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Ultrasonic
Prepared By :
Prof. N. D. Mehta,
Assistant Professor,
Power Electronics Department,
Vishwakarma Government Engineering College, Chandkheda – 382424
Ultrasonic 2

• Rhinoceroses use infrasonic frequencies

as low as 5 Hz to communicate.
Ultrasonic 3

• Bats use ultrasonic frequencies as 100

Khz to communicate.
Properties of Ultrasonic Waves 4

• The branch of science that deals with the effects of sound waves above human perception.
Ultrasound is a cyclic sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit of the
human hearing range.
• Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" (audible) sound based on differences in physical
properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to
person, it is approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz) in healthy, young adults. Ultrasound
devices operate with frequencies from 20 kHz up to several gigahertz.
• They have a high energy content.
• Just like ordinary sound waves, ultrasonic waves get reflected, refracted and absorbed.
• They can be transmitted over large distances with no appreciable loss of energy.
• If an arrangement is made to form stationary waves of ultrasonics in a liquid, it serves as a
diffraction grating. It is called an acoustic grating.
• They produce intense heating effect when passed through a substance.
Ultrasonic Generator 5
Ultrasonic Generator 6

• The block diagram, in Figure 1, shows the power subsystems in a modern-generic ultrasonic generator. Listing them
from left to right in the direction of power flow, they include a power line interface, high power factor rectifier,
amplitude converter, inverter, low pass filter, and transducer.
• It is particularly concerned with defining the losses in this circuitry because along with some of the magnetic
elements these control how well the circuits fit on a printed circuit board.
• These circuits along with the feedback controllers, not discussed, make up the bulk of circuitry on the generator PC
board.
• The HPF Rectifier converts the AC power line, 50 or 60 Hz and 85 to 265 volts, and boosts it to regulated high
voltage DC.
• The Amplitude Converter varies the DC bus that supplies the inverter under control of the ultrasonic amplitude
controller, not discussed.
• An Inverter under control of a phase locked loop chops the DC bus into a square wave of the correct amplitude and
phase to power the transducer.
Ultrasonic Generator 7

• Finally, a Low Pass Filter removes harmonics in the square wave.

• Paragraphs that follow describe these circuits in detail. Since semiconductor losses mechanisms are the same
through out, a separate section is devoted to calculating dissipation. Another section relates the calculated
dissipation to available PC board heat sinks.
• A final section discusses the issue of circuit interaction and EMI.
• Processing and Power:
• High-power applications of ultrasound often use frequencies between 20 kHz and a few hundred KHz. Power
densities can be very high; above 10 watts/square centimeter, cavitation can be inducted in liquid media, and some
applications use up to 1000 watts per square centiemtres. Such high-power levels can induce chemical changes or
produce significant effects by direct mechanical action and can inactivate harmful microorganisms.
• Application:
• Industrial applications of ultrasonic waves are ultrasonic welding, ultrasonic cleaning, ultrasonic drilling, and
ultrasonic soldering. The most common application of ultrasonic sound is in medical and other ultrasonic imaging.
Method for Ultrasonic Production 8

Magnetostriction Generator Piezoelectric Generator

Magnetostriction Generator 9

• When a ferromagnetic rod like iron or

nickel is placed in a magnetic field
parallel to its length, the rod experiences
a small change in its length.
• This is called magnetostriction effect.
• The change in length (increase or
decrease) produced in the rod depends
upon the strength of the magnetic field,
the nature of the materials and is
independent of the direction of the
magnetic field applied.
Magnetostriction Generator 10

• XY is a rod of ferromagnetic materials like

iron or nickel. The rod is clamped in the
middle.
• The alternating magnetic field is generated by
electronic oscillator.
• The coil L1 wound on the right hand portion
of the rod along with a variable capacitor C.
• This forms the resonant circuit of the collector
tuned oscillator. The frequency of oscillator is
controlled by the variable capacitor.
• The coil L2 wound on the left hand portion of
the rod is connected to the base circuit. The
coil L2 acts as feed –back loop.
Magnetostriction Generator 11

• When High Tension (H.T) battery is switched on, the collector circuit oscillates with a
frequency,

• This alternating current flowing through the coil L1 produces an alternating magnetic
field along the length of the rod. The result is that the rod starts vibrating due to
magneto strictive effect.
Magnetostriction Generator 12

• The frequency of vibration of the rod is given by

• The capacitor C is adjusted so that the frequency of the oscillatory circuit is equal to natural
frequency of the rod and thus resonance takes plate.
• Now the rod vibrates longitudinally with maximum amplitude and generates ultrasonic waves of
high frequency from its ends.
Magnetostriction Generator 13

Advantage :
• The design of this oscillator is very simple and its production cost is low
• At low ultrasonic frequencies, the large power output can be produced without the risk
of damage of the oscillatory circuit.
Disadvantage :
• It has low upper frequency limit and cannot generate ultrasonic frequency above 3000
kHz (i.e. 3MHz).
• The frequency of oscillations depends on temperature.
• There will be losses of energy due to hysteresis and eddy current.
Piezo-electric generator or oscillator 14

• Principle : If mechanical pressure is

applied to one pair of opposite faces of
certain crystals like quartz, equal and
opposite electrical charges appear across
its other faces. This is called as
piezoelectric effect.
• If an electric field is applied to one pair of
faces, the corresponding changes in the
dimensions of the other pair of faces of
the crystal are produced. This is known as
inverse piezo electric effect or
electrostriction.
Piezo-electric generator or oscillator 15

• The quartz crystal is placed between two metal

plates A and B.
• The plates are connected to the primary (L3) of a
transformer which is inductively coupled to the
electronics oscillator.
• The electronic oscillator circuit is a base tuned
oscillator circuit.
• The coils L1 and L2 of oscillator circuit are taken
from the secondary of a transformer T.
• The collector coil L2 is inductively coupled to base
coil L1.
• The coil L1 and variable capacitor C1 form the
tank circuit of the oscillator.
Piezo-electric generator or oscillator 16

• When H.T. battery is switched on, the oscillator produces high frequency alternating
voltages with a frequency.

• Due to the transformer action, an oscillatory e.m.f. is induced in the coil L3. This high
frequency alternating voltages are fed on the plates A and B.
• Inverse piezo-electric effect takes place and the crystal contracts and expands
alternatively. The crystal is set into mechanical vibrations.
• The frequency of the vibration is given by
Piezo-electric generator or oscillator 17

Advantage :
• Ultrasonic frequencies as high as 5 x 108Hz or 500 MHz can be obtained with this
arrangement.
• The output of this oscillator is very high.
• It is not affected by temperature and humidity.
• Disadvantage :
• The cost of piezo electric quartz is very high
• The cutting and shaping of quartz crystal are very complex.
Application of Ultrasonics 18
Application of Ultrasonics 19

• Ultrasonic Object Detection in Driving

Assistance
• Many major auto manufacturers and technology
companies are testing fully autonomous, self-
driving vehicles. Nissan and GM even say they
will have self-driving cars on the road by 2020.
Both self-driving cars (as well as human-driven
vehicles that incorporate driver assistance
technology) use sensors extensively to monitor
road and surrounding conditions. For example,
ultrasonic sensors can detect cars in adjacent
lanes for “blind spot detection” and alert human
drivers if a car is in their blind spot.
Application of Ultrasonics 20

• Ultrasonic Distance Detection

• Similarly, ultrasonic sensors are also used in
collision prevention by detecting when cars or
other objects in front of and behind yours come
dangerously near. For example, when parking
your car, the sensors can monitor how close the
car comes to a wall or other vehicles and alert
you to stop. This works in traffic as well,
because these sensors function accurately even
when both objects are in motion.
Application of Ultrasonics 21

• Ultrasonic Diameter Detection

• Moving away from the roadway and into the factory,
ultrasonic sensors can help keep automated production
lines moving smoothly. Consider printing facilities,
such as those that print newspapers or magazine pages.
• The paper typically starts out in a roll; as the paper gets
used, the roll’s diameter diminishes. With ultrasonic
sensors, the facility can automatically detect when the
roll is about to run out, so they can be prepared to swap
it out for a fresh roll without losing productivity.
Ultrasonic sensors will even work with sound-
absorbing materials, like rubber or wadding.
Application of Ultrasonics 22

• Ultrasonic Sag Detection

• Ultrasonic sensors can also ensure that any conveyor
belts, wires, or cables that might be used in a
manufacturing or other industrial setting are positioned
as they should be.
• Cable sag can slow or stop production lines, and these
sensors can automatically detect if these objects are
running evenly, or even they need to be tightened.
• Ultrasonic sensors can function to an incredibly precise
degree, which means they can detect even minute flaws
or faults. Even better, particulates like dust that might
be produced during the manufacturing process won’t
affect their sensing ability.
Application of Ultrasonics 23

• Ultrasonic Level Detection

• Here’s another example of process automation, this
time in the food production industry. Hoffmann +
Krippner makes an ultrasonic sensor with a hygienic
design and fully encapsulated stainless steel that makes
it perform well even when working with food items.
• For example, it can help creameries produce cheese
continuously, rather than in batches, by monitoring milk
and rennet levels in a coagulator machine.
• That way, it knows when to supply more of these
ingredients as cheese curds are continuously removed at
the other end.
Flaw Detection 24
Flaw Detection 25

• Flaw detection is the process of identifying and sizing sub-surface defects in materials.
One of the most common techniques to identify defects is ultrasonic inspection where
sound waves, propagated through the material, are used to identify such anomalies.
• The high frequency sound behaves predictably when interacting with surfaces and
internal defects.
• Flaw detection can be applied in almost any industry from composites and metals used
in aerospace, to petrochemical oil and gas pipelines and storage tanks, to power
generation including nuclear power.
• The most common anomalies detected include cracks, voids and porosity in metals,
ceramics and plastics in addition to delamination and disbonds in composites.
Flaw Detection 26

• Advantages of ultrasonic testing include:

• Access is only required from one side for pulse-echo mode
• The depth of penetration is superior to other methods
• Highly accurate flaw sizing and shape
• Minimal part preparation is required
• Results are in real-time
• Modern portable flaw detectors interpret the distinctive sound echoes given off by the
anomalies. Imaging flaw detectors provide color and manual or automated scanning
ability to generate comprehensible, full-field, C-scan images of the material, reducing
inspection time dramatically.
Ultrasonic Degassing of Liquids 27

• Degassing liquids using membrane modules is

straightforward as illustrated in the figure
below.
• Liquid with dissolved gases is contained in a
reservoir, or a continuous feed is supplied
upstream from the membrane module.
• A pump may be placed in the circuit (upstream
or downstream from the membrane module) if
needed to provide a required flow rate through
the system. The simplest method to degas a
liquid is to use straight vacuum to remove all
dissolved gases from the liquid.
Ultrasonic Degassing of Liquids 28

• As shown in the figure below, liquid is supplied

to one side of the silicone membrane through
feed port of the membrane module.
• Vacuum provided from a vacuum pump is
applied to the opposite side of the membrane
through the permeate ports of the module. The
dissolved gases in the liquid will permeate
across the membrane toward the vacuum,
thereby effectively degassing the liquid.
• Extracted gases flow toward the vacuum pump
and the degassed liquid exits through the exit
port.
Ultrasonic Welding 29

• Ultrasonic welding is an industrial technique whereby high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally
applied to work pieces being held together under pressure to create a solid-state weld. It is commonly used for plastics,
and especially for joining dissimilar materials. In ultrasonic welding, there are no connective bolts, nails, soldering
materials, or adhesives necessary to bind the materials together.
• Component: All ultrasonic welding systems are composed of the same basic elements:
▪ A press to put the two parts to be assembled under pressure
▪ A nest or anvil where the parts are placed and allowing the high frequency vibration to be directed to the interfaces
▪ An ultrasonic stack composed of a converter or piezoelectric transducer, an optional booster and a sonotrode (US:
Horn). All three elements of the stack are specifically tuned to resonate at the same exact ultrasonic frequency
(Typically 20, 30, 35 or 40 kHz)
Ultrasonic Welding 30

• Ultrasonic welding is one of the most popular welding

techniques used the in-welding industry.
• It is fast, economical, easily automated, and well suited for
mass production, with production rates up to 60 parts per
minute being possible.
• Ultrasonic welding uses ultrasonic energy at high
frequencies (20–40 kHz) to produce low amplitude (1–25
μm) mechanical vibrations.
• The vibrations generate heat at the joint interface of the
parts being welded, resulting in melting of
the thermoplastic materials and weld formation after
cooling.
• Ultrasonic welding is the fastest known welding
technique, with weld times typically between 0.1 and 1.0
seconds.
Ultrasonic Welding 31

▪ Converter: Converts the electrical signal into a mechanical vibration

▪ Booster: Modifies the amplitude of the vibration. It is also used in standard systems to clamp the stack in the press.
▪ Sonotrode: Applies the mechanical vibration to the parts to be welded.
▪ An electronic ultrasonic generator (US: Power supply) delivering a high-power AC signal with frequency matching
the resonance frequency of the stack.
▪ A controller controlling the movement of the press and the delivery of the ultrasonic energy.
• In addition to welding, ultrasonic energy is commonly used for processes such as inserting metal parts into plastic or
reforming thermoplastic parts to mechanically fasten components made from dissimilar materials.
• Ultrasonic welding is used in almost all major industries like automotive, electronic and appliances, medical, packaging etc.
• A limitation of ultrasonic welding is that with current technology, large joints cannot be welded in a single operation.
• In addition, specifically designed joint details are required.
• Ultrasonic vibrations can also damage electrical components, although the use of higher frequency equipment can reduce
this damage. Also, depending on the parts to be welded, tooling costs for fixtures can be high.
Ultrasonic Welding 32

• Application of Ultrasonic Welding:

• The applications of ultrasonic welding are extensive and are found in many industries including electrical and
computer, automotive and aerospace, medical, and packaging.
• Whether two items can be ultrasonically welded is determined by their thickness. If they are too thick this process
will not join them.
• This is the main obstacle in the welding of metals. However, wires, microcircuit connections, sheet metal, foils,
ribbons and meshes are often joined using ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic welding is a very popular technique for
bonding thermoplastics.
• It is fast and easily automated with weld times often below one second and there is no ventilation system required to
remove heat or exhaust.
• This type of welding is often used to build assemblies that are too small, too complex, or too delicate for more
common welding techniques.
Open Discussion
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