Echo Phase-Comparison Technique and Measurement of Sound Velocity in Water

Abstract

A technique is described in which the ultrasonic time delay between successive echoes in an echo train is determined by phase comparison of the echoes with a coherent continuous signal. Corrections for phase shift of an echo upon reflection from the face of a transducer and for diffraction effects are discussed. The velocity of sound at 1 MHz in distilled water from 23° to 75°C has been measured with this technique. Measurements of time delay are accurate to 20 ppm while the over-all accuracy is 127 ppm or ±0.20 m/sec. Excellent agreement with values in the literature is found.