Apparatus for recovering matter adhered to a host surface

The development of an apparatus for removing and recovering matter adhered to a host surface is described. The device consists of a pickup head with an ultrasonic transducer adapted to deliver ultrasonic pressure waves against the material. The ultrasonic waves agitate the material and cause its separation from the surface. A vacuum system recovers the material and delivers it to suitable storage containers

Comparison between two ultrasonic methods in their ability to monitor the setting process of cement pastes

This paper presents the comparison between ultrasonic wave transmission (USWT) method and ultrasonic wave reflection (USWR) method in their ability to monitor the setting process of cement pastes. The velocity of ultrasonic longitudinal waves and shear wave reflection coefficient were measured simultaneously on cement pastes with different hydration kinetics. Even though both methods are able to reliably monitor the hydration process and formation of structure of an arbitrary cement paste, they monitor the setting process in different ways. The relationship between the velocity of longitudinal waves and shear wave reflection coefficient can be simplified into three characteristic phases and the end of the first phase can be used to define the beginning of the setting process of cement paste. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Actuation, propagation, and detection of transverse magnetoelastic waves in ferromagnets

We study propagation of ultrasonic waves through a ferromagnetic medium with special attention to the boundary conditions at the interface with an ultrasonic actuator. In analogy to charge and spin transport in conductors, we formulate the energy transport through the system as a scattering problem. We find that the magneto-elastic coupling leads to a non-vanishing magnetic (elastic) energy accompanying the acoustic (spin) waves with a resonantly enhanced effect around the dispersion relation anti-crossing point. We demonstrate the physics of excitation of magnetization dynamics via acoustic waves injection around the ferromagnetic resonance frequency.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures (minor changes in presentation

Signal enhancement of the in-plane and out-of-plane Rayleigh wave components

Several groups have reported an enhancement of the ultrasonic Rayleigh wave when scanning close to a surface-breaking defect in a metal sample. This enhancement may be explained as an interference effect where the waves passing directly between source and receiver interfere with those waves reflected back from the defect. We present finite element models of the predicted enhancement when approaching a defect, along with experiments performed using electromagnetic acoustic transducers sensitive to either in-plane or out-of-plane motion. A larger enhancement of the in-plane motion than the out-of-plane motion is observed and can be explained by considering ultrasonic reflections and mode conversion at the defect

In situ synchrotron x-ray study of ultrasound cavitation and its effect on solidification microstructures

Considerable progress has been made in studying the mechanism and effectiveness of using ultrasound waves to manipulate the solidification microstructures of metallic alloys. However, uncertainties remain in both the underlying physics of how microstructures evolve under ultrasonic waves, and the best technological approach to control the final microstructures and properties. We used the ultrafast synchrotron X-ray phase contrast imaging facility housed at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, US to study in situ the highly transient and dynamic interactions between the liquid metal and ultrasonic waves/bubbles. The dynamics of ultrasonic bubbles in liquid metal and their interactions with the solidifying phases in a transparent alloy were captured in situ. The experiments were complemented by the simulations of the acoustic pressure field, the pulsing of the bubbles, and the associated forces acting onto the solidifying dendrites. The study provides more quantitative understanding on how ultrasonic waves/bubbles influence the growth of dendritic grains and promote the grain multiplication effect for grain refinement

The application of ultrasonic NDT techniques in tribology

The use of ultrasonic reflection is emerging as a technique for studying tribological contacts. Ultrasonic waves can be transmitted non-destructively through machine components and their behaviour at an interface describes the characteristics of that contact. This paper is a review of the current state of understanding of the mechanisms of ultrasonic reflection at interfaces, and how this has been used to investigate the processes of dry rough surface contact and lubricated contact. The review extends to cover how ultrasound has been used to study the tribological function of certain engineering machine elements

Non-contact thickness measurement using UTG

A measurement structure for determining the thickness of a specimen without mechanical contact but instead employing ultrasonic waves including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic delay line connected to the transducer by a retainer or collar. The specimen, whose thickness is to be measured, is positioned below the delay line. On the upper surface of the specimen a medium such as a drop of water is disposed which functions to couple the ultrasonic waves from the delay line to the specimen. A receiver device, which may be an ultrasonic thickness gauge, receives reflected ultrasonic waves reflected from the upper and lower surface of the specimen and determines the thickness of the specimen based on the time spacing of the reflected waves

High speed synchrotron X-ray imaging studies of the ultrasound shockwave and enhanced flow during metal solidification processes

The highly dynamic behaviour of ultrasonic bubble implosion in liquid metal, the multiphase liquid metal flow containing bubbles and particles, and the interaction between ultrasonic waves and semisolid phases during solidification of metal were studied in situ using the complementary ultrafast and high speed synchrotron X-ray imaging facilities housed respectively at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, US, and Diamond Light Source, UK. Real-time ultrafast X-ray imaging of 135,780 frames per second (fps) revealed that ultrasonic bubble implosion in a liquid Bi-8 wt. %Zn alloy can occur in a single wave period (30 kHz), and the effective region affected by the shockwave at implosion was 3.5 times the original bubble diameter. Furthermore, ultrasound bubbles in liquid metal move faster than the primary particles, and the velocity of bubbles is 70 ~ 100% higher than that of the primary particles present in the same locations close to the sonotrode. Ultrasound waves can very effectively create a strong swirling flow in a semisolid melt in less than one second. The energetic flow can detach solid particles from the liquid-solid interface and redistribute them back into the bulk liquid very effectively

Control and ultrasonic actuation of a gas-liquid interface in a microfluidic chip

This article describes the design and manufacturing of a microfluidic chip, allowing for the actuation of a gas-liquid interface and of the neighboring fluid. A first way to control the interface motion is to apply a pressure difference across it. In this case, the efficiency of three different micro-geometries at anchoring the interface is compared. Also, the critical pressures needed to move the interface are measured and compared to theoretical result. A second way to control the interface motion is by ultrasonic excitation. When the excitation is weak, the interface exhibits traveling waves, which follow a dispersion equation. At stronger ultrasonic levels, standing waves appear on the interface, with frequencies that are half integer multiple of the excitation frequency. An associated microstreaming flow field observed in the vicinity of the interface is characterized. The meniscus and associated streaming flow have the potential to transport particles and mix reagents