Ultrasonic methods have been very popular in nondestructive testing and characterization of materials. This book deals with both industrial ultrasound and medical ultrasound. The advantages of ultrasound include flexibility, low cost, in-line operation, and providing data in both signal and image formats for further analysis. The book devotes 11 chapters to ultrasonic methods. However, ultrasonic methods can be much less effective with some applications. So the book also has 14 chapters catering to other or advanced methods for nondestructive testing or material characterization. Topics like structural health monitoring, Terahertz methods, X-ray and thermography methods are presented. Besides different sensors for nondestructive testing, the book places much emphasis on signal/image processing and pattern recognition of the signals acquired.

This book features a comprehensive discussion of the mathematical foundations of ultrasonic nondestructive testing of materials. The authors include a brief description of the theory of acoustic and electromagnetic fields to underline the similarities and differences with respect to elastodynamics. They also cover vector, elastic plane, and Rayleigh surface waves as well as ultrasonic beams, inverse scattering, and ultrasonic nondestructive imaging. A coordinate-free notation system is used that is easier to understand and navigate than standard index notation.

In recent years remarkable progress has been made in the development of materials for ultrasonic transducers. There is a continuing trend towards increasingly higher frequency ranges for the application of ultrasonic trans ducers in modern technology. The progress in this area has been especially rapid and articles and papers on the subject are scattered over numerous technical and scientific journals in this country and abroad. Although good books have appeared on ultrasonics in general and ultrasonic transducers in particular in which, for obvious reasons, materials play an important part, no comprehensive treatise is available that represents the state-of-the-art on modern ultrasonic transducer materials. This book intends to fill a need for a thorough review of the subject. Not all materials are covered of which, theoretically, ultrasonic trans ducers could be made but those that are or may be of technical impor tance and which have inherent electro acoustic transducer properties, i.e., materials that are either magnetostrictive, electrostrictive, or piezoelectric. The book has been devided into three parts which somewhat reflect the historic development of ultrasonic transducer materials for important tech nical application. Chapter 1 deals with magnetostrictive materials, magnetostrictive met als and their alloys, and magnetostrictive ferrites (polycrystalline ceramics). The metals are useful especially in cases where ruggednes of the transducers are of overriding importance and in the lower ultrasonic frequency range.

Using a systems level approach, this book employs aspects of linear systems theory and wave propagation and scattering theory to develop a comprehensive model of an entire ultrasonic measurement system. This integrated approach leads to a new model-based engineering technology for designing, using and optimizing ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation inspections. In addition, the book incorporates MATLAB examples and exercises.

Part I: Fundamentals of ultrasound This part will cover the main basic principles of ultrasound generation and propagation and those phenomena related to low and high intensity ultrasound applications. The mechanisms involved in food analysis and process monitoring and in food process intensification will be shown. Part II: Low intensity ultrasound applications Low intensity ultrasound applications have been used for non-destructive food analysis as well as for process monitoring. Ultrasonic techniques, based on velocity, attenuation or frequency spectrum analysis, may be considered as rapid, simple, portable and suitable for on-line measurements. Although industrial applications of low-intensity ultrasound, such as meat carcass evaluation, have been used in the food industry for decades, this section will cover the most novel applications, which could be considered as highly relevant for future application in the food industry. Chapters addressing this issue will be divided into three subsections: (1) food control, (2) process monitoring, (3) new trends. Part III: High intensity ultrasound applications High intensity ultrasound application constitutes a way to intensify many food processes. However, the efficient generation and application of ultrasound is essential to achieving a successful effect. This part of the book will begin with a chapter dealing with the importance of the design of efficient ultrasonic application systems. The medium is essential to achieve efficient transmission, and for that reason the particular challenges of applying ultrasound in different media will be addressed. The next part of this section constitutes an up-to-date vision of the use of high intensity ultrasound in food processes. The chapters will be divided into four sections, according to the medium in which the ultrasound vibration is transmitted from the transducers to the product being treated. Thus, solid, liquid, supercritical and gas media have been used for ultrasound propagation. Previous books addressing ultrasonic applications in food processing have been based on the process itself, so chapters have been divided in mass and heat transport, microbial inactivation, etc. This new book will propose a revolutionary overview of ultrasonic applications based on (in the authors’ opinion) the most relevant factor affecting the efficiency of ultrasound applications: the medium in which ultrasound is propagated. Depending on the medium, ultrasonic phenomena can be completely different, but it also affects the complexity of the ultrasonic generation, propagation and application. In addition, the effect of high intensity ultrasound on major components of food, such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids will be also covered, since this type of information has not been deeply studied in previous books. Other aspects related to the challenges of food industry to incorporate ultrasound devices will be also considered. This point is also very important since, in the last few years, researchers have made huge efforts to integrate fully automated and efficient ultrasound systems to the food production lines but, in some cases, it was not satisfactory. In this sense, it is necessary to identify and review the main related problems to efficiently produce and transmit ultrasound, scale-up, reduce cost, save energy and guarantee the production of safe, healthy and high added value foods.

Ultrasonic Methods of Non-Destructive Testing covers the basic principles and practices of ultrasonic testing, starting with the basic theory of vibration and propagation, design and properties and probes, and then proceeding to the principles and practice of the various ultrasonic techniques for different types of components and structures, both metallic and non-metallic. The design and operation of various types of equipment are covered and references to appropriate national and international standards are provided. Numerous applications are discussed comprehensively and special attention is paid to latest developments. A large number of references is provided so as to enable the reader to obtain further information.

Ultrasonic transducers are key components in sensors for distance, flow and level measurement as well as in power, biomedical and other applications of ultrasound. Ultrasonic transducers reviews recent research in the design and application of this important technology.Part one provides an overview of materials and design of ultrasonic transducers. Piezoelectricity and basic configurations are explored in depth, along with electromagnetic acoustic transducers, and the use of ceramics, thin film and single crystals in ultrasonic transducers. Part two goes on to investigate modelling and characterisation, with performance modelling, electrical evaluation, laser Doppler vibrometry and optical visualisation all considered in detail. Applications of ultrasonic transducers are the focus of part three, beginning with a review of surface acoustic wave devices and air-borne ultrasound transducers, and going on to consider ultrasonic transducers for use at high temperature and in flaw detection systems, power, biomedical and micro-scale ultrasonics, therapeutic ultrasound devices, piezoelectric and fibre optic hydrophones, and ultrasonic motors are also described.With its distinguished editor and expert team of international contributors,Ultrasonic transducers is an authoritative review of key developments for engineers and materials scientists involved in this area of technology as well as in its applications in sectors as diverse as electronics, wireless communication and medical diagnostics. - Reviews recent research in the design and application of ultrasonic transducers - Provides an overview of the materials and design of ultrasonic transducers, with an in-depth exploration of piezoelectricity and basic configurations - Investigates modelling and characterisation, applications of ultrasonic transducers, and ultrasonic transducers for use at high temperature and in flaw detection systems

This book presents a precise approach for defect sizing using ultrasonics. It describes an alternative to the current European and American standards by neglecting their limitations. The approach presented here is not only valid for conventional angle beam probes, but also for phased array angle beam probes. It introduces an improved method which provides a significant productivity gain and calculates curves with high accuracy. Its content is of interest to all those working with distance gain size (DGS) methods or are using distance amplitude correction (DAC) curves.