Non-Kramers doublet ground state in a quaternary cubic compound PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) investigated by ultrasonic measurements

We performed ultrasonic measurements on a quaternary cubic compound PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) to explore the ground state properties derived from non-Kramers Γ_(3) doublet of Pr^(3+).PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) is a quaternary derivative of the ternary compound PrRu_(2)Zn_(20) that exhibits a structural phase transition at T_S=138 K.In PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18),the Zn atoms at the 16c site in PrRu_(2)Zn_(20) are selectively replaced by In atoms.A monotonic increase was observed in the temperature dependence of elastic constants C_L=(C_(11)+2C_(12)+4C_(44))/3 and C_(T)=(C_(11)-C_(12)+C_(44))/3 in the temperature range around T_(S) to which an elastic softening was observed in(C_(11)-C_(12))/2 for PrRu_(2)Zn_(20).The disappearance of the softening indicates that the structural transition in PrRu_(2)Zn_(20) is suppressed by the substitution of Zn ions by In ones with a larger ionic radius.Alternatively,the C_(T) of PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) exhibits a precursor Curie-type elastic softening toward low temperatures being responsible for the non-Kramers Γ_(3) ground state.We discuss the ground state and the evolution of the elastic properties of the different single-crystal samples of PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) grown under different conditions.

Application of Ultrasonic Measurements for Determination of Setting and Hardening in Cement Paste

Concrete setting and hardening processes are the most critical phases during construction works, influencing properties of a concrete structure. The initial set is important as it provides an estimate when concrete has reached a point that it can no longer he vibrated without damaging concrete. The point at which final set occurs is important since it provides an estimate when the development of concrete strength and stiffness starts. In this study, experimental work is performed under laboratory conditions to indentify the setting time of cement paste using ultrasonic waves. Correlation between the ultrasonic wave parameters （speed, amplitude and energy） passing through the fresh cement paste and setting time determined using the Vicat test method is analyzed. A method of acoustic emission is also used and acoustic signals recorded in cement paste during hydration are presented.

Ultrasonic Resonator Techniques for Broad-band Spectroscopy and for High-resolution Sound Velocity Measurement of Liquids

This review gives a short introduction into the principles of ultrasonic measurement techniques for liquids, using cavity resonators. Guidelines for the resonator design in broad-band ultrasonic stxctroscopy as well as in high-resolution single-frequncy or narrowband applications are presented. Deviations of the field configuration in real cells frtxn that in an ideal resonator are discussed and relations for the mode spectrum of cavity fields are given. Recent resonator measurement procedures and methods of data evaluation are mentioned briefly. Some examples of measurements show the extended usability of ultrasonic resonator techniques in basic science and in a wide range of applications for rrkaterials characterization, in manufacturing processes, as well as in control routines.

FPGA-based High-precision Measurement Algorithm for the Ultrasonic Echo Time of Flight

Based on the evaluation of advantages and disadvantages of high-precision digital time interval measuring algorithms, and combined with the principle of the typical time-difference ultrasonic flow measurement, the requirements for the measurement of echo time of flight put forward by the ultrasonic flow measurement are analyzed. A new high-precision time interval measurement algorithm is presented, which combines the pulse counting method with the phase delay interpolation. The pulse counting method is used to ensure a large dynamic measuring range, and a double-edge triggering counter is designed to improve the accuracy and reduce the counting quantization error. The phase delay interpolation is used to reduce the quantization error of pulse counting for further improving the time measurement resolution. Test data show that the systexn for the measurement of the ultrasonic echo time of flight based on this algorithm and implemented on an Field Programmable Gate Army（FleA） needs a relatively short time for measurement, and has a measurement error of less than 105 ps.

Effect of microscopic pore structures on ultrasonic velocity in tight sandstone with different fluid saturation

Microcosmic details of pore structure are the essential factors affecting the elastic properties of tight sandstone reservoirs,while the relationships in between are still incompletely clear due to the fact that quantitative or semi-quantitative experiments are hard to achieve.Here,three sets of tight sandstone samples from the Junggar Basin are selected elaborately based on casting thin sections,XRD detection,and petro-physical measurement,and each set is characterized by a single varied microcosmic factor(pore connectedness,pore type,and grain size)of the pore structure.An ultrasonic pulse transmission technique is conducted to study the response of elastic properties to the varied microcosmic details of pore structure in the situation of different pore fluid(gas,brine,and oil)saturation and confining pressure.Observations show samples with less connectedness,inter-granular dominant pores,and smaller grain size showed greater velocities in normal conditions.Vpis more sensitive to the variations of pore type,while Vsis more sensitive to the variations of grain size.Samples with better connectedness at fluid saturation(oil or brine)show greater sensitivity to the confining pressure than those with gas saturation with a growth rate of 6.9%-11.9%,and the sensitivity is more likely controlled by connectedness.The pore types(inter-granular or intra-granular)can be distinguished by the sensitivity of velocities to the variation of pore fluid at high confining pressure(>60 MPa).The samples with small grain sizes tend to be more sensitive to the variations of confining pressure.With this knowledge,we can semi-quantitatively distinguish the complex pore structures with different fluids by the variation of elastic properties,which can help improve the precision of seismic reservoir prediction for tight sandstone reservoirs.

TECHNOLOGY OF QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS ON VIBRATORY STRESS RELIEF BASED ON ULTRASONIC TIME-OF-ARRIVAL METHOD

The effect of vibratory stress relief （VSR） is usually evaluated with the indirect method of observing the change of amplitude frequency response characteristics of structures. A new kind of evaluating method of VSR based on the ultrasonic time-of-arrival method （UTM）, which can obtain the residual stress directly through measuring the propagation time of ultrasonic wave in the material, is presented. At first, the principle of the measuring method of residual stress based on UTM is analyzed. Then the measuring system of the method is described, which is in virtue of ultrasonic flaw detector and high-sampling-rate digital oscillograph. And a set of calibration system that contains a piece of standard specimen is also introduced. Experimental results prove the relation between the residual stress and the propagation time of ultrasonic in workpieces. Finally, the measuring and calibration systems are applied in evaluating the effect of VSR. The final test results show that the method is effective.

Research on ultrasonic detection of complex surfaces

Parts of complex surface are widely used now in many fields, and their detection has caused much concern. In China many manufactories still carry on the traditional way of manual detection, which requires highly skilled personnel and efficiency is low. Some large manufactories have imported auto-detecting equipments, which require CAD data on the parts, or just divide the surface into several approximate planes for automatic detection. Phased-array system is seldom used, and the cost is high. Besides, most of the systems have not considered the automatic sensitivity compensation of parts with varying thickness. To improve the detection quality and efficiency of nondestructive test (NDT) of parts of complex surface, this paper puts forward an integrated ultrasonic NDT system characterized by: (1) Use of ultrasonic measurement and reverse of curved surface to solve the CAD data problem; (2) Use of an automatic sensitivity compensation algorithm (based on the part’s modelling information obtained in surface reverse) to fit the variety of the thickness; (3) Use of template matching and pseudo-color imaging to improve the quality of detection results. The system features integration of low cost mature technologies, and is suitable for detection of various parts of different complex surfaces in medium-and-small enterprises. The test results showed that the system can automatically detect parts of complex surface successfully, and that the inspection result is good and reliable.

Amplitude modulation excitation for cancellous bone evaluation using a portable ultrasonic backscatter instrumentation

The ultrasonic backscatter(UB)has the advantage of non-invasively obtaining bone density and structure,expected to be an assessment tool for early diagnosis osteoporosis.All former UB measurements were based on exciting a short single-pulse and analyzing the ultrasonic signals backscattered in bone.This study aims to examine amplitude modulation(AM)ultrasonic excitation with UB measurements for predicting bone characteristics.The AM multiple lengths excitation and backscatter measurement(AM-UB)functions were integrated into a portable ultrasonic instrument for bone characterization.The apparent integrated backscatter coefficient in the AM excitation(AIB_(AM))was evaluated on the AM-UB instrumentation.The correlation coefficients of the AIB_(AM) estimating volume fraction(BV/TV),structure model index(SMI),and bone mineral density(BMD)were then analyzed.Significant correlations(|R|=0.82-0.93,p<0.05)were observed between the AIB_(AM),BV/TV,SMI,and BMD.By growing the AM excitation length,the AIB_(AM) values exhibit more stability both in 1.0-MHz and 3.5-MHz measurements.The recommendations in AM-UB measurement were that the avoided length(T1)should be lower than AM excitation length,and the analysis length(T2)should be enough long but not more than AM excitation length.The authors conducted an AM-UB measurement for cancellous bone characterization.Increasing the AM excitation length could substantially enhance AIB_(AM) values stability with varying analyzed signals.The study suggests the portable AM-UB instrument with the integration of real-time analytics software that might provide a potential tool for osteoporosis early screening.

Field measurement method for ultrasonic transducer based on inverse Abel transform

A new reflection approach for field distribution measurement of ultrasonic transducers was investigated. Instead of a point-like reflection target （rigid sphere） or thin wires （line-like targets）, a line response function of experimental knife-edge distribution combined with the inverse Abel transforms was used to estimate the lateral beam distributions of ultrasonic transducers. The measurement steps were as follows：① A knife-edge was scanned perpendicularly to acoustic beam axis of the transducer using an ultrasonic C-scan system to obtain its ultrasonic image line response function, ② the transverse beam distribution was solved by the inverse Abel transforms, and ③ experiments were performed to obtain the lateral beam profiles of two transducers, with and without focus, and the results were compared with those from a hydrophone. The results showed that this method was effective for ultrasonic field measurement and could be as a substitute for hydrophone in most cases.

Monitoring of the Corrosion on a Steel Sheet-Pile Marine Breakwater by Systematic Thickness Measurements

In Quepos, Pacific of Costa Rica, it was finished on 2010 the first phase of a marina, including two mix breakwaters, with rubble mound （rocks and concrete units）, and 25 circular steel sheet piles cofferdam cells, filled with sand and gravel. The maintenance plan, considers tracking sheet pile corrosion, comparing ＂actual＂ against expected rates, checking structural limits, and programming countermeasures if accelerated corrosion is identified. Specific control sections, along the breakwaters, both inside and outside the basin, were established. In each section, thicknesses were measured every meter from the top of the steel cell to seabed using an ultrasonic equipment, and an underwater transducer. Both land crew, and divers for submerged portions, were used. The measurements campaigns are for several years from 2011 to 2016. Sectors of the breakwater with varied corrosion attack levels could be differentiated. Also, corrosion rates and lifespans were estimated, both general for the structures, and specific for each section and level. In turn, this allowed to identify maintenance priorities, defining sites where measures of corrosion protection should initiate, as well, to have confidence in the structural capacity and safety of the breakwaters.

Indoor 3D Reconstruction Using Camera, IMU and Ultrasonic Sensors

The recent advances in sensing and display technologies have been transforming our living environments drastically. In this paper, a new technique is introduced to accurately reconstruct indoor environments in three-dimensions using a mobile platform. The system incorporates 4 ultrasonic sensors scanner system, an HD web camera as well as an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The whole platform is mountable on mobile facilities, such as a wheelchair. The proposed mapping approach took advantage of the precision of the 3D point clouds produced by the ultrasonic sensors system despite their scarcity to help build a more definite 3D scene. Using a robust iterative algorithm, it combined the structure from motion generated 3D point clouds with the ultrasonic sensors and IMU generated 3D point clouds to derive a much more precise point cloud using the depth measurements from the ultrasonic sensors. Because of their ability to recognize features of objects in the targeted scene, the ultrasonic generated point clouds performed feature extraction on the consecutive point cloud to ensure a perfect alignment. The range measured by ultrasonic sensors contributed to the depth correction of the generated 3D images (the 3D scenes). Experiments revealed that the system generated not only dense but precise 3D maps of the environments. The results showed that the designed 3D modeling platform is able to help in assistive living environment for self-navigation, obstacle alert, and other driving assisting tasks.

Monitoring of the Corrosion on a Steel Sheet-pile Marine Breakwater by Systematic Thickness Measurements

In Quepos,Pacific of Costa Rica,it was finished on 2010 the first phase of a marina,including two mix breakwaters,with rubble mound(rocks and concrete units),and 25 circular steel sheet piles cofferdam cells,filled with sand and gravel.The maintenance plan,considers tracking sheet pile corrosion,comparing'actual'against expected rates,checking structural limits,and programming countermeasures if accelerated corrosion is identified.Specific control sections,along the breakwaters,both inside and outside the basin,were established.In each section,thicknesses were measured every meter from the top of the steel cell to seabed using an ultrasonic equipment,and an underwater transducer.Both land crew,and divers for submerged portions,were used.The measurements campaigns are for several years from 2011 to 2016.Sectors of the breakwater with varied corrosion attack levels could be differentiated.Also,corrosion rates and lifespans were estimated,both general for the structures,and specific for each section and level.In turn,this allowed to identify maintenance priorities,defining sites where measures of corrosion protection should initiate,as well,to have confidence in the structural capacity and safety of the breakwaters.

Simulation of Ultrasonic Propagation in Transformers within Thermal Fields and Intelligent Methodology for Hot-spot Temperature Recognition

Hot-spot temperature of transformer windings is a crucial indicator of internal defects.However,current methods for measuring the hot-spot temperature of transformers do not apply to those already in operation and suffer from data lag.This study introduces a novel inversion method that combines ultrasonic sensing technology,multiphysics simulation,and the K-nearest neighbors algorithm.Leveraging the penetrative ability and temperature sensitivity of ultrasonic sensing,a detailed physical field simulation model was established.This study extensively investigates the characteristics of ultrasonic wave signals inside transformers.The investigation includes different temperature fields,ranging from 40℃ to 110℃ at 10℃ intervals,and various ultrasonic wave emitter conditions.By extracting the key features of the acoustic signals,such as the peak time,propagation time,and peak amplitude,an accurate inversion of the winding hot-spot temperature is successfully achieved.The results demonstrate that this method achieves a high accuracy rate(98.57%)in inverting the internal winding hot-spot temperatures of transformers,offering an efficient and reliable new approach for measuring winding hot-spot temperatures.

Measurements of elastic properties and their dependencies within a damage mechanics workflow

Experimental rock mechanics testing provides a controlled and effective method for measuring physical properties,their dependencies,and their evolution due to the addition of localized microcracks.To understand the contributions of microcracks to first order changes in compliance,the behavior of initial undamaged properties of a material should be comprehensively investigated as a function of stress,load path,and load history.We perform a comprehensive study of elastic properties and their dependence on a variety of materials exhibiting nonlinearity,and varying levels of anisotropy in elastic stiffnesses.We programmatically perturb the testing environment of the specimens under triaxial stresses.Elastic moduli are measured within each test,and along multiple discrete loading paths for multistage tests as a function of stress,focusing on a set launch point.Four single stage triaxial tests per rock type are performed to calculate Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria,and ultrasonic velocities are captured during compression for establishing the upper bound of elastic behavior.Shear wave velocity for granite experiences a maximum value at a lower differential stress than maximum volumetric strain.Sandstone displays a similar trend at the highest confining pressure,while these two maxima converge under the lowest confining pressure.

Nondestructive test of weld residual stresses by acoustoelastic technique

The fundamentals of acoustoelastic theory and the principle of acoustoelastic nondestructive stress analysis related ultrasonic test Instrument for weld residual stresses are described. The weld residual stress distribution in butt-welded joints was measured by the acoustoelastic stress analysis, which uses the pulse echo overlap method to measure the speed difference in ultrasonic shear waves polarized in principal directions, and a new method of evaluating the material anisotropy is proposed. The results indicate that the anisotropic coefficient of the welded metal is much greater than that of the parent metal. the longitudinal residual stress distributions measured by the acoustoelastic technique are coincident with those obtained by the theoretical analysis, and the measuring accuracy is much greater than that obtained by the resistance strain gauge.

The application of laser reflective tomography in near-field measurements of ultrasonic transducers

With Laser Reflective Tomography（LRT）,the near fields of ultrasonic transducers were measured and analyzed.The principle of LRT measurement of ultrasonic field distribution was introduced and an experimental system was set up.Acoustic pressure of a multiple element piston transducer was measured by using of a laser vibrometer.Its distribution in amplitude and phase was obtained.The acoustic pressure in the same region was measured with a needle hydrophone to validate the LRT method.Furthermore,through reconstruction of acoustic fields,it indicated that LRT method is suitable for predicting the distribution on transducers＇surface and conditions of active elements.

An assessment on the wideband and narrowband methods for ultrasonic blood flow measurements

A comparison study on the ultrasonic blood flow estimation methods is carried out in this paper. The methods are divided into two classes-narrowband and wideband techniques.The pulsed Doppler systems and the autocorrelation methods are essentially the narrowband estAnators. They give the results with low velocity resolution and probably the aliased spectrum.The wider the frequency band of the signals, the worse the results. Time domain crosscorrelation technique, wideband makimum likelihood estimation and 2D Fourier transform method are three wideband techniques. The high velocity resolution and the ability of anti-aliasing are shown by these wideband estimation strategies.

The effect of electrical current on lubricant film thickness in boundary and mixed lubrication contacts measured with ultrasound

This work explores experimentally the effects of DC electrical currents on lubricant film thickness alteration in lubricated sliding steel contacts in the boundary and mixed regime as measured by ultrasound.The experiments were performed in a two-electrode cell-based pin-on-disk tester instrumented with ultrasonic transducers.Unelectrified and electrified tribological tests were conducted on steel flat-on-flat contacts under various speeds and loads using both a mineral base oil and a gear oil.Film thickness,coefficient of friction(CoF),and electrical contact resistance(ECR)were measured during short experiments(30 s)in unelectrified and electrified(1.5 and 3 A)conditions.The results suggest that film thickness,CoF,and all ECR are altered by passing DC currents through the contact.In particular,film thickness increased and decreased,respectively,by applying electricity at the different speeds and loads tested.These alterations were majorly ascribed to oil viscosity decrease by local heat and surface oxidation caused by electrical discharge and break down at the interface.

Ultrasonic elastic characteristics of five kinds of metamorphic deformed coals under room temperature and pressure conditions

The calibration of the elastic characteristics of deformed coals is essential for seismic inversion of such units, because the prediction of coal deformation is essential for both mining safety and methane production. Therefore, many samples of broken and mylonitic deformed coal were tested with ultrasonic waves in the laboratory. These samples came from four mining areas: the Huainan, Pingdingshan, Hebi and Jiaozuo coal mines, which present five different metamorphic ranks shown as cylinders striking across circular limits of steel. Under normal pressures and temperatures, ultrasonic P- and S-wave tests show that the velocities, quality factors, and elastic moduli of the deformed coals were greatly reduced compared with undeformed coals. Also, some correlation was found between the P- and S-wave velocities in the deformed coals. However, there is no evidence of linear correlations between velocity and density, velocity and quality factor, or the quality factors of P- and S-waves. Compared with the elastic characteristics of undeformed coals, such as P- and S-wave velocity ratios or Poisson's ratio, those of deformed coals generally decrease and the P-wave quality factors are less than those of S-waves. Moreover, the analysis of the relationship between pore structure and elastic modulus shows a better correlation between the P- and S-wave velocities and effective porosity, pore volume and specific surface area. Also, there are similar relationships between the pore structure and the Young's and shear moduli. However, there are no such correlations with other moduli. Correlations between these elastic moduli, pore structure, coal rank and density were not found for the various samples of deformed coals, which is consistent with only structural destruction occurring in the deformed coals with other physical properties remaining unchanged. The experimental results show that it is possible to predict the deformation of coals with multi-component seismic elastic inversion.

A method to avoid the cycle-skip phenomenon in time-of-flight determination for ultrasonic flow measurement

The double-threshold method has been widely used in ultrasonic flow measurement to determine time-of-flight(TOF)due to its low cost and ease of implementation.Performance of this method is negatively affected by the cycle-skip phenomenon which occurs frequently under inconstant working conditions,especially varied fluid temperature.This paper proposes a method to suppress the phenomenon to facilitate reliable determination of TOF in ultrasonic flow measurement.First,the double-threshold method is used to generate a feature point to segment the signal.Second,based on the correlation coefficient and signal power,judgement factors of individual signal periods are calculated to determine signal onset.Finally,a valid zero crossing which has a constant lag from the onset is selected to determine the TOF.Thus,the cycle-skip phenomenon is suppressed.Two additional modifications are proposed to eliminate the influence of varied signal frequency and low sampling rate.The proposed method was validated by an experiment based on an ultrasonic water flow sensor.Results showed that the frequently appearing cycle-skip phenomenon can be successfully suppressed by the proposed method.