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Figure 2-3 Areas of energy in the beam profile

The sound field of a transducer is divided into two zones: the near field
and the far field (see Figure 2-4). The near field is the region close to the
transducer where the sound pressure goes through a series of maximums
and minimums, and it ends at the last on-axis maximum at distance N
from the face. Near field distance N represents the natural focus of the
transducer.

Figure 2-4 The sound field of a transducer

The far field is the region beyond N where the sound pressure gradually
drops to zero as the beam diameter expands and its energy dissipates. The
near field distance is a function of the transducer's frequency and element
size, and the sound velocity in the test medium, and it can be calculated
for the square or rectangular
elements commonly found in phased array testing as follows:

KL² f

where:
N = near-field length
k = aspect ratio constant (see below)
L = length of element or aperture
f = frequency
C = sound velocity in test material
 = wavelength = c --
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