Acoustic Pulse Research Articles

Analysis the dynamics formation of a vapor supersonic jet under outflow from thin nozzle

The dynamics formation of a vapor jet with near-critical state parameters outflowing from a high-pressure vessel through a thin nozzle is studied. The numerical modeling of this process, by using a system of model equations for gas-vapor-liquid mixture, which include conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy of phases in accordance with one-pressure, one-velocity and two-temperature approximations, was conducted, taking into account heat and mass transfer processes of evaporation and condensation under conditions of equilibrium state with modified reactingTwoPhaseEulerFoam solver of open package OpenFOAM. The process of barrel shock formation in supersonic boiling jet with shaping Mach disk is shown. It was found that the process of boiling fluid outflow is accompanied by formation of vortex zones near axis of symmetry and leads to generation of acoustic wave pulses series preceding the main jet flow, which are the source of pulsations, observed in experiments. The justification of applied numerical method reliability is shown by comparing the computational and analytical solutions for Sedov’s problem of a point explosion in gas-water mixture at the plane case.

Novel Pharmacomechanical Thrombolysis for Treating Intermediate-Risk Acute Pulmonary Embolism: The Bashir Endovascular Catheter.

Novel Pharmacomechanical Thrombolysis for Treating Intermediate-Risk Acute Pulmonary Embolism: The Bashir Endovascular Catheter.

TNT equivalent of the shock wave energy generated during the supersonic flight of an aircraft

To assess the impact on human health of the sonic boom that occurs when an aircraft is flying at supersonic speed, and, accordingly, to solve the problem of noise reduction by optimizing the aircraft design, it is proposed to evaluate the shock wave energy using the TNT equivalent of a cylindrical explosion. An example of calculating the shock wave energy during flights of F4 and F18 aircraft at different altitudes is considered. To calculate the evolution of an acoustic pulse during its propagation from the boundary of the shock wave transition to the acoustic one, the wave equation and its solution are used, taking into account the inhomogenei-ty of the atmosphere, nonlinear effects, absorption and expansion of the wave front, as well as the results of ground-based measurements of acoustic pulses. The results of calculations of the dependence of the explosion energy on the flight altitude, as well as on the type of aircraft are explained on the basis of the formula for the atmospheric resistance force.

Effect of nanostructuring on picosecond acoustics in a Zr film

Using the picosecond ultrasonic technique, we studied the effect of the formation of nanocrystallites on the surface of a metal transducer film. We found that the velocity of sound and the elastic constant are enhanced due to the nanocrystalline structures. The acoustic echo’s shape, resulting from the reflection of the acoustic pulse at the surface, is modified, and an echo with an asymmetric bipolar shape is obtained. The shape of the acoustic echo can be explained, taking into account the formation of nanocrystallites at the film’s surface.

Ultrasonic and acoustic pulse velocity methods for nondestructive detection of early decay in wood poles

Wood poles are widely used to support overhead distribution and transmission power lines in North America and the world. These poles are vulnerable to internal deterioration due to extreme weather conditions, requiring a large number of poles to be inspected every year. This paper presents a comparative study of four stress wave-based nondestructive testing (NDT) methods commonly used for condition assessment of wood poles. These include the traditional approaches of sounding, sonic pulse velocity, and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests; and a new approach that considers the orthotropic characteristics of wood, uncertainties in the elastic properties, ultrasonic wave velocity and attenuation. Two poles with an internal hole of 4% of the cross-section are evaluated and compared by each method. Ultrasonic measurements of wave velocity and attenuation considering orthotropic characteristics of wood and uncertainties in the elastic properties provide a reliable wave-based NDT method for the detection of early decay in wood poles.

Microenergy acoustic pulses promotes muscle regeneration through in situ activation of muscle stem cells.

Microenergy acoustic pulses (MAP) is a modified low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy that currently used for treating musculoskeletal disorders. However, its function on muscle regeneration after ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect of MAP on muscle injury after IRI and its underlying mechanisms. Ten-week-old C57BL/6J mice underwent unilateral hindlimb IRI followed with or without MAP treatment. Wet weight of tibialis anterior muscles at both injury and contralateral sides were measured followed with histology analysis at 3 weeks after IRI. In in vitro study, the myoblasts, endothelial cells and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAP) were treated with MAP. Cell proliferation and differentiation were assessed, and related gene expressions were measured by real-time PCR. Our results showed that MAP significantly increased the muscle weight and centrally nucleated regenerating muscle fiber size along with a trend in activating satellite cells. In vitro data indicated that MAP promoted myoblast proliferation and differentiation and endothelial cells migration. MAP also induced FAP brown/beige adipogenesis, a promyogenic phenotype of FAPs. Our findings demonstrate the beneficial function of MAP in promoting muscle regeneration after IR injury by inducing muscle stem cells proliferation and differentiation.

Blinking Acoustic Nanodroplets Enable Fast Super-resolution Ultrasound Imaging.

The advent of localization-based super-resolution ultrasound (SRUS) imaging creates a vista for precision vasculature and hemodynamic measurements in brain science, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. As blinking fluorophores are crucial to super-resolution optical imaging, blinking acoustic contrast agents enabling ultrasound localization microscopy have been highly sought, but only with limited success. Here we report on the discovery and characterization of a type of blinking acoustic nanodroplets (BANDs) ideal for SRUS. BANDs of 200-500 nm diameters comprise a perfluorocarbon-filled core and a shell of DSPC, Pluronic F68, and DSPE-PEG2000. When driven by clinically safe acoustic pulses (MI < 1.9) provided by a diagnostic ultrasound transducer, BANDs underwent reversible vaporization and reliquefaction, manifesting as "blinks", at rates of up to 5 kHz. By sparse activation of perfluorohexane-filled BANDs-C6 at high concentrations, only 100 frames of ultrasound imaging were sufficient to reconstruct super-resolution images of a no-flow tube through either cumulative localization or temporal radiality autocorrelation. Furthermore, the use of high-density BANDs-C6-4 (1 × 108/mL) with a 1:9 admixture of perfluorohexane and perfluorobutane supported the fast SRUS imaging of muscle vasculature in live animals, at 64 μm resolution requiring only 100 frames per layer. We anticipate that the BANDs developed here will greatly boost the application of SRUS in both basic science and clinical settings.

Fine detection technology of rock mass structure based on borehole acousto-optic combined measurement

Aiming at the problem of rock mass structure fine detection, a solution idea of synchronous data acquisition based on acoustic scanning technology and borehole panoramic image technology is proposed. Based on the omni-directional acoustic pulse reflection sequence data and panoramic optical borehole image, the problem of difficult calculation of typical borehole structure scale and extended azimuth positioning is solved. A 3D modeling and data visualization optimization scheme of borehole rock mass structure based on full pulse acoustic scanning data and forward-looking borehole optical image is formed. By combining the acoustic scanning characteristics of section and the optical image characteristics of rock wall, the extraction technology of borehole rock mass structural characteristic parameters is formed. The 3D imaging and characteristic parameter extraction technology system of borehole rock mass structure is formed, which is applied to the actual borehole rock mass structure detection. The detection results are consistent with the actual characteristics.

Periodic acoustic pulse generation by mode locked thermoacoustic oscillator.

This study documents periodic acoustic pulse generation by heat in a thermoacoustic oscillator system constructed from a gas-filled acoustic resonance tube having a porous medium called a stack. When the system's dissonancy was enhanced by a local cross-sectional area change in the resonance tube, the periodic pulsed state was turned to a quasiperiodic state. This observation suggests that the acoustic pulse was created through the mode-locking of internal oscillation modes. Propagation of pulsed acoustic intensity in the resonance tube was evidenced by simultaneous measurements of acoustic pressure and axial acoustic particle velocity of the gas.

Phase velocity imaging using acoustic radiation force-induced shear wave with a multi-frequency excitation pulse

The viscoelastic properties of tissues are often assessed by analyzing the phase velocity dispersion curve computed using a 2-D Fourier transform onthe single fixed duration acoustic radiation force excitation pulse (FD-ARFEP)-induced shear wave with broadband frequencies. This study proposes a multi-frequency ARFEP (MF-ARFEP) using a single imaging transducer to generate shear waves at target frequencies of 100:100:1000 Hz to reduce noise in the phase velocity images. The MF-ARFEP is generated by summing sinusoids with target frequencies and then sampled to collect tracking pulses in-between the sampled MF-ARFEP. The MF-ARFEP is validated by imaging 6 and 70 kPa inclusions in a 18 kPa background, exvivo canine liver, and in vivo 4T1 breast cancer mouse tumor with comparison to the FD-ARFEP. The median phase velocity was similar between MF-ARFEP versus FD-ARFEP. However, the CNR was on an average 1.3 times higher in MF-ARFEP versus FD-ARFEP -derived images of inclusions and the coefficient of variation was on an average 1.1 and 2.2 times lower in MF-ARFEP versus FD-ARFEP-derived images of tumor and liver. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the MF-ARFEP excitation pulse to generate phase velocity images at 100:100:1000 Hz frequencies with reduced noise compared to the FD-ARFEP. Ongoing studies entail the translation of this new viscoelasticity imaging method for the characterization of breast cancer tumors in patients.

Электромагнитные методы контроля изменений напряженно-деформированного состояния диэлектрических материалов

Mechanical-electrical and acoustic-electrical complex methods of testing cracking while changing the stress-strain state in dielectrics are discussed on the example of rock samples. The paper discusses the results of numerical and experimental studies of changes in the electromagnetic responses parameters under the pulse deterministic acoustic excitation of rock samples with different composition and texture. Also the results of mathematical calculations of the stress concentration on cracks located along the sample axis are presented, perpendicular to which deterministic acoustic pulses were introduced. The experimental studies results of sample electromagnetic emission with containing calcite and magnetite under uniaxial compression to fracture are shown. Regularities in the electromagnetic signals amplitudes changes during acoustic sounding in the process of «stepwise» uniaxial loading by compression to destruction are given.

THE STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF X-RAY IRRADIATION ON DISLOCATION CHARACTERISTICS IN LiF CRYSTALS

The dependences of the absorption α and the ultrasound velocity in LiF single crystals with residual deformation ε = 0.65% at 300 K in the range of radiation doses 0...1057 R were studied using the acoustic pulse echo method at a frequency of 7.5 MHz. Based on the results of measurements of the acoustic characteristics, the absolute values of the parameters of the dislocation structure – the average effective length of the dislocation loop L and the dislocation density Λ and their dependences on the irradiation time are determined. The calculated characteristics are compared with the previously obtained results for the high-frequency branch of the damped dislocation resonance and using the selective etching method. The revealed noticeable discrepancy in the values of these parameters is explained by the impossibility of describing a single attenuation mechanism for acoustic measurements carried out in a wide frequency range.

An investigation of dissipation processes in a multi-component gas-mixture: Application to acoustic-wave absorption in the thermosphere-ionosphere

Infrasonic waves generated in the lower atmosphere can propagate into the thermosphere and perturb the ionosphere. These disturbances are accompanied by a change in the ionospheric electron density, which can be detected via remote sensing methods, such as Global Navigation Satellite System derived measurements of integrated total electron content. The altitude-dependent decrease in density strengthens dissipative phenomena which affect these measurements by reducing the acoustic-wave amplitude. Sutherland and Bass [https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1631937] have described atmospheric absorption, but only up to 160 km, and neglected interspecies diffusion. However, the atmosphere above the mesopause is a mixture of three major gases, namely, N2, O2, and O, where processes associated with mass-fraction-density gradients could affect acoustic-energy dissipation. This work revisits absorption processes via numerical simulations of the equations of fluid mechanics for multicomponent-gas mixtures, under the assumption of a small Knudsen number (i.e., satisfying continuum approximation). More specifically, diffusion due to mole-fraction, pressure, and temperature gradients, and heat diffusion due to concentration gradients are included alongside classical thermo-viscous terms. Their impact is investigated on vertically-propagating acoustic pulses with varying frequencies, &amp;lt;1 Hz, and different amplitudes that match typical values observed from geophysical and anthropogenic sources (e.g., earthquakes, thunderstorms, explosions).

Enabling multi-input, multi-output measurements with a fluidic transducer

Ultrasonic testing is a widely used method for detecting damage and material characteristics in fields ranging from medicine to aerospace applications. The use of air-coupled ultrasound (ACU) enables an increase in testing speed, since no coupling medium needs to be applied to the transducer-specimen interface at each measurement point. The time needed for testing can be further decreased by using multiple-input, multiple output (MIMO) measurement systems. These systems require the ultrasonic signals to be uncorrelated so the that the individual pulses can be discriminated. Recently, the fluidic transducer was introduced, which generates acoustic pulses in the low ultrasonic frequency range. Experimentally, it is shown that each pulse contains a unique phase signature, that can be extracted by removing the signal envelope information. This technique is used to uniquely discriminate between simultaneously triggered pulses from two fluidic transducers and measure their individual times of flight.

Measuring and modeling time-dependent changes in seabed scatter caused by near-bottom hydrodynamics and biologic processes

Acoustic backscatter systems (ABS) can sense time-dependent changes in seabed surface roughness, internal structure, and composition caused by near-bottom hydrodynamics and biologic processes. However, a better understanding of how these processes affect the acoustic backscatter is required before data from ABS can be effectively used as a remote sensing tool. A Simrad EK80 Wideband Acoustic Transceiver (WBAT) was deployed on the seafloor at two sites off the coast of New Hampshire, and long-term backscatter measurements were acquired at 38, 70, and 200 kHz. The first site was located at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, near New Castle Island (NC), and the second at Star Island (SI) within the Isle of Shoals. The NC site exhibited strong tidal currents and mixed sediment with burrowing infauna, while the SI site was more susceptible to storm events and contained a coarser sediment with large quantities of shell fragments. Measurements of ping-to-ping decorrelation of scattered acoustic pulses were used to quantify timescales involved with near-bottom currents and storm events, while finite-element techniques were employed to study the backscatter from idealized burrows located at the water-sediment interface. An overview of these techniques and results will be discussed. [Work supported by ONR.]

On the unsteady dynamics of partially shrouded compressible jets

We experimentally investigate a partially shrouded sonic jet (a sonic free-jet shielded by a solid wall-extension on one side) exiting from a planar nozzle at two different nozzle pressure ratio ($\zeta=4$ and $5$). We experimentally show that the inherent jet unsteadiness from the shock-induced flow separation on the wall and the emitted noise in the far-field is strongly coupled through a series of experiments like high-speed schlieren, wall-static pressure, unsteady pressure spectra, and microphone measurements. The partially shrouded jet's lateral free expansion is also identified to be complicated, three-dimensional, and the produced noise is directional. The emitted acoustic pulses from the flapping-jet, the radiated noise from the shock-induced separation on the wall, and the shock-shear layer interaction on the other side of the wall are responsible for the generated acoustic disturbances. The non-uniform aeroacoustic forcing on the top and bottom portion of the partially wall-bounded jet shear layer leads to a self-sustained jet oscillation and a discrete sound emission. The vital features are identified through the proper orthogonal decomposition of high-speed schlieren images and supplemented by other measurements.

Acoustic-electrical testing of defects in the cement-sand and cement-glass model samples

A complex method of acoustic-electrical testing of defects in dielectric samples made from cement-sand and cement-glass mixtures is discussed. The paper reports the results of studies of changes in the parameters of electromagnetic responses and their spectra under pulsed deterministic acoustic excitation of model samples with defects in the form of solid-state inclusions. The results of mathematical calculations of the time variation in the stress-strain state induced in a defective dielectric model sample by deterministic acoustic pulse are presented. The relationship is shown between the parameters of the acoustic excitation and the electromagnetic response to the impact in a magnetic field. The study revealed that the specific electrical resistance of the cement-sand and cement-glass mixtures differs significantly. Excitation of electrical double layers by acoustic pulses causes an electromagnetic signal, parameters of which depend on the parameters of the acoustic impact and acoustic and electrical properties of the material. As a result, a reduced specific electrical resistance of the mixture increases its conductivity. The numerical calculation of the propagation of the deterministic acoustic pulse showed that its parameters change when it passes through a defect with acoustic impedance different from that of the mixture used.

Numerical study of the effect of liquid compressibility on acoustic droplet vaporization

In acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), a cavitated bubble grows and collapses depending on the pressure amplitude of the acoustic pulse. During the bubble collapse, the surrounding liquid is compressed to high pressure, and liquid compressibility can have a significant impact on bubble behavior and ADV threshold. In this work, a one-dimensional numerical model considering liquid compressibility is presented for ADV of a volatile microdroplet, extending our previous Rayleigh-Plesset based model [Ultrason. Chem. 71 (2021) 105361]. The numerical results for bubble motion and liquid energy change in ADV show that the liquid compressibility highly inhibits bubble growth during bubble collapse and rebound, especially under high acoustic frequency conditions. The liquid compressibility effect on the ADV threshold is quantified with varying acoustic frequencies and amplitudes.

Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging of Laser-Activated Phase-Change Perfluorocarbon Nanodroplets

Laser-activated perfluorocarbon nanodroplets (PFCnDs) are emerging phase-change contrast agents that showed promising potential in ultrasound and photoacoustic (US/PA) imaging. Unlike monophase gaseous microbubbles, PFCnDs shift their state from liquid to gas via optical activation and can provide high US/PA contrast on demand. Depending on the choice of perfluorocarbon core, the vaporization and condensation dynamics of the PFCnDs are controllable. Therefore, these configurable properties of activation and deactivation of PFCnDs are employed to enable various imaging approaches, including contrast-enhanced imaging and super-resolution imaging. In addition, synchronous application of both acoustic and optical pulses showed a promising outcome vaporizing PFCnDs with lower activation thresholds. Furthermore, due to their sub-micrometer size, PFCnDs can be used for molecular imaging of extravascular tissue. PFCnDs can also be an effective therapeutic tool. As PFCnDs can carry therapeutic drugs or other particles, they can be used for drug delivery, as well as photothermal and photodynamic therapies. Blood barrier opening for neurological applications was recently demonstrated with optically-triggered PFCnDs. This paper specifically focuses on the activation and deactivation properties of laser-activated PFCnDs and associated US/PA imaging approaches, and briefly discusses their theranostic potential and future directions.

Lattice Boltzmann method for computational aeroacoustics on non-uniform meshes: A direct grid coupling approach

The present study proposes an accurate lattice Boltzmann direct coupling algorithm, well suited for industrial purposes, making it highly valuable for aeroacoustic applications. It is indeed known that the convection of vortical structures across a grid refinement interface, where cell size is abruptly doubled, is likely to generate spurious noise that may corrupt the solution over the whole computational domain. This issue becomes critical in the case of aeroacoustic simulations, where accurate pressure estimations are of paramount importance. Consequently, any interfering noise that may pollute the acoustic predictions must be reduced.The proposed grid refinement algorithm differs from conventionally used ones, in which an overlapping mesh layer is considered. Instead, it provides a direct connection allowing a tighter link between fine and coarse grids, especially with the use of a coherent equilibrium function shared by both grids. Moreover, the direct coupling makes the algorithm more local and prevents the duplication of points, which might be detrimental for massive parallelization. This work follows our first study (Astoul et al. 2020 [1]) on the deleterious effect of non-hydrodynamic modes crossing mesh transitions, which can be addressed using an appropriate collision model: the hybrid recursive regularization. The grid coupling algorithm is assessed in the context of computational aeroacoustics and compared to a widely-used cell-vertex algorithm. The validation benchmark includes the simulation of (1) an acoustic pulse, (2) a vortex transport by a mean flow, and finally, (3) a turbulent circular cylinder wake flow at high Reynolds number. In the end, the proposed approach is proven to drastically reduced the spurious noise generated at grid interfaces, hence, paving the way for accurate and efficient aeroacoustic simulations based on lattice Boltzmann methods.