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At least 379 records · Page 21

Ultrafast Nanoimaging of Spin-Mediated Shear Waves in an Acoustic Cavity

Strong spin–lattice coupling in van der Waals (vdW) magnets shows potential for innovative magneto-mechanical applications. Here, nanoscale and picosecond imaging by ultrafast electron microscopy reveal heterogeneous spin-mediated coherent acoustic phonon dynamics in a thin-film cavity of the vdW antiferromagnet FePS3. The harmonics of the interlayer shear acoustic modes are observed, in which the even and odd harmonics exhibit distinct nanoscopic dynamics. Corroborated by acoustic wave simulation, the role of defects in forming even harmonics is elucidated. Above the Néel temperature (T N ), the interlayer shear acoustic harmonics are suppressed, while the in-plane traveling wave is predominantly excited. The dominant acoustic dynamics shifts from the out-of-plane shear to the in-plane traveling wave across T N , demonstrating that magnetic properties can influence phonon scattering pathways. In conclusion, the spatiotemporally resolved structural characterization provides valuable nanoscopic insights for interlayer-shear-mode-based acoustic cavities, opening up possibilities for magneto-mechanical applications of vdW magnets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ultrasonic power transfer from a spherical acoustic wave source to a free-free piezoelectric receiver: Modeling and experiment

Contactless powering of small electronic components has lately received growing attention for wireless applications in which battery replacement or tethered charging is undesired or simply impossible, and ambient energy harvesting is not a viable solution. As an alternative to well-studied methods of contactless energy transfer, such as the inductive coupling method, the use of ultrasonic waves transmitted and received by piezoelectric devices enables larger power transmission distances, which is critical especially for deep-implanted electronic devices. Moreover, energy transfer by means of acoustic waves is well suited in situations where no electromagnetic fields are allowed. The limited literature of ultrasonic acoustic energy transfer is mainly centered on proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating the feasibility of this method, lacking experimentally validated modeling efforts for the resulting multiphysics problem that couples the source and receiver dynamics with domain acoustics. In this work, we present fully coupled analytical, numerical, and experimental multiphysics investigations for ultrasonic acoustic energy transfer from a spherical wave source to a piezoelectric receiver bar that operates in the 33-mode of piezoelectricity. The fluid-loaded piezoelectric receiver under free-free mechanical boundary conditions is shunted to an electrical load for quantifying the electrical power output for a given acoustic source strength of the transmitter. The analytical acoustic-piezoelectric structure interaction modeling framework is validated experimentally, and the effects of system parameters are reported along with optimal electrical loading and frequency conditions of the receiver.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Ion-acoustic solitons, double layers and supersolitons in a plasma with two ion- and two electron species

The polarity of ion-acoustic solitons that arise in a plasma with two (same mass, different temperature) ion species and two (different temperature) electron species is investigated. Two different fluid models are compared. The first model treats all species as adiabatic fluids, while the second model treats the ion species as adiabatic, and the electron species as isothermal. Nonlinear structures are analysed via the reductive perturbation analysis and pseudo-potential analysis. Each model supports both slow and fast ion-acoustic solitons, associated with the two (slow and fast) ion-acoustic speeds. The models support both positive and negative polarity solitons associated with the slow ion-acoustic speed. Moreover, results are in good agreement, and both models support positive and negative polarity double layers. For the fast ion-acoustic speed, the first model supports only positive polarity solitons, while the second model supports solitons of both polarity, coexistence of positive and negative polarity solitons, double layers and supersolitons. A novel feature of our analysis is the evaluation of nonlinear structures at critical number densities where polarity changes occur. This analysis shows that solitons that occur at the acoustic speed are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the phenomenon of coexistence. The relationship between the existence regions of supersolitons and soliton polarity is also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Axial acoustic radiation force on a sphere in Gaussian field

Based on the finite series method, the acoustical radiation force resulting from a Gaussian beam incident on a spherical object is investigated analytically. When the position of the particles deviating from the center of the beam, the Gaussian beam is expanded as a spherical function at the center of the particles and the expanded coefficients of the Gaussian beam is calculated. The analytical expression of the acoustic radiation force on spherical particles deviating from the Gaussian beam center is deduced. The acoustic radiation force affected by the acoustic frequency and the offset distance from the Gaussian beam center is investigated. Results have been presented for Gaussian beams with different wavelengths and it has been shown that the interaction of a Gaussian beam with a sphere can result in attractive axial force under specific operational conditions. Results indicate the capability of manipulating and separating spherical spheres based on their mechanical and acoustical properties, the results provided here may provide a theoretical basis for development of single-beam acoustical tweezers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Acoustic levitation of a large solid sphere

We demonstrate that acoustic levitation can levitate spherical objects much larger than the acoustic wavelength in air. The acoustic levitation of an expanded polystyrene sphere of 50 mm in diameter, corresponding to 3.6 times the wavelength, is achieved by using three 25 kHz ultrasonic transducers arranged in a tripod fashion. In this configuration, a standing wave is created between the transducers and the sphere. The axial acoustic radiation force generated by each transducer on the sphere was modeled numerically as a function of the distance between the sphere and the transducer. The theoretical acoustic radiation force was verified experimentally in a setup consisting of an electronic scale and an ultrasonic transducer mounted on a motorized linear stage. The comparison between the numerical and experimental acoustic radiation forces presents a good agreement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Feature Extraction for Pipeline Defects Inspection Based Upon Distributed Acoustic Fiber Optic Sensing Data

Fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is becoming an increasingly important tool for real-time monitoring of energy and civil infrastructure structural health such as pipelines. We present a systematic theoretical study of the potential for DAS to be directly coupled with guided ultrasonic waves typically used in conventional acoustic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods for real-time pipeline health monitoring. We are referring to this innovative new NDE technique as ultrasonic guided wave and optical fiber sensor fusion. In the practical application of DAS coupled with guided ultrasonic waves, the structural design of (1) the specific guided waves excited, (2) the physical installation of the acoustic transducers and the fiber optic sensors, and (3) the functional performance specifications (gauge length, sensitivity, Etc.) of fiber optic DAS have an important influence on overall capabilities of the monitoring system. Meanwhile, physics-based analysis of acoustic waves is still a challenge due to the complex nature of the Lamb wave when it propagates, scatters, and disperses in the presence of structural defects. In this work, we simulate carbon steel pipes relevant for oil and gas pipeline applications with diameters of approximately 6-12” and wall thickness of 0.5” as the objects to be monitored. By establishing and implementing these capabilities, we seek to pursue an in-depth study on structural parameter optimization of DAS network, measurement range, and signal processing with an ultimate goal of increasing the sensitivity and efficacy of DAS to defect identification for various modes of corrosion expected in practice. To study the characteristics of scattered acoustic waves and performance of DAS for defect identification, we simulated the response of DAS for multiple pipe structures, defect types, and DAS sensor network configuration using finite element software Ansys, then the properties of signal response are extracted to construct defect-sensitive features. The raw data simulated, and the associated features extracted can ultimately be utilized as annotated training data to benchmark various designs for DAS applications, guided acoustic excitation sources, and learning model parameters to enhance early detection of potentially problematic defects.

Pipeline Defects Inspection, Fiber-optic sensors, ↗

TU-A-9A-07: X-Ray Acoustic Computed Tomography (XACT): 100% Sensitivity to X-Ray Absorption

Purpose: To assess whether X-ray acoustic computed tomography (XACT) is more sensitive to X-ray absorption than that of the conventional X-ray imaging. Methods: First, a theoretical model was built to analyze the X-ray absorption sensitivity of XACT imaging and conventional X-ray imaging. Second, an XACT imaging system was developed to evaluate the X-ray induced acoustic signal generation as well as the sensitivity improvement over transmission x-ray imaging. Ultra-short x-ray pulses (60-nanosecond) were generated from an X-ray source operated at the energy of 150 kVp with a 10-Hz repetition rate. The X-ray pulse was synchronized with the acoustic detection via a x-ray scintillation triggering to acquire the X-ray induced acoustic signal. Results: Theoretical analysis shows that X-ray induced acoustic signal is sensitive only to the X-ray absorption, while completely insensitive to out the X-ray scattering and fluorescence. XACT has reduced background and increased contrast-to-noise ratio, and therefore has increased sensitivity compared to transmission x-ray imaging. For a 50-μm size, gadolinium insertion in tissue exposed to 40 keV X-rays; the sensitivity of XACT imaging is about 28.9 times higher than that of conventional X-ray imaging. Conclusion: X-ray acoustic computer tomography (XACT) as a new imaging modality combines X-ray absorption contrast and high ultrasonic resolution in a single modality. It is feasible to improve the imaging sensitivity with XACT imaging compared with conventional X-ray imaging. Taking advantage of the high ultrasonic resolution, it is possible to perform 3-D imaging with a single x-ray pulse with arrays of transducers without any mechanical motion of the imaging system. This single-shot capability offers the potential of reducing radiation dose by a factor of 1000, and imaging 100 times faster when compared to the conventional X-ray CT, and thus revolutionizing x-ray imaging applications in medicine and biology. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Programs W81XWH-13-1-0481 (LX), the National Institutes of Health 1R01 CA133474 and 1R21 A153587, and SRFDP (20124407120012) for funding.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Acoustic modal analysis of unique fused-silica fibers for passive non-destructive structural monitoring

The goal of non-destructive acoustic sensing is to passively monitor innate structural parameters such as temperature, strain, and pressure. Intended for use in harsh structural environments, a distributed acoustic sensing system has been created using a single mode, radiation hardened, fused-silica core rod and a high-resolution acoustic sensor. This study aims to enhance the capabilities of the acoustic sensor by manipulating the fused-silica core rod, geometrically, to induce and control additional acoustic reflections. Here, two geometries are demonstrated to markedly improve upon previous fiber designs and result in a consistent acoustic profile.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fully integrated fused quartz acoustic horns for structural health monitoring

Non-destructive acoustic structural sensing is an imperative technology, applicable to many different fields such as aerospace and civil engineering. To maintain a high sensitivity or to mitigate acoustic loss, it is important to increase the signal-to-noise ratio by improving coupling efficiency from acoustic sources to the object under test, such as an acoustic waveguide. Here, a fully integrated fused quartz horn design is combined with a fused quartz acoustic waveguide. The resulting system is intended to demonstrate a high accuracy low cost alternative to current sensing systems and the present article report on the viability of using a merged acoustic horn and waveguide.

Electronic noise↗

Viability of Acoustic Techniques for Density and Mass Flow in Enrichment Plants

A key enabling capability for enrichment plant safeguards approaches being considered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is high-accuracy, non-invasive, unattended measurement of UF 6 gas density and mass flow rate. The Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation is funding this project to evaluate the viability of acoustic techniques for measuring density and mass flow rate of UF 6 gas in scenarios typical of gaseous centrifuge enrichment plants, with the goal of achieving better than 1% measurements. This report is a review of the progress in the first five months of the project. Initial results are encouraging: Air is a suitable surrogate gas for UF 6 for the initial research effort; Measurable acoustic energy transferred through the air from the transmitting to the receiving transducer for equivalent UF 6 pressures of 10 Torr; There is a monotonic relationship between air pressure and acoustic energy transferred through the air for equivalent UF 6 pressures down to 10 Torr; The acoustic energy transferred through the air is observable above the acoustic energy transferred through the pipe wall. While there is considerable research left to determine the viability of using acoustic techniques to noninvasively measure the gas flow for gaseous centrifuge enrichment plants, these initial results are very encouraging and warrant the continued research effort.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Rapidly Deployable Acoustic Monitoring and Localization System Based on a Low-Cost Wave Buoy Platform

The primary objective of this project is to develop a cost-effective, fit-for-purpose environmental monitoring system, “NoiseSpotter®,” that characterizes, classifies, and provides accurate location information for anthropogenic and natural sounds in near real-time. NoiseSpotter was developed to support the evaluation of potential acoustic effects of marine energy (ME) projects. By utilizing a compact array of three acoustic particle motion sensors, NoiseSpotter triangulates individual bearings to provide sound source localization to within 5% accuracy, allowing the ability to discern ME device sounds relative to other confounding sounds in the environment, while providing location estimates to nearby marine mammals for environmental mitigation purposes. The ME industry needs proven solutions to meet environmental impact assessment needs. The NoiseSpotter® includes off-the-shelf, modular components that are easy to assemble and disassemble. Its acoustic particle motion sensors are commercially available and the data logger and real-time telemetry system is designed to be plug-and-play. The entire system is relatively compact and can be deployed from small vessels. NoiseSpotter’s near real-time capability enables operational monitoring of ME sounds, particularly during early stages of technology adoption to facilitate mitigation of potential noise effects. Widespread adoption of the technology for acoustic monitoring of ME devices requires that it be cost effective; hence the anticipated commercial cost of system hardware is $35,000. This project contributes to reducing barriers to ME testing through support of scientific research focused on reducing or mitigating environmental risks and lowering costs and complexity of environmental monitoring. This project has developed an acoustic monitoring system, NoiseSpotter® (U.S. Patent No. 11,156,734 and U.S. Registered Trademark No. 6,442,313), to detect and characterize baseline noise and sounds from ME operations and support geolocation of detected sounds. The intended outcome of the project is to mitigate concerns about the potential for ME device noise to alter marine mammal or fish behavior. NoiseSpotter® enables cost-effective, near real-time acoustic monitoring of an operational ME device relative to ambient environmental noise and provides a technical basis for ME developers seeking to navigate the permitting process in an efficient manner.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Effect of Grazing Flow on Grooved Over-the-Rotor Acoustic Casing Treatments

After testing grooved over-the-rotor acoustic casing treatments on a turbofan rotor, a follow-on study was performed to investigate the effect of flow on grooved acoustic liners. The experiment was performed to understand the scaling of acoustic liner absorption with grazing flow and investigate a potential noise source from grooved acoustic liners. Acoustic liner absorption and reflection characteristics were quantified by examining the reduction in amplitude of a plane wave traveling over 2 inch liners with grazing flow. For all liners tested, as the grazing flow Mach number is increased, the absorption curves broadened and the frequency of peak absorption decreased. Grazing flow over a series of grooves was found to generate resonances up to 152 dB sound pressure level. Adding acoustic treatment to the bottom of these grooves was found to reduce the magnitude of this resonance by up to 10 dB sound pressure level and increase its frequency by up to 10%. The quantification of the grazing flow effect and identification of a mechanism behind the noise penalty from the prior turbofan rotor experiment will aid in the design of future over-the-rotor treatments.

acoustic↗

Acoustic Characterization of the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel Using Single-Microphone Analysis Techniques

An experimental campaign was conducted to assess recent acoustic modifications to the NASA Langley Research Center 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. This effort was undertaken in preparation for future rotorcraft, Advanced Air Mobility, and airframe noise acoustic tests. The tunnel is a closed circuit and typically operates in an open-jet configuration for acoustic studies. A vertical linear array of microphones and a phased array were placed on traverses outside of the core flow. Pole-mounted acoustic sources with known waveforms were used to identify reflective surfaces under static conditions with no tunnel flow. A similar process was replicated with more compact sources in an aerodynamic fairing for flow speeds up to Mach 0.16. This enabled investigation of the test section core flow and bounding shear layer impacts on the acoustic measurements. Periodic averaging was employed and was shown to be capable of isolating periodic acoustic signals even for poor signal-to-noise ratio conditions. Benefits and limitations of single-microphone processing methods are identified. A companion paper utilizes a phased array in an effort to address the identified limitations to more traditional single-microphone data collection.

Acoustic Characterization↗

Acoustic Characterization of the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel Using Single-Microphone Analysis Techniques

An experimental campaign was conducted to assess recent acoustic modifications to the NASA Langley Research Center 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. This effort was undertaken in preparation for future rotorcraft, Advanced Air Mobility, and airframe noise acoustic tests. The tunnel is a closed circuit and typically operates in an open-jet configuration for acoustic studies. A vertical linear array of microphones and a phased array were placed on traverses outside of the core flow. Pole-mounted acoustic sources with known waveforms were used to identify reflective surfaces under static conditions with no tunnel flow. A similar process was replicated with more compact sources in an aerodynamic fairing for flow speeds up to Mach 0.16. This enabled investigation of the test section core flow and bounding shear layer impacts on the acoustic measurements. Periodic averaging was employed and was shown to be capable of isolating periodic acoustic signals even for poor signal-to-noise ratio conditions. Benefits and limitations of single-microphone processing methods are identified. A companion paper utilizes a phased array in an effort to address the identified limitations to more traditional single-microphone data collection.

Acoustic Characterization↗

Acoustic Testing of the Joby Aviation Propeller in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel

The advanced air mobility sector has progressed in recent years with electric vertical take-Off and landing vehicles at the forefront. In response, the NASA Advanced Air Mobility Project has initiated the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign to partner with industry to progress this emerging market. This resulted in NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project to participate to progress research efforts for software tool validation for these advanced air mobility vehicle configurations. Noise has been identified as one of the main obstacles to succeeding in this emerging market for community acceptance. To further understand electric vertical take-Off and landing vehicle noise, an isolated Joby Aviation S4 propeller was tested in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel to aid in providing high quality performance, loads, and acoustic data. Details of test hardware and setup are described with a focus on acoustics, which includes facility, test model, microphone locations, and data acquisition system details. Additionally, the data processing techniques and completed test matrix for acoustic points are provided. To aid in identifying potential acoustic reflections, an acoustic reflection test was performed prior to the start of the test and highlighted the presence of reflections at every microphone location. Acoustic results are provided for various flight regimes for sweeps of blade pitch, RPM, flow angle, and wind speed. These results show an optimum RPM for a specific thrust level for noise, and further reductions in RPM can increase noise levels. This dataset will be used to evaluate and improve computational tools.

Aviation Propeller↗

Acoustic Monitoring of Pyroprocessing Equipment

This paper provides an introduction to using acoustic monitoring to advance detection techniques for pyroprocessing in support of nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation. The usage of free air acoustic monitoring has been previously demonstrated at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) facilities such as the Advanced Test Reactor and the National Security Test Range. However, the proposed work revolves around a new deployment environment, the Fuel Conditioning Facility, that brings forward several questions regarding the performance of the technology in non-free air media. The confinement of the pyroprocessing equipment to a heavily shielded hot cell, the atmosphere of the hot cell containing argon gas, and the radiation dose inside the hot cell are all new environments for acoustic monitoring. To our knowledge, acoustic measurements have not been completed in such an environment before. This offers a new opportunity to study not only the acoustic signatures of the equipment inside of the hot cell, but also the propagation of the signals through the hot cell and at distances away from their origination. The objective of this paper is to explain the planned instruments to monitor the Fuel Conditioning Facility in order to evaluate acoustic signals emitted from equipment during various stages of operation. Identifying these signals can potentially enable the identification of specific pieces of equipment used in pyroprocessing and produce information of their operational status. If successful, this type of monitoring could offer a new method to aid in safeguards and proliferation detection of pyroprocessing activities.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Imaging of surface acoustic waves on GaAs using 2D confocal Raman microscopy and atomic force microscopy

Surface acoustic wave devices have been fabricated on a GaAs (100) substrate to demonstrate the capability of 2D Raman microscopy as an imaging technique for acoustic waves on the surface of a piezoelectric substrate. Surface acoustic waves are generated using a two-port interdigitated transducer platform, which is modified to produce surface standing waves. We have derived an analytical model to relate Raman peak broadening to the near-surface strain field of the GaAs surface produced by the surface acoustic waves. Additionally, atomic force microscopy is used to confirm the presence of a standing acoustic wave, resolving a total vertical displacement of 3 nm at the antinode of the standing wave. Stress calculations are performed for both imaging techniques and are in good agreement, demonstrating the potential of this Raman analysis.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Piezoelectric materials used in underwater acoustic transducers

Piezoelectric materials have been used in underwater acoustic transducers for nearly a century. In this paper, we reviewed four different types of piezoelectric materials: piezoelectric ceramics, single crystals, composites, and polymers, which are widely used in underwater acoustic transducers nowadays. Piezoelectric ceramics are the most dominant material type and are used as a single-phase material or one of the end members in composites. Piezoelectric single crystals offer outstanding electromechanical response but are limited by their manufacturing cost. Piezoelectric polymers provide excellent acoustic impedance matching and transducer fabrication flexibility although their piezoelectric properties are not as good as ceramics and single crystals. Composites combined the merits of ceramics and polymers and are receiving increased attention. The typical structure and electromechanical properties of each type of materials are introduced and discussed with respect to underwater acoustic transducer applications. Their advantages and disadvantages are summarized. Some of the critical design considerations when developing underwater acoustic transducers with these materials are also touched upon.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗