation of oil and gas infrastructure. In order to manage the life of critical assets, plant operators must implement inspection programs aimed at assessing the severity of wall thickness loss (WTL) in pipelines, vessels, and other structures. Maximum defect depth determines the residual life of these structures and therefore represents one of the key parameters for robust damage mitigation strategies. In this context, continuous monitoring with permanently installed sensors has attracted significant interest and currently is the subject of extensive research worldwide. Among the different monitoring approaches being considered, significant promise is offered by the combination of guided ultrasonic wave technology with the principles of model based inversion under the paradigm of what is now referred to as guided wave tomography (GWT). Guided waves are attractive because they propagate inside the wall of a structure over a large distance. This can yield significant advantages over conventional pulse-echo thickness gage sensors that provide insufficient area coverage -- typically limited to the sensor footprint. While significant progress has been made in the application of GWT to plate-like structures, extension of these methods to pipes poses a number of fundamental challenges that have prevented the development of sensitive GWT methods. This thesis focuses on these challenges to address the complex guided wave propagation in pipes and to account for parametric uncertainties that are known to affect model based inversion and which are unavoidable in real field applications. The main contribution of this work is the first demonstration of a sensitive GWT method for accurately mapping the depth of defects in pipes. This is achieved by introducing a novel forward model that can extract information related to damage from the complex waveforms measured by pairs of guided wave transducers mounted on the pipe

Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Site Identification and Ranking Methodology Part I: Wave Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kilcher, Levi [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Thresher, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-10-01

Marine hydrokinetic energy is a promising and growing piece of the renewable energy sector that offers high predictability and additional energy sources for a diversified energy economy. This report investigates the market opportunities for wave energy along the U.S. coastlines. It is part one of a two-part investigation into the United State's two largest marine hydrokinetic resources (wave and tidal). Wave energy technology is still an emerging form of renewable energy for which large-scale, grid-connected project costs are currently poorly defined. Ideally, device designers would like to know the resource conditions at economical project sites so they can optimize device designs. On the other hand, project developers need detailed device cost data to identify sites where projects are economical. That is, device design and siting are, to some extent, a coupled problem. This work describes a methodology for identifying likely deployment locations based on a set of criteria that wave energy experts in industry, academia, and national laboratories agree are likely to be important factors for all technology types. This work groups the data for the six criteria into 'locales' that are defined as the smaller of either the local transmission grid or a state boundary. The former applies to U.S. islands (e.g., Hawaii, American Samoa) and rural villages (e.g., in Alaska); the latter applies to states in the contiguous United States. These data are then scored from 0 to 10 according to scoring functions that were developed with input from wave energy industry and academic experts. The scores are aggregated using a simple product method that includes a weighting factor for each criterion. This work presents two weighting scenarios: a long-term scenario that does not include energy price (weighted zero) and a near term scenario that includes energy price. The aggregated scores are then used to produce ranked lists of likely deployment locales. In both scenarios

Full-scale Mark II CRT program: dynamic response evaluation test of pressure transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukita, Yutaka; Namatame, Ken; Takeshita, Isao; Shiba, Masayoshi

1982-12-01

A dynamic response evaluation test of pressure transducers was conducted in support of the JAERI Full-Scale Mark II CRT (Containment Response Test) Program. The test results indicated that certain of the cavity-type transducers used in the early blowdown test had undesirable response characteristics. The transducer mounting scheme was modified to avoid trapping of air bubbles in the pressure transmission tubing attached to the transducers. The dynamic response of the modified transducers was acceptable within the frequency range of 200 Hz. (author)

Standing wave acoustic levitation on an annular plate

Science.gov (United States)

Kandemir, Mehmet Hakan; Çalışkan, Mehmet

2016-11-01

In standing wave acoustic levitation technique, a standing wave is formed between a source and a reflector. Particles can be attracted towards pressure nodes in standing waves owing to a spring action through which particles can be suspended in air. This operation can be performed on continuous structures as well as in several numbers of axes. In this study an annular acoustic levitation arrangement is introduced. Design features of the arrangement are discussed in detail. Bending modes of the annular plate, known as the most efficient sound generation mechanism in such structures, are focused on. Several types of bending modes of the plate are simulated and evaluated by computer simulations. Waveguides are designed to amplify waves coming from sources of excitation, that are, transducers. With the right positioning of the reflector plate, standing waves are formed in the space between the annular vibrating plate and the reflector plate. Radiation forces are also predicted. It is demonstrated that small particles can be suspended in air at pressure nodes of the standing wave corresponding to a particular bending mode.

A High-Voltage Class D Audio Amplifier for Dielectric Elastomer Transducers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

2014-01-01

Dielectric Elastomer (DE) transducers have emerged as a very interesting alternative to the traditional electrodynamic transducer. Lightweight, small size and high maneuverability are some of the key features of the DE transducer. An amplifier for the DE transducer suitable for audio applications...... is proposed and analyzed. The amplifier addresses the issue of a high impedance load, ensuring a linear response over the midrange region of the audio bandwidth (100 Hz – 3.5 kHz). THD+N below 0.1% are reported for the ± 300 V prototype amplifier producing a maximum of 125 Var at a peak efficiency of 95 %....

Teaching ocean wave forecasting using computer-generated visualization and animation—Part 2: swell forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Whitford, Dennis J.

2002-05-01

This paper, the second of a two-part series, introduces undergraduate students to ocean wave forecasting using interactive computer-generated visualization and animation. Verbal descriptions and two-dimensional illustrations are often insufficient for student comprehension. Fortunately, the introduction of computers in the geosciences provides a tool for addressing this problem. Computer-generated visualization and animation, accompanied by oral explanation, have been shown to be a pedagogical improvement to more traditional methods of instruction. Cartographic science and other disciplines using geographical information systems have been especially aggressive in pioneering the use of visualization and animation, whereas oceanography has not. This paper will focus on the teaching of ocean swell wave forecasting, often considered a difficult oceanographic topic due to the mathematics and physics required, as well as its interdependence on time and space. Several MATLAB ® software programs are described and offered to visualize and animate group speed, frequency dispersion, angular dispersion, propagation, and wave height forecasting of deep water ocean swell waves. Teachers may use these interactive visualizations and animations without requiring an extensive background in computer programming.

Development and research of in-core transducers at IAE (Institute of Atomic Energy)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Yucai; Qian Shunfa; Jia Guozhen

1989-10-01

The development of in-core transducers at IAE (Institute of Atomic Energy) and their applications in in-pile fuel assembly test are mentioned. These transducers include mainly tubed tungsten-rhenium thermocouple assembly, displacement transducer of linear variable differential transformer, pressure transducer of membrane type, gamma thermometer, turbine flow meter, self-powered neutron detector etc

Parallel Multi-Focusing Using Plane Wave Decomposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Misaridis, Thanassis; Munk, Peter; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

2003-01-01

of desired 2-D sensitivity functions is specified, for multi-focusing in a number of directions. The field along these directions is decomposed to a sufficiently large (for accurate specification) number of plane waves, which are then back-propagated to all transducer elements. The contributions of all plane...... waves result in one time function per element. The numerical solution is presented and discussed. It contains pulses with a variation in central frequency and time-varying apodization across the aperture (dynamic apodization). The RMS difference between the transmitted field using the calculated pulse...... of the transmitted pulses is based on the directivity spectrum method, a generalization of the angular spectrum method, a generalization of the angular spectrum method, containing no evanescent waves. The underlying theory is based on the Fourier slice theorem, and field reconstruction from projections. First a set...

Candle soot nanoparticles-polydimethylsiloxane composites for laser ultrasound transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Wei-Yi; Huang, Wenbin; Kim, Jinwook; Li, Sibo; Jiang, Xiaoning

2015-10-01

Generation of high power laser ultrasound strongly demands the advanced materials with efficient laser energy absorption, fast thermal diffusion, and large thermoelastic expansion capabilities. In this study, candle soot nanoparticles-polydimethylsiloxane (CSNPs-PDMS) composite was investigated as the functional layer for an optoacoustic transducer with high-energy conversion efficiency. The mean diameter of the collected candle soot carbon nanoparticles is about 45 nm, and the light absorption ratio at 532 nm wavelength is up to 96.24%. The prototyped CSNPs-PDMS nano-composite laser ultrasound transducer was characterized and compared with transducers using Cr-PDMS, carbon black (CB)-PDMS, and carbon nano-fiber (CNFs)-PDMS composites, respectively. Energy conversion coefficient and -6 dB frequency bandwidth of the CSNPs-PDMS composite laser ultrasound transducer were measured to be 4.41 × 10-3 and 21 MHz, respectively. The unprecedented laser ultrasound transduction performance using CSNPs-PDMS nano-composites is promising for a broad range of ultrasound therapy applications.

High Performance Relaxor-Based Ferroelectric Single Crystals for Ultrasonic Transducer Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Chen

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT have drawn much attention in the ferroelectric field because of their excellent piezoelectric properties and high electromechanical coupling coefficients (d33~2000 pC/N, kt~60% near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB. Ternary Pb(In1/2Nb1/2O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT single crystals also possess outstanding performance comparable with PMN-PT single crystals, but have higher phase transition temperatures (rhombohedral to tetragonal Trt, and tetragonal to cubic Tc and larger coercive field Ec. Therefore, these relaxor-based single crystals have been extensively employed for ultrasonic transducer applications. In this paper, an overview of our work and perspectives on using PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT single crystals for ultrasonic transducer applications is presented. Various types of single-element ultrasonic transducers, including endoscopic transducers, intravascular transducers, high-frequency and high-temperature transducers fabricated using the PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT crystals and their 2-2 and 1-3 composites are reported. Besides, the fabrication and characterization of the array transducers, such as phased array, cylindrical shaped linear array, high-temperature linear array, radial endoscopic array, and annular array, are also addressed.

Turbulent Structure Under Short Fetch Wind Waves

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

maximum 200 words ) Momentum transfer from wind forcing into the ocean is complicated by the presence of surface waves. Wind momentum and energy are...1,520 m from the mouth of the river to the deployment site ). Map created in Google Earth, October 12, 2015, http://www.google.com/earth/. 33...Doppler processing electronics for each transducer uses 14 bit analog to digital converter to digitize the 1.2 MHz acoustic frequency from the four

Finite-State Complexity and the Size of Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Calude

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Finite-state complexity is a variant of algorithmic information theory obtained by replacing Turing machines with finite transducers. We consider the state-size of transducers needed for minimal descriptions of arbitrary strings and, as our main result, we show that the state-size hierarchy with respect to a standard encoding is infinite. We consider also hierarchies yielded by more general computable encodings.

Experimental Study of Wave Forces on Vertical Circular Cylinders in Long and Short Crested Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høgedal, Michael

on the safe side, as the directional spreading of the wave field Ieads to reduced horizontal velocities and acceleration; in the fluid and hence a reduction of the resultant and in-line wave forces on the structure. The directional spreading of the horizontal velocity field generally causes an increase...... with miniature pressure transducers. The experiments were carried out in the 3-D wave tank in the Hydraulics & Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Aalborg University and in the off-shore basin at the Danish Hydraulic Institute....

KINETIC THEORY OF PLASMA WAVES: Part II: Homogeneous Plasma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerhof, E.

2010-01-01

The theory of electromagnetic waves in a homogeneous plasma is reviewed. The linear response of the plasma to the waves is obtained in the form of the dielectric tensor. Waves ranging from the low frequency Alfven to the high frequency electron cyclotron waves are discussed in the limit of the cold

Kinetic theory of plasma waves: Part II homogeneous plasma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerhof, E.

2000-01-01

The theory of electromagnetic waves in a homogeneous plasma is reviewed. The linear response of the plasma to the waves is obtained in the form of the dielectric tensor. Waves ranging from the low frequency Alfven to the high frequency electron cyclotron waves are discussed in the limit of the cold

Kinetic theory of plasma waves - Part II: Homogeneous plasma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerhof, E.

2008-01-01

The theory of electromagnetic waves in a homogeneous plasma is reviewed. The linear response of the plasma to the waves is obtained in the form of the dielectric tensor. Waves ranging from the low frequency Alfven to the high frequency electron cyclotron waves axe discussed in the limit of the cold

Phage Pl mutants with altered transducing abilities for Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wall, J.D.; Harriman, P.D.

1974-01-01

A search was made for mutants of the coliphage P1 with altered transducing frequencies. A method was developed for the rapid assay of transducing frequencies in single plaques using prophage lambda as the transduced bacterial marker. This procedure selects for mutants altered in their ability to package host DNA. Mutants with 5 to 10 times higher or 10 to 20 times lower frequencies than those of wild-type P1 were found. Not only are the markers used for the detection of the mutants affected, but all other markers are similarly affected (not always to the same extent). One of the high transducing frequency mutants is a suppressible amber, indicating that loss of a function increases P1's ability to package host DNA preferentially. (U.S.)

Research of Steel-dielectric Transition Using Subminiature Eddy-current Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Dmitriev, S. F.; Malikov, V. N.; Sagalakov, A. M.; Ishkov, A. V.

2018-05-01

The research aims to develop a subminiature transducer for electrical steel investigation. The authors determined the capability to study steel characteristics at different depths based on variations of eddy-current transducer amplitude at the steel-dielectric boundary. A subminiature transformer-type transducer was designed, which enables to perform local investigations of ferromagnetic materials using an eddy-current method based on local studies of the steel electrical conductivity. Having the designed transducer as a basis, a hardware-software complex was built to perform experimental studies of steel at the interface boundary. Test results are reported for a specimen with continuous and discrete measurements taken at different frequencies. The article provides the key technical information about the eddy current transformer used and describes the methodology of measurements that makes it possible to control steel to dielectric transition.

A flexible ultrasound transducer array with micro-machined bulk PZT.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhe; Xue, Qing-Tang; Chen, Yuan-Quan; Shu, Yi; Tian, He; Yang, Yi; Xie, Dan; Luo, Jian-Wen; Ren, Tian-Ling

2015-01-23

This paper proposes a novel flexible piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasound transducer, which is based on PZT and a polyimide substrate. The transducer is made on the polyimide substrate and packaged with medical polydimethylsiloxane. Instead of etching the PZT ceramic, this paper proposes a method of putting diced PZT blocks into holes on the polyimide which are pre-etched. The device works in d31 mode and the electromechanical coupling factor is 22.25%. Its flexibility, good conformal contacting with skin surfaces and proper resonant frequency make the device suitable for heart imaging. The flexible packaging ultrasound transducer also has a good waterproof performance after hundreds of ultrasonic electric tests in water. It is a promising ultrasound transducer and will be an effective supplementary ultrasound imaging method in the practical applications.

A Flexible Ultrasound Transducer Array with Micro-Machined Bulk PZT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhe Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel flexible piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasound transducer, which is based on PZT and a polyimide substrate. The transducer is made on the polyimide substrate and packaged with medical polydimethylsiloxane. Instead of etching the PZT ceramic, this paper proposes a method of putting diced PZT blocks into holes on the polyimide which are pre-etched. The device works in d31 mode and the electromechanical coupling factor is 22.25%. Its flexibility, good conformal contacting with skin surfaces and proper resonant frequency make the device suitable for heart imaging. The flexible packaging ultrasound transducer also has a good waterproof performance after hundreds of ultrasonic electric tests in water. It is a promising ultrasound transducer and will be an effective supplementary ultrasound imaging method in the practical applications.

Performance evaluation of eddy current transducers and associated instrumentation of integrated garter spring repositioning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, B.S.V.G.; Shyam, T.V.; Shrivastava, A.K.; Sinha, R.K.

1997-01-01

To extend the life of coolant channels of operating Indian Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) of an early generation, repositioning of dislocated Garter Spring (GS) spacers is necessary. For this purpose a remotely operated system named INtegrated Garter spring REpositioning System (INGRES) has been developed. As a part of this system, eddy current transducers namely Garter Spring Detection Probe (GSDP) and Concentricity Detection Probe (CDP) along with respective signal processor units have been designed and developed. These devices detect GS spacers and eccentricity between Pressure Tube (PT) and Calandria Tube (CT) of the channel respectively. During a recent campaign of INGRES at Madras Atomic Power Station unit-2 (MAPS-2), these transducer systems have fulfilled intended design and operational objectives besides providing additional information regarding channel. These aspects are discussed. (author). 6 figs

Finite element modeling of the electromechanical coupling in ionic polymer transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Akle, Barbar; Habchi, Wassim; Wallmersperger, Thomas; Leo, Donald

2010-04-01

Several researchers are actively studying Ionomeric polymer transducers (IPT) as a large strain low voltage Electro- Active Polymer (EAP) actuator. EAPs are devices that do not contain any moving parts leading to a potential large life time. Furthermore, they are light weight and flexible. An IPT is made of an ion saturated polymer usually Nafion, sandwiched between two electrodes made of a mixture of Nafion and electrically conductive particles usually RuO2 or platinum. Nafion is an acid membrane in which the cations are mobile while the anions are covalently fixed to the polymer structure. Upon the application of an electric potential on the order of 2V at the electrodes the mobile positive ions migrate towards the cathode leading to bending strains in the order of 5%. Our earlier studies demonstrate that the cations develop thin boundary layers around the electrode. Later developments in this finite element model captured the importance of adding particles in the electrode. This study presents the electromechanical coupling in ionic polymer transducers. Since all our earlier models were restricted to the electro-chemical part, here we will introduce the chemomechanical coupling. This coupling is performed based on previous studies (Akle and Leo) in which the authors experimentally showed that the mechanical strain in IPTs is proportional to a linear term and a quadratic term of the charge accumulated at the electrode. The values of the linear and quadratic terms are extracted from experimental data.

Design, Simulation and Experimental Evaluation of Tri-Phasic Piezoelectric Composite Transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Tamez, Juan Pedro

Piezoelectric ceramics exhibit excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties that is the basis of practically all transducers and piezoelectric devices, but their inherent properties, such as brittleness, non-ductility and poor shapeability may limit their applications in areas such as vibration sensing, impact detection, structural health monitoring and other reinforced structures and energy harvesting. To compensate for such limitations, the 1-3 piezoelectric composites transducers have become the material of choice for many high performance ultrasound transducers since it was invented in the late 1970's [ref. Newnham/Cross]. Extensive studies on 1-3 composites have been performed since then to improve the performance of a transducer by modifying their electromechanical coupling, bandwidth, quality factor, and flexibility and by reducing or eliminating the cross talk, i.e., induced noise between the active piezoelectric elements, especially in high power and low frequency applications. These fundamental issues, their possible solutions and their wide impact underline the motivation of the current work in this dissertation report. The motivation for this dissertation was to study and provide a foundation to designing multiphasic piezoelectric transducers that could be useful for multitude of applications. The goal was to improve the 1-3 diphasic composite transducer by eliminating the cross talk between the active piezoelectric elements while maintaining and improving the figures of merit of the design. To achieve the ultimate goal, the steps outlined below were followed: i. Understanding the theoretical and mathematical modeling for tri-phasic piezoelectric composite. ii. Implement Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and simulations of tri-phasic piezoelectric composites where the different active piezoelectric material PZT-5H and PMN-30%PT is surrounded by a vacuum phase that is enclosed by a hexagonal polymer walls. iii. Propose a redesign of the tri

Modeling of Distributed Sensing of Elastic Waves by Fiber-Optic Interferometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Just Agbodjan Prince

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the transduction of strain accompanying elastic waves in solids by firmly attached optical fibers. Stretching sections of optical fibers changes the time required by guided light to pass such sections. Exploiting interferometric techniques, highly sensitive fiber-optic strain transducers are feasible based on this fiber-intrinsic effect. The impact on the actual strain conversion of the fiber segment’s shape and size, as well as its inclination to the elastic wavefront is studied. FEM analyses show that severe distortions of the interferometric response occur when the attached fiber length spans a noticeable fraction of the elastic wavelength. Analytical models of strain transduction are presented for typical transducer shapes. They are used to compute input-output relationships for the transduction of narrow-band strain pulses as a function of the mechanical wavelength. The described approach applies to many transducers depending on the distributed interaction with the investigated object.

A U-shaped linear ultrasonic motor using longitudinal vibration transducers with double feet.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yingxiang; Liu, Junkao; Chen, Weishan; Shi, Shengjun

2012-05-01

A U-shaped linear ultrasonic motor using longitudinal vibration transducers with double feet was proposed in this paper. The proposed motor contains a horizontal transducer and two vertical transducers. The horizontal transducer includes two exponential shape horns located at the leading ends, and each vertical transducer contains one exponential shape horn. The horns of the horizontal transducer and the vertical transducer intersect at the tip ends where the driving feet are located. Longitudinal vibrations are superimposed in the motor and generate elliptical motions at the driving feet. The two vibration modes of the motor are discussed, and the motion trajectories of driving feet are deduced. By adjusting the structural parameters, the resonance frequencies of two vibration modes were degenerated. A prototype motor was fabricated and measured. Typical output of the prototype is no-load speed of 854 mm/s and maximum thrust force of 40 N at a voltage of 200 V(rms).

Ultrasonic inspection of steam-generator tube axial cracking using Lamb wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jae Seok

2007-02-01

In this study, the interaction of Lamb wave propagating thin tube structure with finite vertical discontinuity was studied using both modal decomposition method (MDM) and experimental method. For MDM, a global matrix formulation and orthogonality of Lamb mode was employed to describe the boundary condition of finite vertical discontinuity of the tube and the mode conversion phenomenon respectively. The final form of governing equation by MDM was a linear matrix equation which could be solved using a simple matrix identity. The calculation result showed that, below the cut-off frequency, reflection amplitudes of both A0 and S0 Lamb mode increase as the depth of discontinuity increased beyond the threshold value. An experimental investigation was performed using a Hertzian-contact transducer and steam-generator tubes to verify the calculation results by MDM. A0 Lamb mode was selected as a test signal considering the characteristics of the transducer and previous studies. The experiment for mode identification using half-sectioned tube verified that the Hertzian-contact transducer effectively generated A0 Lamb mode. Tests performed using steam-generator tubes with EDM (electric discharge machined) axial notches showed that the deeper notches produced the higher reflection echo. A0 Lamb mode interacted with the notch having a depth larger than 1/40 of wave length, or corresponding to 30% of the wall thickness. This finding was in good agreement with previous studies and the prediction by MDM. The experiment using real crack specimens to estimate the deviation of reflection amplitude showed that the reflection cross-section of real crack was very similar with that of EDM notch. Therefore, specimens with EDM notches can be used as reference blocks for Lamb wave UT calibration

Optical coherence tomography detection of shear wave propagation in inhomogeneous tissue equivalent phantoms and ex-vivo carotid artery samples

Science.gov (United States)

Razani, Marjan; Luk, Timothy W.H.; Mariampillai, Adrian; Siegler, Peter; Kiehl, Tim-Rasmus; Kolios, Michael C.; Yang, Victor X.D.

2014-01-01

In this work, we explored the potential of measuring shear wave propagation using optical coherence elastography (OCE) in an inhomogeneous phantom and carotid artery samples based on a swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Shear waves were generated using a piezoelectric transducer transmitting sine-wave bursts of 400 μs duration, applying acoustic radiation force (ARF) to inhomogeneous phantoms and carotid artery samples, synchronized with a swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) imaging system. The phantoms were composed of gelatin and titanium dioxide whereas the carotid artery samples were embedded in gel. Differential OCT phase maps, measured with and without the ARF, detected the microscopic displacement generated by shear wave propagation in these phantoms and samples of different stiffness. We present the technique for calculating tissue mechanical properties by propagating shear waves in inhomogeneous tissue equivalent phantoms and carotid artery samples using the ARF of an ultrasound transducer, and measuring the shear wave speed and its associated properties in the different layers with OCT phase maps. This method lays the foundation for future in-vitro and in-vivo studies of mechanical property measurements of biological tissues such as vascular tissues, where normal and pathological structures may exhibit significant contrast in the shear modulus. PMID:24688822

Quantitative use of Rayleigh waves to locate and size subsurface holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zachary, L.W.

1982-01-01

An ultrasonic inspection method is used to obtain the circumference of a subsurface hole and the depth of the hole below the surface. A pitch-catch Rayleigh wave transducer set-up was used to launch a Rayleigh surface wave at the flaw and to capture and record the scattered waves. The frequency spectrum of the scattered waves can be used to obtain the depth of the hole. The ligament of material between the hole and the surface is sent into resonance, and this feature can be extracted from the scattered waves' frequency spectrum. The frequency is a function of the ligament length; thus the hole depth can be obtained. The circumference of the hole is found from a time of flight measurement. A Rayleigh wave is formed that travels around the hole's surface. The length of time required for the wave to travel around the hole is a measure of the circumference

Digital electrostatic acoustic transducer array

KAUST Repository

Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

2016-12-19

In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of an array of electrostatic acoustic transducers. The array is micromachined on a silicon wafer using standard micro-machining techniques. Each array contains 2n electrostatic transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a hexagonal membrane shape structure, which is separated from the substrate by 3µm air gap. The membrane is made out 5µm thick polyimide layer that has a bottom gold electrode on the substrate and a gold top electrode on top of the membrane (250nm). The wafer layout design was diced in nine chips with different array configurations, with variation of the membrane dimensions. The device was tested with 90 V giving and sound output level as high as 35dB, while actuating all the elements at the same time.

Digital electrostatic acoustic transducer array

KAUST Repository

Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Castro, David; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Kosel, Jü rgen; Foulds, Ian G.

2016-01-01

In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of an array of electrostatic acoustic transducers. The array is micromachined on a silicon wafer using standard micro-machining techniques. Each array contains 2n electrostatic transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a hexagonal membrane shape structure, which is separated from the substrate by 3µm air gap. The membrane is made out 5µm thick polyimide layer that has a bottom gold electrode on the substrate and a gold top electrode on top of the membrane (250nm). The wafer layout design was diced in nine chips with different array configurations, with variation of the membrane dimensions. The device was tested with 90 V giving and sound output level as high as 35dB, while actuating all the elements at the same time.

Immune Algorithm Complex Method for Transducer Calibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YU Jiangming

2014-08-01

Full Text Available As a key link in engineering test tasks, the transducer calibration has significant influence on accuracy and reliability of test results. Because of unknown and complex nonlinear characteristics, conventional method can’t achieve satisfactory accuracy. An Immune algorithm complex modeling approach is proposed, and the simulated studies on the calibration of third multiple output transducers is made respectively by use of the developed complex modeling. The simulated and experimental results show that the Immune algorithm complex modeling approach can improve significantly calibration precision comparison with traditional calibration methods.

A Methodological Review of Piezoelectric Based Acoustic Wave Generation and Detection Techniques for Structural Health Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhigang Sun

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Piezoelectric transducers have a long history of applications in nondestructive evaluation of material and structure integrity owing to their ability of transforming mechanical energy to electrical energy and vice versa. As condition based maintenance has emerged as a valuable approach to enhancing continued aircraft airworthiness while reducing the life cycle cost, its enabling structural health monitoring (SHM technologies capable of providing on-demand diagnosis of the structure without interrupting the aircraft operation are attracting increasing R&D efforts. Piezoelectric transducers play an essential role in these endeavors. This paper is set forth to review a variety of ingenious ways in which piezoelectric transducers are used in today’s SHM technologies as a means of generation and/or detection of diagnostic acoustic waves.

Field deployable processing methods for stay-in-place ultrasonic transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Malarich, Nathan; Lissenden, Cliff J.; Tittmann, Bernhard R.

2018-04-01

Condition monitoring provides key data for managing the operation and maintenance of mechanical equipment in the power generation, chemical processing, and manufacturing industries. Ultrasonic transducers provide active monitoring capabilities by wall thickness measurements, elastic property determination, crack detection, and other means. In many cases the components operate in harsh environments that may include high temperature, radiation, and hazardous chemicals. Thus, it is desirable to have permanently affixed ultrasonic transducers for condition monitoring in harsh environments. Spray-on transducers provide direct coupling between the active element and the substrate, and can be applied to curved surfaces. We describe a deposition methodology for ultrasonic transducers that can be applied in the field. First, piezoceramic powders mixed into a sol-gel are air-spray deposited onto the substrate. Powder constituents are selected based on the service environment in which the condition monitoring will be performed. Then the deposited coating is pyrolyzed and partially densified using an induction heating system with a custom work coil designed to match the substrate geometry. The next step, applying the electrodes, is more challenging than might be expected because of the porosity of the piezoelectric coating and the potential reactivity of elements in the adjacent layers. After connecting lead wires to the electrodes the transducer is poled and a protective coating can be applied prior to use. Processing of a PZT-bismuth titanate transducer on a large steel substrate is described along with alternate methods.

Antisymmetric-Symmetric Mode Conversion of Ultrasonic Lamb Waves and Negative Refraction on Thin Steel Plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Young H.; Sung, Jin Woo

2013-01-01

In this study, focusing of ultrasonic Lamb wave by negative refraction with mode conversion from antisymmetric to symmetric mode was investigated. When a wave propagates backward by negative refraction, the energy flux is antiparallel to the phase velocity. Backward propagation of Lamb wave is quite well known, but the behavior of backward Lamb wave at an interface has rarely been investigated. A pin-type transducer is used to detect Lamb wave propagating on a steel plate with a step change in thickness. Conversion from forward to backward propagating mode leads to negative refraction and thus wave focusing. By comparing the amplitudes of received Lamb waves at a specific frequency measured at different distance between transmitter and interface, the focusing of Lamb wave due to negative refraction was confirmed.

Transducer selection and application in magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Yuqi; Wang, Jiawei; Ma, Qingyu; Sun, Xiaodong; Zhang, Dong

2016-01-01

As an acoustic receiver, transducer plays a vital role in signal acquisition and image reconstruction for magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI). In order to optimize signal acquisition, the expressions of acoustic pressure detection and waveform collection are theoretically studied based on the radiation theory of acoustic dipole and the reception pattern of transducer. Pressure distributions are simulated for a cylindrical phantom model using a planar piston transducer with different radii and bandwidths. The proposed theory is also verified by the experimental measurements of acoustic waveform detection for an aluminum foil cylinder. It is proved that acoustic pressure with sharp and clear boundary peaks can be detected by the large-radius transducer with wide bandwidth, reflecting the differential of the induced Lorentz force accurately, which is helpful for precise conductivity reconstruction. To detect acoustic pressure with acceptable pressure amplitude, peak pressure ratio, amplitude ratio, and improved signal to noise ratio, the scanning radius of 5–10 times the radius of the object should be selected to improve the accuracy of image reconstruction. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for transducer selection and application in MAT-MI to obtain reconstructed images with improved resolution and definition.

Transducer selection and application in magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Yuqi; Wang, Jiawei; Ma, Qingyu, E-mail: maqingyu@njnu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronics of Jiangsu Province, School of Physics and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023 (China); Sun, Xiaodong [China Key System & Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd., Wuxi 214072 (China); Zhang, Dong [Laboratory of Modern Acoustics of MOE, Institute of Acoustics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2016-03-07

As an acoustic receiver, transducer plays a vital role in signal acquisition and image reconstruction for magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI). In order to optimize signal acquisition, the expressions of acoustic pressure detection and waveform collection are theoretically studied based on the radiation theory of acoustic dipole and the reception pattern of transducer. Pressure distributions are simulated for a cylindrical phantom model using a planar piston transducer with different radii and bandwidths. The proposed theory is also verified by the experimental measurements of acoustic waveform detection for an aluminum foil cylinder. It is proved that acoustic pressure with sharp and clear boundary peaks can be detected by the large-radius transducer with wide bandwidth, reflecting the differential of the induced Lorentz force accurately, which is helpful for precise conductivity reconstruction. To detect acoustic pressure with acceptable pressure amplitude, peak pressure ratio, amplitude ratio, and improved signal to noise ratio, the scanning radius of 5–10 times the radius of the object should be selected to improve the accuracy of image reconstruction. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for transducer selection and application in MAT-MI to obtain reconstructed images with improved resolution and definition.

Design of HIFU Transducers for Generating Specified Nonlinear Ultrasound Fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosnitskiy, Pavel B; Yuldashev, Petr V; Sapozhnikov, Oleg A; Maxwell, Adam D; Kreider, Wayne; Bailey, Michael R; Khokhlova, Vera A

2017-02-01

Various clinical applications of high-intensity focused ultrasound have different requirements for the pressure levels and degree of nonlinear waveform distortion at the focus. The goal of this paper is to determine transducer design parameters that produce either a specified shock amplitude in the focal waveform or specified peak pressures while still maintaining quasi-linear conditions at the focus. Multiparametric nonlinear modeling based on the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation with an equivalent source boundary condition was employed. Peak pressures, shock amplitudes at the focus, and corresponding source outputs were determined for different transducer geometries and levels of nonlinear distortion. The results are presented in terms of the parameters of an equivalent single-element spherically shaped transducer. The accuracy of the method and its applicability to cases of strongly focused transducers were validated by comparing the KZK modeling data with measurements and nonlinear full diffraction simulations for a single-element source and arrays with 7 and 256 elements. The results provide look-up data for evaluating nonlinear distortions at the focus of existing therapeutic systems as well as for guiding the design of new transducers that generate specified nonlinear fields.

Metrological analysis of a virtual flowmeter-based transducer for cryogenic helium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arpaia, P., E-mail: pasquale.arpaia@unina.it [Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples (Italy); Technology Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Girone, M., E-mail: mario.girone@cern.ch [Technology Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Benevento (Italy); Liccardo, A., E-mail: annalisa.liccardo@unina.it [Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples (Italy); Pezzetti, M., E-mail: marco.pezzetti@cern.ch [Technology Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Piccinelli, F., E-mail: fabio.piccinelli@cern.ch [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia (Italy)

2015-12-15

The metrological performance of a virtual flowmeter-based transducer for monitoring helium under cryogenic conditions is assessed. At this aim, an uncertainty model of the transducer, mainly based on a valve model, exploiting finite-element approach, and a virtual flowmeter model, based on the Sereg-Schlumberger method, are presented. The models are validated experimentally on a case study for helium monitoring in cryogenic systems at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The impact of uncertainty sources on the transducer metrological performance is assessed by a sensitivity analysis, based on statistical experiment design and analysis of variance. In this way, the uncertainty sources most influencing metrological performance of the transducer are singled out over the input range as a whole, at varying operating and setting conditions. This analysis turns out to be important for CERN cryogenics operation because the metrological design of the transducer is validated, and its components and working conditions with critical specifications for future improvements are identified.

Ocean wave characteristic in the Sunda Strait using Wave Spectrum Model

Science.gov (United States)

Rachmayani, R.; Ningsih, N. S.; Adiprabowo, S. R.; Nurfitri, S.

2018-03-01

The wave characteristics including significant wave height and direction, seas and swell in the Sunda Strait are analyzed seasonally to provide marine weather information. This is crucial for establishing secured marine activities between islands of Sumatera and Java. Ocean wave characteristics in the Sunda Strait are simulated for one year (July 1996–June 1977) by using SWAN numerical model. The ocean wave characteristics in the Sunda Strait are divided into three areas of interest; southern, centre and northern part of the Sunda Strait. Despite a weaker local wind, the maximum significant wave height is captured at the southern part with its height of 2.6 m in November compared to other seasonally months. This is associated with the dominated swell from the Indian Ocean contributes on wave energy toward the Sunda Strait. The 2D spectrum analysis exhibits the monthly wave characteristic at southern part that is dominated by seas along the year and swell propagating from the Indian Ocean to the Sunda Strait during December to February (northwest monsoon), May, and November. Seas and swell at northern part of the Sunda Strait are apprehended weaker compared to other parts of the Sunda Strait due to its location is farther from the Indian Ocean.

Nonlinear Dynamic Modeling of Langevin-Type Piezoelectric Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolás Peréz Alvarez

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Langevin transducers are employed in several applications, such as power ultrasound systems, naval hydrophones, and high-displacement actuators. Nonlinear effects can influence their performance, especially at high vibration amplitude levels. These nonlinear effects produce variations in the resonant frequency, harmonics of the excitation frequency, in addition to loss of symmetry in the frequency response and “frequency domain hysteresis”. In this context, this paper presents a simplified nonlinear dynamic model of power ultrasound transducers requiring only two parameters for simulating the most relevant nonlinear effects. One parameter reproduces the changes in the resonance frequency and the other introduces the dependence of the frequency response on the history of the system. The piezoelectric constitutive equations are extended by a linear dependence of the elastic constant on the mechanical displacement amplitude. For introducing the frequency hysteresis, the elastic constant is computed by combining the current value of the mechanical amplitude with the previous state amplitude. The model developed in this work is applied for predicting the dynamic responses of a 26 kHz ultrasonic transducer. The comparison of theoretical and experimental responses, obtained at several input voltages around the tuned frequency, shows a good agreement, indicating that the model can accurately describe the transducer nonlinear behavior.

Simulation of ultrasonic surface waves with multi-Gaussian and point source beam models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xinyu; Schmerr, Lester W. Jr.; Li, Xiongbing; Sedov, Alexander

2014-01-01

In the past decade, multi-Gaussian beam models have been developed to solve many complicated bulk wave propagation problems. However, to date those models have not been extended to simulate the generation of Rayleigh waves. Here we will combine Gaussian beams with an explicit high frequency expression for the Rayleigh wave Green function to produce a three-dimensional multi-Gaussian beam model for the fields radiated from an angle beam transducer mounted on a solid wedge. Simulation results obtained with this model are compared to those of a point source model. It is shown that the multi-Gaussian surface wave beam model agrees well with the point source model while being computationally much more efficient

Generalized theory of resonance scattering (GTRS) using the translational addition theorem for spherical wave functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitri, Farid

2014-11-01

The generalized theory of resonance scattering (GTRS) by an elastic spherical target in acoustics is extended to describe the arbitrary scattering of a finite beam using the addition theorem for the spherical wave functions of the first kind under a translation of the coordinate origin. The advantage of the proposed method over the standard discrete spherical harmonics transform previously used in the GTRS formalism is the computation of the off-axial beam-shape coefficients (BSCs) stemming from a closed-form partial-wave series expansion representing the axial BSCs in spherical coordinates. With this general method, the arbitrary acoustical scattering can be evaluated for any particle shape and size, whether the particle is partially or completely illuminated by the incident beam. Numerical examples for the axial and off-axial resonance scattering from an elastic sphere placed arbitrarily in the field of a finite circular piston transducer with uniform vibration are provided. Moreover, the 3-D resonance directivity patterns illustrate the theory and reveal some properties of the scattering. Numerous applications involving the scattering phenomenon in imaging, particle manipulation, and the characterization of multiphase flows can benefit from the present analysis because all physically realizable beams radiate acoustical waves from finite transducers as opposed to waves of infinite extent.

Actuatable capacitive transducer for quantitative nanoindentation combined with transmission electron microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, Oden L.; Asif, S. A. Syed; Cyrankowski, Edward; Kounev, Kalin

2010-09-21

An actuatable capacitive transducer including a transducer body, a first capacitor including a displaceable electrode and electrically configured as an electrostatic actuator, and a second capacitor including a displaceable electrode and electrically configured as a capacitive displacement sensor, wherein the second capacitor comprises a multi-plate capacitor. The actuatable capacitive transducer further includes a coupling shaft configured to mechanically couple the displaceable electrode of the first capacitor to the displaceable electrode of the second capacitor to form a displaceable electrode unit which is displaceable relative to the transducer body, and an electrically-conductive indenter mechanically coupled to the coupling shaft so as to be displaceable in unison with the displaceable electrode unit.-

Neutron Irradiation Tests of Pressure Transducers in Liquid Helium

CERN Document Server

Amand, J F; Casas-Cubillos, J; Thermeau, J P

1999-01-01

The superconducting magnets of the future Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will operate in pressurised superfluid helium (1 bar, 1.9 K). About 500 pressure transducers will be placed in the liquid helium bath for monitoring the filling and the pressure transients after resistive transitions. Their precision must remain better than 100 mbar at pressures below 2 bar and better than 5% for higher pressures (up to 20 bar), with temperatures ranging from 1.8 K to 300 K. All the tested transducers are based on the same principle: the fluid or gas is separated from a sealed reference vacuum by an elastic membrane; its deformation indicates the pressure. The transducers will be exposed to high neutron fluence (2 kGy, 1014 n/cm2 per year) during the 20 years of machine operation. This irradiation may induce changes both on the membranes characteristics (leakage, modification of elasticity) and on gauges which measure their deformations. To investigate these effects and select the transducer to be used in the LHC, a...

Particle scavenging in a cylindrical ultrasonic standing wave field using levitated drops

Science.gov (United States)

Merrell, Tyler; Saylor, J. R.

2015-11-01

A cylindrical ultrasonic standing wave field was generated in a tube containing a flow of particles and fog. Both the particles and fog drops were concentrated in the nodes of the standing wave field where they combined and then grew large enough to fall out of the system. In this way particles were scavenged from the system, cleaning the air. While this approach has been attempted using a standing wave field established between disc-shaped transducers, a cylindrical resonator has not been used for this purpose heretofore. The resonator was constructed by bolting three Langevin transducers to an aluminum tube. The benefit of the cylindrical geometry is that the acoustic energy is focused. Furthermore, the residence time of the particle in the field can be increased by increasing the length of the resonator. An additional benefit of this approach is that tubes located downstream of the resonator were acoustically excited, acting as passive resonators that enhanced the scavenging process. The performance of this system on scavenging particles is presented as a function of particle diameter and volumetric flow rate. It is noted that, when operated without particles, the setup can be used to remove drops and shows promise for liquid aerosol retention from systems where these losses can be financially disadvantageous and/or hazardous.

Tunable-angle wedge transducer for improved acoustophoretic control in a microfluidic chip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iranmanesh, I.; Barnkob, Rune; Bruus, Henrik

2013-01-01

We present a tunable-angle wedge ultrasound transducer for improved control of microparticle acoustophoresis in a microfluidic chip. The transducer is investigated by analyzing the pattern of aligned particles and induced acoustic energy density while varying the transducer geometry, transducer...... change in geometry and that the coupling angle may be used as an additional tuning parameter for improved acoustophoretic control with single-frequency actuation. Further, we find that frequency-modulation actuation is suitable for diminishing such tuning effects and that it is a robust method to produce...... coupling angle, and transducer actuation method (single-frequency actuation or frequency-modulation actuation). The energy-density analysis is based on measuring the transmitted light intensity through a microfluidic channel filled with a suspension of 5 µm diameter beads and the results with the tunable-angle...

Design and performance of the drag-disc turbine transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Averill, R.H.; Goodrich, L.D.; Ford, R.E.

1979-01-01

Mass flow rates at the Loss-of-Fluid Test (LOFT) facility, EG and G Idaho, Inc., at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, are measured with the drag-disc turbine transducer (DTT). Operational description of the DTT and the developmental effort are discussed. Performance data and experiences with this transducer have been evaluated and are presented in this paper

Wave Induced Stresses Measured at the Wave Dragon Nissum Bredning Prototype

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Corona, L.; Kofoed, Jens Peter

2006-01-01

The paper describes the wave induced loading on the overtopping based wave energy converter Wave Dragon. Focus is put on the junction between the main body and the reflector, also called the "shoulder part", where large cross sectional forces and bending moments acts. There are two main objectives...... for this paper, first to verify the FEM results obtained by Niras, Danish society in charge of the finite element modelling and structural design, and then to make a first experimental fatigue analysis of a particular part of the Wave Dragon. This last part shall be considered as an exercise for the further work...

Updated Results of Ultrasonic Transducer Irradiation Test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daw, Joshua; Palmer, Joe [Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, MS 4112, Idaho Falls, ID, 38415-3840 (United States); Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Keller, Paul; Montgomery, Robert [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd. Richland, WA, 99354 (United States); Chien, Hual-Te [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue Argonne, IL, 60439 (United States); Tittmann, Bernhard; Reinhardt, Brian [Pennsylvania State University, 212 Earth and Engr. Sciences Building, University Park, PA, 16802 (United States); Kohse, Gordon [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Rempe, Joy [Rempe and Associates, LLC, 360 Stillwater, Idaho Falls, ID 83404 (United States); Villard, J.F. [Commissariat a l' energie atomique et aux energies alternatives, Centre d' etudes de Cadarache, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2015-07-01

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of a range of parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. These efforts are limited by the lack of identified ultrasonic transducer materials capable of long term performance under irradiation test conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate the performance of promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10{sup 21} n/cm{sup 2}. A multi-National Laboratory collaboration funded by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (NEET-ASI) program also provided initial support for this effort. This irradiation, which started in February 2014, is an instrumented lead test and real-time transducer performance data are collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. The irradiation is ongoing and will continue to approximately mid-2015. To date, very encouraging results have been attained as several transducers continue to operate under irradiation. (authors)

Three-Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Focusing Using a Rocking Convex Array Transducer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Henrik; Nikolov, Svetoslav; Pedersen, Mads Møller

2010-01-01

Volumetric imaging can be performed using 1-D arrays in combination with mechanical motion. Outside the elevation focus of the array, the resolution and contrast quickly degrade compared with the lateral plane, because of the fixed transducer focus. This paper shows the feasibility of using...... synthetic aperture focusing for enhancing the elevation focus for a convex rocking array. The method uses a virtual source (VS) for defocused multi-element transmit, and another VS in the elevation focus point. This allows a direct time-of-flight to be calculated for a given 3-D point. To avoid artifacts...... and increase SNR at the elevation VS, a plane-wave VS approach has been implemented. Simulations and measurements using an experimental scanner with a convex rocking array show an average improvement in resolution of 26% and 33%, respectively. This improvement is also seen in in vivo measurements...

Waves and Particles, The Orbital Atom, Parts One and Two of an Integrated Science Sequence, Teacher's Guide, 1973 Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Portland Project Committee, OR.

This teacher's guide includes parts one and two of the four-part third year Portland Project, a three-year integrated secondary science curriculum sequence. The Harvard Project Physics textbook is used for reading assignments for part one. Assignments relate to waves, light, electricity, magnetic fields, Faraday and the electrical age,…

Capacitive acoustic wave detector and method of using same

Science.gov (United States)

Yost, William T. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A capacitor having two substantially parallel conductive faces is acoustically coupled to a conductive sample end such that the sample face is one end of the capacitor. A non-contacting dielectric may serve as a spacer between the two conductive plates. The formed capacitor is connected to an LC oscillator circuit such as a Hartley oscillator circuit producing an output frequency which is a function of the capacitor spacing. This capacitance oscillates as the sample end coating is oscillated by an acoustic wave generated in the sample by a transmitting transducer. The electrical output can serve as an absolute indicator of acoustic wave displacement.

Advantages and Challenges of Relaxor-PbTiO3 Ferroelectric Crystals for Electroacoustic Transducers- A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shujun; Li, Fei; Jiang, Xiaoning; Kim, Jinwook; Luo, Jun; Geng, Xuecang

2014-01-01

Relaxor-PbTiO3 (PT) based ferroelectric crystals with the perovskite structure have been investigated over the last few decades due to their ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficients (d33 > 1500 pC/N) and electromechanical coupling factors (k33 > 90%), far outperforming state-of-the-art ferroelectric polycrystalline Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramics, and are at the forefront of advanced electroacoustic applications. In this review, the performance merits of relaxor-PT crystals in various electroacoustic devices are presented from a piezoelectric material viewpoint. Opportunities come from not only the ultrahigh properties, specifically coupling and piezoelectric coefficients, but through novel vibration modes and crystallographic/domain engineering. Figure of merits (FOMs) of crystals with various compositions and phases were established for various applications, including medical ultrasonic transducers, underwater transducers, acoustic sensors and tweezers. For each device application, recent developments in relaxor-PT ferroelectric crystals were surveyed and compared with state-of-the-art polycrystalline piezoelectrics, with an emphasis on their strong anisotropic features and crystallographic uniqueness, including engineered domain - property relationships. This review starts with an introduction on electroacoustic transducers and the history of piezoelectric materials. The development of the high performance relaxor-PT single crystals, with a focus on their uniqueness in transducer applications, is then discussed. In the third part, various FOMs of piezoelectric materials for a wide range of ultrasound applications, including diagnostic ultrasound, therapeutic ultrasound, underwater acoustic and passive sensors, tactile sensors and acoustic tweezers, are evaluated to provide a thorough understanding of the materials’ behavior under operational conditions. Structure-property-performance relationships are then established. Finally, the impacts and challenges of relaxor

Class H power amplifier for power saving in fluxgate current transducers

OpenAIRE

Velasco Quesada, Guillermo; Román Lumbreras, Manuel; Pérez Delgado, Raul; Conesa Roca, Alfons

2016-01-01

This paper presents a new improvement in the design of a fluxgate-based current transducer in order to reduce the power consumption of control electronics. The proposed improvement involves the replacement of the output linear amplifier of the transducer by a class H amplifier. The output amplifier is devoted to the magnetic flux compensation and generates the transducer output current, which is proportional to the current to be measured. In this way, it is possible to reduce significantly th...

Local Interaction Simulation Approach for Fault Detection in Medical Ultrasonic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Hashemiyan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A new approach is proposed for modelling medical ultrasonic transducers operating in air. The method is based on finite elements and the local interaction simulation approach. The latter leads to significant reductions of computational costs. Transmission and reception properties of the transducer are analysed using in-air reverberation patterns. The proposed approach can help to provide earlier detection of transducer faults and their identification, reducing the risk of misdiagnosis due to poor image quality.

A piezoelectric transducer for measurement of dynamic strain in pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lannes, Daniel P.; Gama, Antonio L. [Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niteroi, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Mecanica

2009-07-01

This work presents a new strain transducer developed mainly for the inspection and evaluation of piping systems with excessive vibration. Vibration is one of the most common causes of piping failures. These failures could be avoided if the vibration problems were identified and quickly evaluated. Procedures for evaluation of piping vibration are usually based on pipe velocity or displacement. Although simple and fast, these procedures do not provide precise information on the risk of piping fatigue failure. Through the measurement of pipe dynamic strains the risk of failure due to vibration can be determined more accurately. The measurement of strain is usually performed using the conventional strain gauge method. Although efficient and accurate, the implementation of the conventional strain gauge technique may become a difficult task in certain industrial scenarios. Motivated by the need of a simple and rapid method for pipe dynamic strain measurement, a piezoelectric dynamic strain transducer was developed. This work presents a description of the piezoelectric strain transducer and the preliminary results of pipe strain measurements. The transducer can be applied directly to the pipe through magnetic bases allowing for the quick measurement of the dynamic strains in many points of the pipe. The transducer signal can be read with the same commercial data collectors used for accelerometers. (author)

Fiber-optic coupled pressure transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tallman, C.R.; Wingate, F.P.; Ballard, E.O.

1979-01-01

A fiber-optic coupled pressure transducer was developed for measurement of pressure transients produced by fast electrical discharges in laser cavities. A detailed description of the design and performance will be given. Shock tube performance and measurements in direct electrical discharge regions will be presented

Full polarimetric millimetre wave radar for stand-off security screening

Science.gov (United States)

Blackhurst, Eddie; Salmon, Neil; Southgate, Matthew

2017-10-01

The development and measurements are described of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) mono-static millimetre wave full polarimetric radar, operating at k-band (18 to 26 GHz). The system has been designed to explore the feasibility of using full polarimetry for the detection of concealed weapons, and person borne improvised explosive devices (PBIED). The philosophy of this scheme is a means to extract the maximum information content from a target which is normally in the single spatial pixel (sometimes sub-pixel) configuration in stand-off (tens of metres) and crowd surveillance scenarios. The radar comprises a vector network analyser (VNA), an orthomode transducer and a conical horn antenna. A calibration strategy is discussed and demonstrated using a variety of known calibration targets with known reflective properties, including a flat metal plate, dihedral reflector, metal sphere, helix and dipole. The orthomode transducer is based on a high performance linear polarizer of the turnstile type with isolation better than - 35dB between orthogonal polarisations. The calibration enables the polarimetric Sinclair scattering matrix to be measured at each frequency for coherent polarimetry, and this can be extended using multiple measurements via the Kennaugh matrix to investigate incoherent full polarimetry.

Corrosion monitoring using high-frequency guided ultrasonic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Fromme, Paul

2014-02-01

Corrosion develops due to adverse environmental conditions during the life cycle of a range of industrial structures, e.g., offshore oil platforms, ships, and desalination plants. Both pitting corrosion and generalized corrosion leading to wall thickness loss can cause the degradation of the structural integrity. The nondestructive detection and monitoring of corrosion damage in difficult to access areas can be achieved using high frequency guided waves propagating along the structure from accessible areas. Using standard ultrasonic transducers with single sided access to the structure, guided wave modes were generated that penetrate through the complete thickness of the structure. The wave propagation and interference of the different guided wave modes depends on the thickness of the structure. Laboratory experiments were conducted and the wall thickness reduced by consecutive milling of the steel structure. Further measurements were conducted using accelerated corrosion in a salt water bath and the damage severity monitored. From the measured signal change due to the wave mode interference the wall thickness reduction was monitored. The high frequency guided waves have the potential for corrosion damage monitoring at critical and difficult to access locations from a stand-off distance.

A process chain for integrating piezoelectric transducers into aluminum die castings to generate smart lightweight structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Stein

Full Text Available The application of piezoelectric transducers to structural body parts of machines or vehicles enables the combination of passive mechanical components with sensor and actuator functions in one single structure. According to Herold et al. [1] and Staeves [2] this approach indicates significant potential regarding smart lightweight construction. To obtain the highest yield, the piezoelectric transducers need to be integrated into the flux of forces (load path of load bearing structures. Application in a downstream process reduces yield and process efficiency during manufacturing and operation, due to the necessity of a subsequent process step of sensor/actuator application. The die casting process offers the possibility for integration of piezoelectric transducers into metal structures. Aluminum castings are particularly favorable due to their high quality and feasibility for high unit production at low cost (Brunhuber [3], Nogowizin [4]. Such molded aluminum parts with integrated piezoelectric transducers enable functions like active vibration damping, structural health monitoring or energy harvesting resulting in significant possibilities of weight reduction, which is an increasingly important driving force of automotive and aerospace industry (Klein [5], Siebenpfeiffer [6] due to increasingly stringent environmental protection laws. In the scope of those developments, this paper focuses on the entire process chain enabling the generation of lightweight metal structures with sensor and actuator function, starting from the manufacturing of piezoelectric modules over electrical and mechanical bonding to the integration of such modules into aluminum (Al matrices by die casting. To achieve this challenging goal, piezoceramic sensors/actuator modules, so-called LTCC/PZT modules (LPM were developed, since ceramic based piezoelectric modules are more likely to withstand the thermal stress of about 700 °C introduced by the casting process (Flössel et

A computerized check-out system for transducers in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, A.

1984-01-01

A computerized system for the acquisition, administration and recording of test data of about 1000 pressure meters (transducers) being collected annually in nuclear power stations is described. The Mobile System is set up by three components - the control pressure device, the intelligent interface and the microcomputer (PDP 11/23, 256 kB) - the whole being assembled on a moveable wagon which allows on site measurement of the transducers. The PDP 11/23, fully integrated in a VT 103 video terminal, connects to the interface via an IEEE-488 bus system. Its keyboard is equipped with operation keys to handle and control the different test phases - uncoupling the transducer from plant operation, linking the transducer to the Mobile System, testing for leaks in the pipe system, recording and correcting the characteristic curve, reinstallation of the transducer in plant operation. Filling and emptying of the pipelines for high pressure measuring is computer controlled as well. As each Mobile System is a stand-alone test device, the number of systems is freely selectable according to environmental conditions (radiative and non-radiative zones, accessability etc.), failure resp. availability considerations and other boundary conditions. Data transport to and from the Stationary System is done via magnetic tape cartridges (256 KB), which may pick-up data of 150 transducers, or online via twisted pair cable connections between the measuring points and the Stationary System. (orig./GL) [de

Application of a Magnetostrictive Guided wave Technique to Monitor the Evolution of Defect Signals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheong, Yong-Moo; Oh, Se-Beom; Lee, Duck-Hyun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

An advantage of a magnetostrictive strip transducer for a long-range guided wave inspection is that wave patterns are clear and simple when compared to a conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer. Therefore, if we can characterize the evolution of defect signals, it could be a promising tool for a structural health monitoring of pipes for a long period of time as well as an identification of flaw. Of course, when evaluating a signal during a realistic field examination, it should be careful because of some spurious signals or false indications, such as signals due to a directionality, multiple reflections, mode conversion, geometrical reflections etc. Therefore, the different frequency components of the guided waves will travel at different speeds and the shape of the received signal will changed as it propagates along the pipe. Once the magnetostrictive sensors are attached in the pipe permanently and the signal shape and phase can be compared to the signals before and after, we can monitor the evolution of the flow for the given period. We developed a program to subtract the guided wave signal. The program has a capability of adjusting the time scale and can minimize the noise level after subtraction. By applying the newly developed program, a notch with 2% of CSA can be detected with increased accuracy with noise reduction.

A Study on the Guided Wave Mode Conversion using Self-calibrating Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jung Chul; Cho, Youn Ho

2000-01-01

The guided wave mode conversion phenomena were investigated for the NDE of a plate-like structure with thickness variation. The ratios of reflection and transmission (R/T) were measured via the self-calibrating procedure which allows us to obtain experimental guided wave data in a more reliable way regardless of the coupling uncertainty between transducer and specimen. The results on R/T could be used to determine the thickness reduction of the structure. It was shown that not only the incident modes but also the converted ones need to be considered in the self-calibrating guided wave inspection to extract a reasonable correlation between experimental data and the thickness variation. Through this study, the potential of guided wave inspection as a quantitative NDE technique was explored based on the combined concept of self-calibration and multi-mode conversion in guided wave scattering problems

On the Fundamental Mode Love Wave in Devices Incorporating Thick Viscoelastic Layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jian-Sheng; Wang Li-Jun; He Shi-Tang

2015-01-01

A detailed investigation is presented for Love waves (LWs) with thick viscoelastic guiding layers. A theoretical calculation and an experiment are carried out for LW devices incorporating an SU-8 guiding layer, an ST-90° X quartz substrate and two 28-μm periodic interdigital transducers. Both the calculated and the measured results show an increase in propagation velocity when h/λ > 0.05. The measured insertion loss of LWs is consistent with the calculated propagation loss. The insertion loss of bulk waves is also measured and is compared with that of LWs. (paper)

Lead-free piezoelectric materials and ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaheh Taghaddos

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Piezoelectric materials have been vastly used in ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging. In this paper, firstly, the most promising lead-free compositions with perovskite structure for medical imaging applications have been reviewed. The electromechanical properties of various lead-free ceramics, composites, and single crystals based on barium titanate, bismuth sodium titanate, potassium sodium niobate, and lithium niobate are presented. Then, fundamental principles and design considerations of ultrasonic transducers are briefly described. Finally, recent developments in lead-free ultrasonic probes are discussed and their acoustic performance is compared to lead-based transducers. Focused transducers with different beam focusing methods such as lens focusing and mechanical shaping are explained. Additionally, acoustic characteristics of lead-free probes including the pulse-echo results as well as their imaging capabilities for various applications such as phantom imaging, in vitro intravascular ultrasound imaging of swine aorta, and in vivo or ex vivo imaging of human eyes and skin are reviewed.

A Novel Rotary Piezoelectric Motor Using First Bending Hybrid Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingxiang Liu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available We report a novel rotary piezoelectric motor using bending transducers in this work. Three transducers are used to drive a disk-shaped rotor together by the elliptical movements of their driving tips; these motions are produced by the hybrid of two first bending vibration modes. The proposed piezoelectric transducer has a simple structure as it only contains an aluminum alloy beam and four pieces of PZT plates. Symmetrical structure is the only necessary condition in the design process as it will ensure the resonance frequencies of the two orthogonal first bending modes are equal. Transducers with first bending resonance frequency of about 53 kHz were fabricated and assembled into a rotary motor. The proposed motor exhibits good performance on speed and torque control. Under a working frequency of 53.2 kHz, the maximum no-load speed and the maximum torque of the prototype are tested to be 53.3 rpm and of 27 mN·m.

Health Monitoring of Bolted Spherical Joint Connection Based on Active Sensing Technique Using Piezoceramic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Xu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Bolted spherical joints are widely used to form space steel structures. The stiffness and load capacity of the structures are affected by the looseness of bolted spherical joint connections in the structures. The looseness of the connections, which can be caused by fabrication error, low modeling accuracy, and “false twist” in the installation process, may negatively impact the load capacity of the structure and even lead to severe accidents. Furthermore, it is difficult to detect bolted spherical joint connection looseness from the outside since the bolts connect spheres with rods together from the inside. Active sensing methods are proposed in this paper to monitor the tightness status of the bolted spherical connection using piezoceramic transducers. A triangle-on-triangle offset grid composed of bolted spherical joints and steel tube bars was fabricated as the specimen and was used to validate the active sensing methods. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT patches were used as sensors and actuators to monitor the bolted spherical joint tightness status. One PZT patch mounted on the central bolted sphere at the upper chord was used as an actuator to generate a stress wave. Another PZT patch mounted on the bar was used as a sensor to detect the propagated waves through the bolted spherical connection. The looseness of the connection can impact the energy of the stress wave propagated through the connection. The wavelet packet analysis and time reversal (TR method were used to quantify the energy of the transmitted signal between the PZT patches by which the tightness status of the connection can be detected. In order to verify the effectiveness, repeatability, and consistency of the proposed methods, the experiments were repeated six times in different bolted spherical connection positions. The experimental results showed that the wavelet packet analysis and TR method are effective in detecting the tightness status of the connections. The

In-situ changes in the elastic wave velocity of rock with increasing temperature using high-resolution coda wave interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Luke; Heap, Michael; Lengliné, Olivier; Schmittbuhl, Jean; Baud, Patrick

2017-04-01

Rock undergoes fluctuations in temperature in various settings in Earth's crust, including areas of volcanic or geothermal activity, or industrial environments such as hydrocarbon or geothermal reservoirs. Changes in temperature can cause thermal stresses that can result in the formation of microcracks, which affect the mechanical, physical, and transport properties of rocks. Of the affected physical properties, the elastic wave velocity of rock is particularly sensitive to microcracking. Monitoring the evolution of elastic wave velocity during the thermal stressing of rock therefore provides valuable insight into thermal cracking processes. One monitoring technique is Coda Wave Interferometry (CWI), which infers high-resolution changes in the medium from changes in multiple-scattered elastic waves. We have designed a new experimental setup to perform CWI whilst cyclically heating and cooling samples of granite (cylinders of 20 mm diameter and 40 mm length). In our setup, the samples are held between two pistons within a tube furnace and are heated and cooled at a rate of 1 °C/min to temperatures of up to 300 °C. Two high temperature piezo-transducers are each in contact with an opposing face of the rock sample. The servo-controlled uniaxial press compensates for the thermal expansion and contraction of the pistons and the sample, keeping the coupling between the transducers and the sample, and the axial force acting on the sample, constant throughout. Our setup is designed for simultaneous acoustic emission monitoring (AE is commonly used as a proxy for microcracking), and so we can follow thermal microcracking precisely by combining the AE and CWI techniques. We find that during the first heating/cooling cycle, the onset of thermal microcracking occurs at a relatively low temperature of around 65 °C. The CWI shows that elastic wave velocity decreases with increasing temperature and increases during cooling. Upon cooling, back to room temperature, there is an

A New High-Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Continuous Inspection.

Science.gov (United States)

Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N; Coyle, Thomas W

2016-03-01

A novel design of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is introduced, suitable for operation at temperatures of up to 700 °C-800 °C. Lithium niobate single crystal is chosen as the piezoelectric element primarily due to the high Curie temperature of 1200 °C. A backing element based on a porous ceramic is designed for which the pore volume fraction and average pore diameter in the ceramic matrix can be controlled in the manufacturing process; this enables the acoustic impedance and attenuation to be selected to match their optimal values as predicted by a one-dimensional transducer model of the entire transducer. Porous zirconia is selected as the ceramic matrix material of the backing element to obtain an ultrasonic signal with center frequency of 2.7-3 MHz, and 3-dB bandwidth of 90%-95% at the targeted operating temperature. Acoustic coupling of the piezocrystal to the backing element and matching layer is investigated using commercially available high-temperature adhesives and brazing alloys. The performance of the transducer as a function of temperature is studied. Stable bonding and clear signals were obtained using an aluminum brazing alloy as the bonding agent.

Ultrasonic Transducer Design for the Axial Flaw Detection of Dissimilar Metal Weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Byung Sik; Kim, Yong Sik; Yang, Seung Han

2011-01-01

Dissimilar metal welds in nuclear power plant are known as very susceptible to PWSCC flaws, and periodically inspected by the qualified inspector and qualified procedure during in-service inspection period. According to field survey data, the majority of their DMWs are located on tapered nozzle or adjacent to a tapered component. These types of configurations restrict examination access and also limit examination volume coverage. Additionally, circumferential scan for axially oriented flaw is very difficult to detect located on tapered surface because the transducer can't receive flaw response from reflector for miss-orientation. To overcome this miss-orientation, it is necessary adapt skewed ultrasonic transducer accommodate tapered surface. The skewed refracted longitudinal ultrasonic transducer designed by modeling and manufactured from the modelling result for axial flaw detection. Experimental results showed that the skewed refracted longitudinal ultrasonic transducer get higher flaw response than non-skewed refracted longitudinal ultrasonic transducer

Performance testing of lead free primers: blast waves, velocity variations, and environmental testing

OpenAIRE

Courtney, Elya; Courtney, Amy; Summer, Peter David; Courtney, Michael

2014-01-01

Results are presented for lead free primers based on diazodinitrophenol (DDNP)compared with tests on lead styphnate based primers. First, barrel friction measurements in 5.56 mm NATO are presented. Second, shot to shot variations in blast waves are presented as determined by detonating primers in a 7.62x51mm rifle chamber with a firing pin, but without any powder or bullet loaded and measuring the blast wave at the muzzle with a high speed pressure transducer. Third, variations in primer blas...

Ultrasonic field analysis program for transducer design in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, G.P.; Rose, J.L.

1980-02-01

An ultrasonic field analysis program is presented that can be used for transducer design in the nuclear industry. Calculation routines that make use of Huygen's principle in a field analysis model are introduced that enable such field characteristics as axial and lateral resolution, beam symmetry, and gain variation throughout the ultrasonic field to be optimized. Mathematical details are presented along with several sample problems that show comparisons with classical results reported in the literature and with experimental data. Several sample problems that are of interest to the nuclear industry are also included, along with some that satisfy both academical and practical curiosity. These include transducer shape effects, pulse shape effects, crystal vibration variation, and an introduction to such novel transducer designs as annular arrays and dual element angle beam transducers

A Float Type Liquid Level Measuring System Using a Modified Inductive Transducer

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Samik MARICK

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Float type liquid level sensor is generally used as a very simple technique for local level indication and level switching. In the present paper a technique has been proposed to transmit the measured liquid level signal of a float type sensor at remote terminal using a modified differential inductance type electromechanical transducer. The theoretical characteristic equation of this transducer has been derived. A prototype unit of the transducer has been developed and fabricated and its performance characteristic has been experimentally determined. The experimental results are reported in the paper. From experimental data, a very good linear characteristic of the proposed level transducer has been observed.

Torque magnetometry by use of capacitance type transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braught, M.C.; Pechan, M.J.

1992-01-01

Interfacial anisotropy in magnetic multilayered samples comprised of nanometer thick magnetic layers alternating with non-magnetic layers is investigated by torque magnetometry in the temperature regime of 4 to 300K. The design, construction and use of a capacitance type transducer wherein the sample is mounted directly on with the plate of the capacitor, will be described. As a result the sample and transducer spatially coexist at the sample temperature in an applied external field, eliminating mechanical coupling from the cryogenic region to a remote room temperature transducer. The capacitor measuring the torque of the sample is paired with a reference capacitor. The difference between torque influenced capacitance and the reference is then determined by a differential transimpedance amplifier. Since both capacitors are physically identical variables such as temperature, vibration, orientation and external devices are minimized. Torques up to 300 dyne-cm can be measured with a sensitivity of 0.010 dyne-cm

Six-Axis Force-Torque Transducer for Mars 2018 Mission, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A transducer element that is hearty enough for a Mars lander mission needs to be developed so that a six-axis force and torque transducer is possible. The technical...

An all-optical fiber optic photoacoustic transducer

Science.gov (United States)