Enhancing the spectral signatures of ultrasonic fluidic transducer pulses for improved time-of-flight measurements.

Air-coupled ultrasonic (ACU) testing has proven to be a valuable method for increasing the speed in non-destructive ultrasonic testing and the investigation of sensitive specimens. A major obstacle to implementing ACU methods is the significant signal power loss at the air-specimen and transducer-air interfaces. The loss between transducer and air can be eliminated by using recently developed fluidic transducers.

Acoustic and flow data of fluidic and piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers.

This data article presents characteristic acoustic and flow data of a fluidic ultrasonic transducer as well as acoustic data of a commercial piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer used in non-destructive testing for civil engineering. The flow data has been acquired using hot-wire anemometry and a Pitot tube. The three-dimensional acoustic data of both devices has been acquired using a calibrated microphone.

Experimental analysis of the acoustic field of an ultrasonic pulse induced by a fluidic switch.

Ultrasonic inspection is a common tool for non-destructive testing in civil engineering (NDT-CE). Currently, transducers are coupled directly to the specimen surface, which makes the inspection time-consuming. Air-coupled ultrasound (ACU) transducers are more time-efficient but need a high pressure amplitude as the impedance mismatch between the air and the concrete is high and large penetration depth is needed for the inspection.