REFRACTING SOUND WAVES 475

l/•'xO.
015"DISK
SSTACKED
3/•'APART
ON 6 IH.DIAMETER
0.085"RODSPACED
ON3/4"CENTERS''-. DISKLENS

Fro. 7. Construction of the disk

ACOUSTIC
•ANSDUCE.
P•D ..N ..•,_,_
I;7" •
• ,,,,
iiIII
lens and its feed horn.
•1 k •, • • • • • w•v•

, ,,, ',',',
• a•" ja"• • ,,,
,- -,,, ,,,I',
"'I',

path thanthe unguidedwavewouldnormallytake.*** GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

This methodof obtainingwavedelayhaslikewisebeen Determination of the Lens Profile

employedfor focusingelectromagnetic waves.7
The principles of operationof the path lengthlenses T•vo generalclassesof constructionhave now been
can be describedin connectionwith the right-hand discussed
which act to reducethe velocityof sound
sectionof Fig. 2. If parallelplatesare presentedto waves.Devicesusingeither of theseconstructions
are
planeacousticwaves,little effectwill be producedon delaymechanismsandact like therefractors
of optics.
theprogress of the waves,providingthat the platesare An exampleof a designprocedurefor a convergent
flat and alignedalongthe directionof propagation, as lens follows.
shownin the top of the figure.If, however,the plates The profileof a lens (plano-convex) of the obstacle
are bent into serpentineshape,as shownin the middle type can be determinedfrom the desiredaperture
figure, the sinuouspath l, inside the plates, will be radius y, the focal length f and the known index of
longerthan that outside,10,and delaywill be produced. refractionn (see Fig. 3). For the phase length of
Likewise,if the platesare tilted so that they form an parallelrays leavingthe lensto be equalafter starting
angle with the directionof propagation,as shownin from a commonfocalpoint, the followingmust hold:
the bottom figure, a delay will be producedsincethe
//vo+ x/v = [ (J-q-x)'-'+y•]i/vo, (9)
waveswill beforcedto traversethelongerinclinedpath.
wherev0is the velocityof soundin free air and v the
Evaluation of the Index of Refraction velocitythroughthe lens.
If planesare drawnperpendicular to the directionof Sincevo/v=n, (9) becomes
the approachingunguidedwave at the entranceand f+nx= [-(f+x)ø-+y•]•, (10)
exit pointsof the conduit,then the distancebetween
FEED HORN
theseentranceand exit planesis equal to the path (AFFIXED
70 LENS) ACOUSTIC
length 10,the unguidedwave would normally travel
(seeFig. 2). If 1is the path lengthin the conduit,then
the index of refraction is
.t: •.;,tc•(,.o•")• .......... ,o............. ,.I
n = Vo/V
= l/lo, (7)
wherev0is the velocityof the unguidedwave in air and v
is the velocityacrossthe conduitstructureboundedby
the entrance-exitplanes.
If the conduitis formed by slantedparallel plates,
then,
n = l/lo = 1/cos0 (8)
where0 is the anglebetweenthe slantedplatesand the
directionof the oncomingwave.
In suchpath lengthdevices,n remainsconstantwith
frequencyup to the point where the plate spacingbe-
comesa half wave-length.A secondmodecan then be
propagatedwhichinterfereswith the normalaction.
*** An acousticradiatorusingtubesof varyinglengthsto obtain -40 -30 -20 -I0 0 I0 20 30
the properphasecorrectionfor focusinghas been suggested by 0 = DEGREES OFF AXIS
W. P. Mason, U.S. patent 2,225,312,1940.
7W. E. Kock, Proc. Inst. Radio Eng. 37, 852 (1949). Fro. 8. Directional pattern of the disk lensand horn combination.

ded 23 Jul 2011 to 72.216.10.141. Redistribution subject to ASA license or copyright; see http://asadl.org/journals/doc/ASALIB-home/info/
 476 W. E. KOCK •ND F. K. HARVEY

and this can be reduced to lensesof eithertypeat lowfrequencies is a functionof

the sizeof the array.Since,as discussed below,a lens
(n•---1)xa+2/x(n-- 1)--?=0. (11) canonlyfocusenergyto a minimumdiameterof the
[t canbereadilyverified
that(11)is theequation
of a orderof «-wave-length it is obviousthat whenthe lens
hyperbola.
Thisequation need exactly;diameteris smallerthan «-wave-length,
notbefollowed little focusing
lenseshavingspherical
surfaces
approximating
the action will be exhibited.
hyperbolic
shape
willalsoexhibit
appreciable
focusing The Diameter of the Focal Spot of a Lens
effect.
Theseformulascanbe usedon other lensshapesalso. In dealingwith acousticlenseswhere the wave-
Forexample,
a plano-concave on lengths
lenscanbecalculated usedmaybe measured in feetandinches,it
thebasis
thatf equals andx thedepth maybemorepertinent
therirhtalfocus to talkabouta focalareaof a
of theconcave
surface,
assuming
of course,
thatparallel •REQ = • KC ACOUSTIC
raysstriketheplanesurface.
Doubleconvex,double /I = 4 3tCM(I 7•) TRANSDUCER
concave,
andotherlenses
canthusbedesigned
insections.
Althoughthepathlength
lenscangenerally
becalcu-
lated from the formulasof the obstaclelens it is not
•PRISM
• ........ iot ........ •
i•
alwayssafetodosobecauseofthesidewisedisplacement o

ofthewavewhichmayaccompany transmission
through
the lens.In the design
of a slantplatelens(Fig.4)
the lenscontouris adjustedto makethe pathlengths
equalforrayswhich
startat a commonfocalpointand •-e
emerge simultaneously
fromtheplanesurface of the ,5

lens.Thisprovides
a planewavefront.In theexample
shown,
thelensturnsouttobesymmetrical
andthelens
formulascan be used.If however,the lensshouldbe
reversedsothat the raysstartingfromthefocalpoint _>

strikethe fiat surface,thenthe contourof the curved

surfacewouldhaveto bereadjusted to an asymmetrical
shape
fora planewaveto emerge fromit.
Theupper frequency
limitsforthetwotypes
ofdelay
mechanisms
havealreadybeensuggested
in thesections
dealing
withtheindex
ofrefraction.
Theeffectiveness
of
10.Angularshiftof thedirectional
patternof a 6-in.
aperture
horncaused by theprismof Fig.9.

lensratherthan the focalpoint. In any devicewhich

causes
planewaves
tobebrought
toa focus,
diffraction
sets a limit on the focal area.
The effectof diffractioncan be obtainedas in optics.s
A properlydesigned
lenswill produce
a diffraction
pattern
whichconsists
of alternate
concentric
ringsof
minima and maxima surroundinga circulararea of
maximumenergy.The diameterof this focalareaas
determined
by thefirstminimumis approximately
& = (2.4YX)/d, 0 2)
whereF is the distancefrom the lensapertureto the
focalareaandd theaperturediameter.For a lenswith
anf 1.0rating,thediameter
of thefocalareais 2.4X
with a planewaveincident.
The centralcirculararea receivesapproximately80
percent
of thelensenergy.
Themaximum
intensity
at
thefirstringis0.0174(--17.6db)of thatat thecenter
point.Fromthisa directional
patternusinga point
sourcereceiverat the focuswouldshowthe first minor
lobe to be 17.6 db down.
eHardyandPerrin,ThePrinciple
ofOptics
(McGraw-Hill
Book
Fro. 9. A strip prism. Company,
Inc.,NewYork,1932),p. 128.

ed 23 Jul 2011 to 72.216.10.141. Redistribution subject to ASA license or copyright; see http://asadl.org/journals/doc/ASALIB-home/info