The measured rate of release of intercellular protein from yeast cells by ultrasonication was applied for evaluating the effects of sonication reactor geometry on cell disruption rate and for validation of the simulation method. Disintegration of two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been investigated experimentally using a batch sonication reactor equipped with a horn type sonicator and an ultrasonic processor operating at the ultrasound frequency of 20 kHz. The results have shown that the rate of release of protein is directly proportional to the frequency of the emitter surface and the square of the amplitude of oscillations and strongly depends on the sonication reactor geometry. The model based on the Helmholtz equation has been used to predict spatial distribution of acoustic pressure in the sonication reactor. Effects of suspension volume, horn tip position, vessel diameter and amplitude of ultrasound waves on the spatial distribution of pressure amplitude have been simulated. A strong correlation between the rate of protein release and the magnitude of acoustic pressure and its spatial distribution has been observed. This shows that modeling of acoustic pressure is useful for optimization of sonication reactor geometry.

The exact measurement of multiphase flow is an important and essential task in the oil and petrochemical related industries. Several methods have already been proposed in this field. In the existing methods, flow rate measurement depends on the fluid flow pattern. Flow pattern recognition requiring calibration has created instability in such systems. In this paper, a imple and reliable method is proposed which is based on ultrasonic tomography. It is free from calibration and instability problems that existing methods have. The obtained data from a 32-digit array of ultrasonic sensors have been used and the two-phase flow rate including liquid and gas phases have been calculated through a simple algebraic algorithm. Simulation results show that while applying this method the measurement technique is independent from the fluid flow pattern and the system error is decreased. For the proposed algorithm, the average amount of the spatial imaging error (SIE) for a bubble at different positions inside the pipe is about 5%.

The aim of the research was to determine the effect of sonochemical treatments on homogenization of powders as well as phase composition and thermal stability of sinters. The compounds were prepared from Eu2O3 and ZrO2 powders, weighed in the mass ratio 1:1. Initially ultrasound treatment was applied. 750-Watt ultrasonic processor VCX-750 equipped with sealed converter VC-334 and horn 630-0219 with the diameter of 13 mm (Sonics & Materials, Inc.) was used as a source of ultrasound. Applied ultrasound frequency was 20 kHz, power density was controlled in the range from 75 W/cm2 to 340 W/cm2. Investigated compounds were synthesized via solid-state reaction (SSR). The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used in order to investigate the effect of sonochemical treatment on the synthesis of prepared mixtures the powders particle size distribution was analyzed. Ultrasound treatment what wasn’t never been reported before.

In this paper, three methods of sterilisation are compared to determine their usability in nanobubble dispersion sterilisation: filtration, thermal sterilisation and sonication (in two systems: using a sonotrode and sonication bath). Nanobubble dispersions are most commonly generated in non-sterile systems which precludes them from use in most biological research. As a result of this study, filtration was chosen as the best method for nanobubble sterilisation.

Ultrasonically improved electrochemically generated adsorbent (UEGA) has been synthesized and used for adsorption of fluoride ions from fluoride laden waste water. UEGA was prepared in two major steps, firstly electrochemically generated adsorbent (EGA) was prepared using electrolytic method followed by ultrasonication treatment. Ultrasonication causes size reduction which leads to increase in surface area viz. active site which helps to enhance attachment of negatively charged fluoride ion on positively changed UEGA from waste water. UEGA was prepared at three different amplitude i.e. 50, 70 and 90% respectively. Taguchi optimization for defluoridationwas carried out considering operating parameters such as initial concentration; contact time; adsorbent dose; and temperature. The results obtained demonstrated that adsorption showed different fluoride removal at varying frequency. This study proved that varying percentage amplitude of ultrasonication significantly affects defluoridation efficiency.

One major problem in the design of ultrasonic transducers results from a huge impedance mismatch between piezoelectric ceramics and the loading medium (e.g. gaseous, liquid, and biological media). Solving this problem requires the use of a matching layer (or layers). Optimal selection of materials functioning as matching layers for piezoelectric transducers used in transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves strictly depends on the type of the medium receiving the ultrasound energy. Several methods allow optimal selection of materials used as matching layers. When using a single matching layer, its impedance can be calculated on the basis of the Chebyshev, DeSilets or Souquet criteria. In the general case, the typically applied methods use an analogy to a transmission line in order to calculate the transmission coefficient T. This paper presents an extension of transmission coefficient calculations with additional regard to the attenuation coefficients of particular layers. The transmission coefficient T is optimised on the basis of a genetic algorithm method. The obtained results indicate a significant divergence between the classical calculation methods and the genetic algorithm method.

Using intelligent materials and sensors to monitor the safety of concrete structures is a hot topic in the field of civil engineering. In order to realize the omni-directional monitoring of concrete structural damage, the authors of this paper designed and fabricated an embedded annular piezoelectric ultrasonic sensor using the annular piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic as a sensing element and epoxy resin as the matching and the backing layers. The influence of different matching and backing layers thickness on the acoustic characteristic parameters of the sensor were studied. The results show that the resonant frequency corresponding to the axial mode of annular piezoelectric ceramics moves toward the high frequency direction with the decrease of the height of piezoelectric ceramics, and the radial vibration mode increases as well as the impedance peak. With the thickness of the backing layer increases from 1 mm to 2 mm, the radial resolution of the annular piezoelectric ultrasonic sensor is enhanced, the pulse width is reduced by 39% comparing with the sensors which backing layer is 1 mm, and the head wave amplitude and −3 dB bandwidth are increased by 61% and 66%, respectively. When the matching layer thickness is 3 mm, the sensor has the highest amplitude response of 269 mV and higher sensitivity.

The progressive development of miniature systems increases the demand for miniature parts. Reducing the size of manufactured components on one hand is a serious challenge for traditional technologies, but on the other hand, mainly by removing the energy barrier opens the possibility of using other unconventional techniques. A good example is the ultrasonic excitation of the punch during the micro-upsetting process. The anti-barreling phenomenon and dependent on the amplitude of vibrations, intensive deformation of the surface layers in contact with the tools at both ends of the sample was noted. Based on the measured strains and stresses, an increase in temperature in the extreme layers to approx. 200°C was suggested. By adopting a simplified dynamic model of the test stand, the possibility of detaching the surface of the punch from the surface of the sample was demonstrated.

The aim of this paper is to create a research methodology that allows a quick analysis of the structural state of high alloy austenitic steels using non-destructive ultrasonic tests, in contrast to destructive standard methods. Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) are used to generate and receive the ultrasonic wave and detect the microstructural changes caused by sample sensitization in elevated temperature, even after 0.5 h in high temperature exposition. Different acoustic response for reference sample and sensitized samples were recorded. In this work, changes in share wave amplitude were measured.

Here One important aspect of the process of anaerobic stabilisation of sewage sludge in medium and large sewage treatment plants, in addition to sludge mineralisation, is the acquisition of a valuable source of energy, which is biogas. There are well-known methods of intensifying the process of methane fermentation by subjecting sludge to disintegration using physical factors, i.e. ultrasonic field. Acetate production is the ratelimiting step in the acetate consumption pathway and affects the efficiency of the anaerobic stabilisation process. The product of the first stage of the process is also the substrate for the next stage. Therefore, it is advisable to subject sewage sludge to disintegration, which increases its susceptibility to biodegradation. Sludge modification with the above-mentioned method causes a significant increase in the concentration of organic substances in the supernatant liquid. The reflection of the physical and chemical transformations of sludge in the disintegration processes is the change in their structure expressed by the increase in the degree of particle dispersion. The disintegration of sludge using sonolysis is an effective process solution, both in terms of technology and energy, in terms of obtaining biogas, which is a valuable source of energy.

The paper presents and discusses a method of azimuth determination of ultrasonic echo arrival in air. The basis of the presented approach is the assumption that the received signal is a narrowband one. In this way, the direction of the signal arrival can be determined based on its phase shift using two receivers. When the distance between the receivers exceeds half of the wavelength of the received signal, a problem of ambiguity in determining the angle of arrival arises. To solve this, a method using multiple pairs of receivers was used. Its robustness and temperature dependence is analysed. The most important advantages of the presented approach are simplified computations and low hardware requirements. Experimental data made it possible to show that for strong echoes, the accuracy is higher than 0.5X. In the case of weak echos, it is reduced to about 2X. Because the method is based on phase shift measurement, the ultrasonic sonar that uses this method can be compact in size. Moreover, owing to the theoretical analysis, certain properties of the mutual location of the receivers were found and formally proved. They are crucial for determining proper receivers’ inter-distances.

This paper presents the results of acoustic field distribution simulations for the 1024-element ultrasonic ring array intended for the diagnosis of female breast tissue with the use of ultrasound tomography. For the purpose of analysing data, all acoustic fields created by each elementary transducer were combined. The natural position of the focus inside the ultrasonic ring array was changed by altering activation time of individual transducers in sectors consisting of 32, 64, and 128 ultrasonic transducers. Manipulating the position of the focus inside the array will allow to concentrate the ultrasonic beam in a chosen location in the interior space of the ring array. The goal of this research is to receive the best possible quality of images of cross-sections of the female breast. The study also analysed the influence of the acoustic field distribution on the inclination of the beam. The results will enable to choose an optimal focus and an optimal number of activated transducers.

Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is a powerful tool used for testing, verification, and inspection of material, especially for quality control and assurance. The key applications are the identification of flaws, cracks, irregularities, defects, and estimation of material thickness. The standard documents available for ultrasonic NDT are used as a guideline for the specifications and certification of the calibration reference standard block (RSB). The method for metrological characterization of the testing blocks is not specifically addressed in standard documents and is left to the wisdom of metrologists working in the ultrasonic calibration laboratories to adopt the suitable one. The ultrasonic flaw detector (UFD) is used most widely in ultrasonic NDT. The International Institute of Welding (IIW) V1 RSB standard is used as a reference to ascertain the functionalities of UFDs. In this article, we have proposed a new methodology for calibration of RSB and evaluation of associated measurement uncertainty along with influencing parameters. The proposed method conforms to the international standard ISO 2400:2012 and Indian standard IS 4904:2006 for validation purposes. According to these standards, the clauses for RSB e.g., dimension and quality of material have been examined. The expanded measurement uncertainty in thickness, ultrasonic longitudinal velocity, ultrasonic attenuation, parallelism and perpendicularity is ±0.068 mm, ±6.70 m/s, ±0.22 dB, and ±0.066 mm, respectively. The measurement uncertainty of these parameters is well within as per clauses stipulated in the standard documents except the ultrasonic longitudinal velocity for the IS standards.

This paper presents integration of ultrasonic and inertial approaches in indoor navigation system. Ultrasonic navigation systems allow to obtain good results whilst there are at least three beacon transmitters in the range of mobile receiver, but in many situations placement of large number of transmitters is not economically justified. In such situations navigation must be aided by other technique. This paper describes research on supporting ultrasonic system by inertial system based on Magnetic, Angular Rate and Gravity sensor. This can measure current orientation of the receiver and allows to estimate the length of the path by pedometer functionality.

The compactness of dimension stone blocks was previously controlled through various methods that were partially based on personal experiences, acoustic and visual observance of materials. With the development of technology, the ultrasonic pulse method is frequently used for the examination of stone test pieces and with an analysis of acquired data through the tomography method, the compactness is determined. The monolith stone blocks that are found at a site contain hidden discontinuities. The technique of data acquisition and the use of various instruments enable a good overview of the block interior. With an increased number of measurements, a suitable classification is prepared that helps reduce modification costs and increases the quality of stone blocks. The control methodology of compactness is based on the passage of longitudinal waves through the stone block without damaging the block during control. High differences in speed show irregularities in the material. With the observation system, we can prepare a tomography of the measured profiles that show us the locations of irregularities that should be observed more closely. During in situ measurements, the data for comparison with measured results are acquired. Determination of critical locations is of extreme importance before the processing of the block into smaller stone products or during the reconstruction of older stone elements or sculptures. The purpose of “in situ” measurements is to prepare a simple and fast method for the evaluation of materials compactness and for production work.

The paper describes an innovative ultrasound imaging method called Doppler Tomography (DT), otherwise known as Continuous Wave Ultrasonic Tomography (CWUT). Thanks to this method, it is possible to image the tissue cross-section in vivo using a simple two-transducer ultrasonic probe and using the Doppler effect. It should be noted that DT significantly differs from the conventional ultrasound Doppler method of measuring blood flow velocity. The main difference is that when measuring blood flow, we receive information with an image of the velocity distribution in a given blood vessel (Nowicki, 1995), while DT allows us to obtain a cross-sectional image of stationary tissue structure. In the conventional method, the probe remains stationary, while in the DT method, the probe moves and the examined tissue remains stationary.

This paper presents a method of image reconstruction using the DT method. First, the basic principle of correlation of generated Doppler frequencies with the location of inclusions from which they originate is explained. Then the exact process and algorithm in this method are presented. Finally, the impact of several key parameters on imaging quality is examined. As a result, the conclusions of the research allow to improve the image reconstruction process using the DT method.

In order to simplify the motor structure, to reduce the difficulty of rotor pre-pressure application and to obtain better output performance, a new internal cone type rotating traveling wave ultrasonic motor is proposed. The parametric model of the internal cone type ultrasonic motor was established by the ANSYS finite element software. The ultrasonic motor consists of an internal cone type vibrator and a tapered rotor. The dynamic analysis of the motor vibrator is carried out, and two in-plane third-order bending modes with the same frequency and orthogonality are selected as the working modes. The other advantages of this motor are that pre-pressure can be imposed by the weight of the rotor. The prototype was trial-manufactured and experimentally tested for its vibration characteristics and output performance. When the excitation frequency is 22260.0 Hz, the pre-pressure is 0.1 N and the peak-to-peak excitation voltage is 300 V, the maximum output torque of the prototype is 1.06 N·mm, and the maximum no-load speed can reach 441.2 rpm. The optimal pre-pressure force under different loads is studied, and the influence of the pre-pressure force on the mechanical properties of the ultrasonic motor is analyzed. It is instructive in the practical application of this ultrasonic motor.

The two-dimensional distribution of gas-solid flow parameters is a great research significance to reflect the actual situation in industry. The commonly used method is the ultrasonic tomography method, in which multiple probes are arranged at various angles, or the measurement device is rotated as that in medicine, but in most industrial situations, it is impossible to install probes at all angles or rotate the measured pipe. The backscattering method, however, uses only one transducer to both transmit and receive signals, and the twodimensional information is obtained by only rotating the transducer. Ultrasound attenuates greatly in the air, and the attenuation changes with frequency. Therefore, COMSOL is used to study the reflection of particles with different radii in the air to ultrasound with various frequencies. It is found that the backscattering equivalent voltage is the largest when the product of ultrasonic frequency and particle radius is about 27.78 Hz �� m, and the particle concentration of 30% causes the strongest backscattering. The simulated results are in good agreement with the Faran backscattering model, which can provide references for selecting the appropriate frequency and obtaining the concentration when measuring gas-solid two-phase flow with the ultrasonic backscattering method.

To calculate the transmission coefficient of ultrasonic waves through a multi-layered medium, a new approach is proposed by expanding it into Debye’s series. Using this formalism, the transmission coefficient can be put in the form of resonance terms series. From this point of view, the relative amplitude of the transmitted wave can be considered as an infinite summation of terms taking into account all possible reflections and refractions on each interface. Our model is then used to investigate interaction between the ultrasonic plane wave and the N-plane-layer structure.
Obviously, the resulting infinite summation has to be reduced to a finite one, according to some level of accuracy. The numerical estimation of the transmission coefficient using the exact expression (Eq. (1)) is then compared to the one of our method in the case of two or three plane-layer structure. The effect of the order of the finite summation on the calculated value of the transmission coefficient is, as well, studied. Finally, our proposed method may be used, with the decomposition into Gaussian beams of a pressure field created by a circular source, to draw a 3D image of the pressure field transmitted through a multilayered structure.

The paper presents results of numerical calculations and experimental data on the directional pattern of two 38-element parametric arrays composed of ultrasound sources. Two types of antenna arrays are considered, namely with parallel and coaxial connections of ultrasonic transducers (elements). The results of selecting and functional testing of unit elements are described in this paper. It is found that in the coaxial element connection of the antenna array, the level of side lobes is higher than that in the parallel element connection.

Fouling is inevitable on the surfaces of industrial equipment, especially on heat-exchanging surfaces in contact with fluids, which causes water pollution and destroys the ecological environment. In this paper, a novel fouling-removal methodology for plate structure based on cavitation by multi-frequency ultrasonic guided waves is proposed, which can remove fouling on stainless steel plates. A numerical simulation method has been developed to study the acoustic pressure distribution on a steel plate. According to the simulation results, the distribution of sound pressure on the plate under triple-frequency excitation is denser and more prone to cavitation than in single-frequency cases and dual-frequency cases, which improves fouling removal rate. The stainless steel plate is immersed in water for the descaling experiment, and the results show that the fouling removal rates of three water-loaded stainless steel plates under different single-frequency excitation seem unsatisfactory. However, the multi-frequency excitation improves the descaling performance and the removal rate of fouling reaches 80%. This new method can be applied to the surface descaling of large equipment plates, which is of great significance for purifying water quality and protecting the ecological environment.

Dissimilar Al/Ti alloy sheets were lap welded with ultrasonic assistance in this work. The influence of ultrasonic vibration on formation, intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and tensile failure load of the obtained joints was discussed. The results showed that voids formed at the lap interface without ultrasonic assistance. No voids can be observed on the joint welded with ultrasonic because the vibration during welding improved the material flow. No obvious IMC formed at the Al/Ti bonding interface of the joint welded without ultrasonic assistance. An IMC layer formed at the bonding interface of Al/Ti with ultrasonic assistance and its thickness increased with decreasing the welding speed. The failure load of the joint welded with ultrasonic assistance was higher than the joint without ultrasonic because the void was eliminated and the thin IMC layer formed at the bonding interface was beneficial to joint strength. All joints presented shear failure mode during the tensile shear tests.

A π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (π-FBG) shows high sensitivity to the ultrasonic (US) wave as compared to the conventional FBG due to the strong slow-light phenomenon at the resonance peak. However, its sensitivity is limited by the interrogation schemes. A combination of π-FBG and unbalanced fiber Mach– Zehnder interferometer (F-MZI) are theoretically analyzed and optimized for the highly sensitive acoustic sensor. The coupled-mode theory (CMT) and transfer matrix method (TMM) are used to establish the numerical modelling of π-FBG. For the optimized grating parameters of π-FBG, the proposed sensing system shows the high strain sensitivity of 1.2 × 108/ε, the highest dynamic strain resolution of 4.1fε/√Hz, and the highest wavelength shift resolution of 4.9 × 10−9 pm. Further, the proposed sensing system strongly supports both time andwavelength division multiplexing techniques. Therefore, the proposed sensing system shows extreme importance in single as well as quasi-distributed US acoustic wave sensing networks.

Entrapped gases, solidification shrinkage and non-metallic compound formation are main sources of porosity in aluminium alloy castings. Porosity is detrimental to the mechanical properties of these castings; therefore, its reduction is pursued. Rotary degassing is the method mostly employed in industry to remove dissolved gases from aluminium melts, reducing porosity formation during solidification of the cast part. Recently, ultrasonic degassing has emerged as a promising alternative thanks to a lower dross formation and higher energy efficiency. This work aims to evaluate the efficiency of the ultrasonic degasser and compare it to a conventional rotary degassing technique applied to an AlSi10Mg alloy. Degassing efficiency was evaluated employing the reduced pressure test (RPT), where samples solidified under reduced pressure conditions are analysed. Factors affecting RPT were considered and temperature parameters for the test were established. The influence of ultrasonic degassing process parameters, such as degassing treatment duration and purging gas flow rate were studied, as well as treated aluminium volume and oxide content. Finally, ultrasonic degassing process was contrasted to a conventional rotary degassing technique, comparing their efficiency.