Properties of Acoustic Plane Wave

Wavelength, Frequency and Velocity

Among the properties of waves propagating in isotropic solid materials are wavelength,
frequency, and velocity. The wavelength is directly proportional to the velocity of the
wave and inversely proportional to the frequency of the wave. This relationship is shown
by the following equation.
= V/f
The applet below shows a longitudinal and transverse wave. The direction of wave
propagation is from left-to-right and the movement of the lines indicate the direction of
particle oscillation. The equation relating ultrasonic wavelength, frequency, and
propagation velocity is included at the bottom of the applet in a reorganized form. The
values for the wavelength, frequency, and wave velocity can be adjusted in the dialog
boxes to see their effects on the wave. Note that the value must be set to keep the
frequency value between 0.1 to 1 MHz or million cycles per second, and the wave
velocity must be between 0.1 and 0.7 cm/us.

As can be noted by the equation, a change in frequency will result in a change in

wavelength. Change the frequency in the applet and view the resultant wavelength. At a
frequency of .2 and a material velocity of 0.585 (longitudinal wave in steel) note the
resulting wavelength. Adjust the material velocity to 0.480 (longitudinal wave in cast
iron) note the resulting wavelength. Increase the frequency to 0.8 and note the shortened
wavelength in each material.
In ultrasonic testing, the shorter wavelength resulting from an increase in frequency will
usually provide for the detection of smaller discontinuities. This will be discussed more
in following materials.