Abstract
This chapter provides a general overview of ultrasonics and its various applications. Ultrasonics is the science and exploitation of those elastic waves in solids, liquids, and gases that have frequencies above 20 kHz—the nominal limit of human hearing. The most common use of ultrasonics is to inspect fabricated parts for defects, such as cracks in welds and at holes, porosity in castings, and irregularities in composite materials. Material properties and distances can also be measured with the help of ultrasonics. Medical applications of ultrasonics include diagnosis—commonly called sonography—and therapy. Sonography is used for evaluating the condition of internal organs and tissues—most commonly for imaging fetuses and the beating heart—and for measuring blood flow. Therapy is provided by high-intensity waves, which heat tissues and thus help to provide massage or break stones in the body. Lithotripsy is another application of ultrasonics, which involves the application of intense UT waves for breaking up kidney stones in human patients. In this technique, two or more high-intensity beams are focused from carefully positioned sources onto the stone to generate a very high local stress state.
Published Version
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