Acoustic impedance, ultrasound wave

The use of air-bome ultrasound for the excitation and reception of surface or bulk waves introduces a number of problems. The acoustic impedance mismatch which exists at the transducer/air and the air/sample interfaces is the dominant factor to be overcome in this system. Typical values for these three media are about 35 MRayls for a piezo-ceramic (PZT) element and 45 MRayls for steel, compared with just 0.0004 MRayls for air. The transmission coefficient T for energy from a medium 1 into a medium 2 is given by... 

Ultrasound imaging is based on reflection ofthe sound waves (1-3 MHz) at the borders between areas with different acoustic impedance, which is determined by the speed of propagation of sound and the density of the tissue. Because the interfaces between blood and other soft tissues, for example the heart or liver, do not... 

FIGURE 60.4. Ultrasound pulse-echo pattern obtained at 10 MHz in a polystyrene disk 3 mm thick. The interval between successive reflections indicates the velocity of the longitudinal wave, and the ratio of intensity of any two successive reflections the attenuation. The horizontal scale is 2.00 xs/division. in this material the (longitudinal) speed of sound is 2.14 km/s, the acoustic impedance is 2.25 MRayls (units of 10 kg/(cm -s) and the attenuation coefficient is ca. 12 db/cm. See text below for the calculation [57]. 

The specific acoustic impedance, Z, is the resistance of a medium to the propagation of a sound wave. It can be defined as the ratio of acoustic pressure to the so-called particle velocity at a single frequency (McClements, 1997). At an interface, the proportion of wave energy transmitted or reflected depends on the difference in impedance between the two media. Consequently, this difference determines the coupling between emitting surface and the treated medium. If the impedance difference is large, the proportion of energy reflected will be important and the ultrasound effects will be mainly localized at the interface. However, if the... 

The other important consideration concerns the transmission of ultrasound (and other forms of energy) from one medium to another and the importance of impedance matching . When wave energy is transferred from one medium to another then a part is transmitted and the rest reflected. The ratio of reflected to transmitted energies depends on the characteristic impedances of the two media and the transmission is total if these are matched. In the case of acoustic waves the specific impedance (Z) of a medium is given by the product of the density p and the velocity of sound v. that is... 

Part II of the book deals with lesser known aspects of US for the analytical chemists such as its use as an energy source for detection purposes. Thus, ultrasound-based detection techniques viz. US spectrometry in its various modes including ultrasound attenuation, ultrasonic velocity, resonant ultrasound, laser-generated, ultrasound reflection and acoustic wave impedance spectroscopies) are dealt with in Chapter 9. Finally, Chapter 10 is devoted to seleoted applioations of US spectrometry — mostly non-analytical applications from whioh, however, analytical chemists can derive new, interesting analytical uses for ultrasound-based deteotion techniques. 

The subscripts 1 and 2 refer to the material the wave travels in and the material that is reflected by or transmitted into, respectively. These equations show that the maximum transmission of ultrasound occurs when the impedances and Z2 of the two materials are identical. The materials are then said to be acoustically matched. If the materials have very different impedances, then most of the US is reflected. The reflection and transmission of ultrasound at boundaries has important implications on the design of ultrasonic experiments and the interpretation of their results. In addition, measurements of the reflection coefficient are often used to calculate the impedance of a material. 

Some flaws may be imaged using focused acoustic waves using short-wavelength ultrasound, Ultrasonic frequencies range from about 5 to 200 MHz. The ability to transmit a high frequency sonic wave (impedance) depends strongly on the elastic properties of the material and its internal features and defects such as interfaces between solids in contact. 

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