Vol 63, No 5 (2017)

An asymptotic and iterative method is proposed to calculate complex dispersion curves for isotropically layered plates. At the first stage, a dispersion equation is derived in explicit form and its limiting form is obtained for the static case. Passages to the limit of coinciding materials or vanishingly small layer thicknesses are investigated. Specific case of materials with coinciding shear moduli is analyzed in detail. Asymptotics of static roots is deduced for a large value of the root magnitude, the error of asymptotics is estimated, and an iterative method is proposed for calculating exact root values. Long-wave asymptotics of dispersion curves is derived, and it is shown that every complex dispersion curve has a long flat initial segment. Asymptotics is the more accurate, the lower the frequency is and the higher the number of the curve is. Exact values of wave numbers on the dispersion curve are also evaluated by another iterative procedure. Examples of calculating the dispersion curves are presented and the efficiency of the algorithm is shown.

Modulating band gaps (extending the bandwidths or shifting into a lower frequency range) is a challenging task in phononic crystals. In this paper, elastic metamaterial plates composed of a square array of “hard” stubs or “soft” stubs on both sides of a 2D binary locally resonant plate are proposed, and their band structures are studied. The dispersion relationships and the displacement fields of the eigenmodes are calculated using finite element methods. Numerical results show that the band gaps are shifted to lower frequencies and the bandwidths are enlarged compared to classic elastic metamaterial plates. A conceptual “analogousrigid mode” that includes an “out-of-plane analogous-rigid mode” and an “in-plane analogous-rigid mode” is developed to explain these phenomena. The “out-of-plane analogous-rigid mode” mainly adjusts the band gaps into the lower frequency range, and the “in-plane analogous-rigid mode” mainly enlarges the bandwidth. Furthermore, the band gap effects of composite “hard” stubs and “soft” stubs are investigated. The results show that the location of the band gaps can be modulated into a relatively lower frequency and the bandwidth can be extended by the use of different composite stubs. These elastic wave properties in the proposed structure can be used to optimize band gaps and possibly produce low-frequency filters and waveguides.

A theory of acoustic self-induced transparency of a two-component vector soliton for a generalized Love wave is constructed. The three-layer system contains a resonance transition layer with paramagnetic impurity atoms or quantum dots. It is shown that, under these conditions, a vector soliton of the generalized Love wave can be formed. It oscillates at the sum and difference frequencies in the vicinity of the carrier wave frequency. Explicit analytical expressions for the parameters of a nonlinear surface acoustic wave are presented. The parameters depend on the elastic properties of the contacting media, the resonance transition layer, and the transverse structure of the wave. Numerical calculations are carried out for the three-layer Al₂O₃/ZnO/SiO₂ system. The significant difference between the two-component vector soliton and singlecomponent soliton is shown.

A noninvasive ultrasound surgery method that relies on using multi-element focused phased arrays is being successfully used to destroy tumors and perform neurosurgical operations in deep structures of the human brain. However, several drawbacks that limit the possibilities of the existing systems in their clinical use have been revealed: a large size of the hemispherical array, impossibility of its mechanical movement relative to the patient’s head, limited volume of dynamic focusing around the center of curvature of the array, and side effect of overheating skull. Here we evaluate the possibility of using arrays of smaller size and aperture angles to achieve shock-wave formation at the focus for thermal and mechanical ablation (histotripsy) of brain tissue taking into account current intensity limitations at the array elements. The proposed approach has potential advantages to mitigate the existing limitations and expand the possibilities of transcranial ultrasound surgery.

We analyze the influence of statistical effects of the propagation of an acoustic signal excited by a tone source in a shallow-water channel with a rough sea surface on the efficiency of a horizontal phased array. As the array characteristics, we consider the angular function of the array response for a given direction to the source and the coefficient of amplification of the signal-to-noise ratio (array gain). Numerical simulation was conducted in to the winter hydrological conditions of the Barents Sea in a wide range of parameters determining the spatial signal coherence. The results show the main physical effects of the influence of wind waves on the array characteristics and make it possible to quantitatively predict the efficiency of a large horizontal array in realistic shallow-water channels.

Theoretical and practical aspects of applying time reversal of elastic waves to localize a source of oscillations or a defect are considered in problems of active ultrasonic monitoring of thin-walled metal structures. Backward reradiation of a time-reversed signal is implemented using a computer model based on a semianalytical integral approach. The proposed algorithm is verified experimentally on aluminum samples excited by piezoelectric wafer active sensors. The results corroborate the possibility of reliably determining of the position and size of the load application region and a local inhomogeneity with a relatively small number of signal measurement points on the sample surface.

An acoustic microscope with a cylindrical lens and ultrasound transducer have been considered, as well as the method based on it for the measuring of longitudinal and transverse wave velocities, the thickness and density of the investigated layer. A theoretical model of the microscope has been constructed, and the relation between the spatiotemporal output signal of the transducer and the angular dependence of the sample reflection coefficient has been found. It has been shown that the velocities of body waves and the thickness can be determined by the delays of ultrasound responses reflected from the layer boundaries measured by the transducer elements, and the density, by the amplitudes of these responses. The method was tested experimentally using a 20-element transducer with a central frequency of 15 MHz and a period of 0.8 mm. The example of a duralumin plate has shown that the error in measuring the thickness and velocity of longitudinal waves error does not exceed 1%; the velocity of transverse waves, 2%; and the density can be estimated with an accuracy of about 5%.

The paper presents experimental results of observing the structurization effect for one of the formed elements of blood—erythrocytes—in the field of standing surface acoustic waves. Characteristic images of the striated structures formed by erythrocytes on the surface of lithium niobate as result of ultrasound action have been obtained. The results on the ultrasound structurization of erythrocytes in a blood sample and of calcium carbonate particles in an aqueous colloid solution have been comparatively analyzed. It has been noted that the achieved effect agrees qualitatively with the theoretical model of the behavior of colloid particle ensembles in an acoustic field developed by O.V. Rudenko et al.

The derivation of a formula for the time during which a sound signal propagates between two given points A and B in a stationary gas flow is considered. It is shown that the gas flow changes the signal reception time by a quantity proportional to the consumption, regardless of the detailed velocity profile. The difference between the reception time of signals from point B to the point A and vice versa is proportional to air consumption with high accuracy. It is shown that the relative error of the obtained formula does not exceed the squared maximum Mach number in the gas flow. This allows measurement of the consumption of gas moving in a mine with an arbitrary stationary subsonic velocity field.