A model to predict the transient radiation from segmented annularapertures radiating into solid media

An approach to predict the compressional wave transient radiation in solid load media from elements and arrays comprised of segmented annular apertures is described. The model may also be applied to the simulation of the transient radiation from circular, rectangular, and annular apertures by suitable parameter manipulation. The approach is based on the method developed by Stepanishen to model propagation in a fluid medium. A suitable angular weighting factor, that of Miller and Pursey, is included to account for the multimode nature of solids, A number of experimental results, including single-element and phased array operation, obtained from a prototype segmented annular array system are presented. These results demonstrate good agreement when compared with those obtained from the theoretical model     

不等厚复合构件相控阵超声脱粘检测技术仿真研究

鉴于不等厚复合构件结构的特殊性,采用传统超声检测技术检测此类构件的粘接质量是非常困难的。采用超声相控阵技术实现界面粘接质量的检测。分析研究了不等厚复合构件脱粘检测的特殊性。建立了相控阵超声换能器的辐射声场模型,基于仿真得到的声场,研究了采用超声相控阵技术检测不等厚复合构件界面脱粘的可行性。仿真结果表明,通过控制相控延时,可使检测声束在检测区域内聚焦到任意位置处,保证在厚度变化的界面处回波信号幅度的一致性,可用于此类构件的界面脱粘检测。     

A cylindrical-section ultrasound phased-array applicator for hyperthermia cancer therapy

A phased-array applicator geometry for deep localized hyperthermia is presented. The array consists of rectangular transducer elements forming a section of a cylinder that conforms to the body portals in the abdominal and pelvic regions. Focusing and scanning properties of the cylindrical-section array are investigated in homogeneous lossy media using appropriate computer simulations. The characteristic focus of this array is shown to be spatially limited in both transverse and longitudinal directions with intensity gain values suitable for deep hyperthermia applications. The ability of the cylindrical-section phased array to generate multiple foci using the field conjugation method is examined. The effect of the grating lobes on the power deposition pattern of the scanned field is shown to be minimal. Steady-state temperature distributions are simulated using a three-dimensional thermal model of the normal tissue layers surrounding a tumor of typical volume. The advantages and the limitations of this array configuration are discussed.     

Synthetic phased arrays for intraluminal imaging of coronaryarteries

A 64-element, high efficiency, ceramic piezoelectric array transducer operating at 20 MHz has been constructed for ultrasonic intraluminal imaging. The array is mounted on the surface of a 1.2 mm diameter catheter appropriate for coronary artery applications. Integrated into the catheter tip is a custom analog chip set permitting complete data capture from the array. That is, on each firing any combination of array elements can be selected independently as transmitter or receiver. Using data acquired in this way, a complete phased array aperture (i.e., independent transmit and receive apertures) can be synthesized. Reconstruction hardware based on a custom application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) has been designed and built to produce real-time images. Beam forming coefficients are derived using an optimal filtering approach accounting for the circular geometry of the array. Simulated and measured beam patterns for this system are compared. In addition, images of coronary anatomy acquired with the real-time system are displayed demonstrating the marked image quality improvement compared to previous synthetic aperture intraluminal systems     

A new algorithm to calculate the transient near-field of ultrasonic phased arrays

An algorithm valid for an accurate calculation of the near-field in the scanning plane of ultrasonic phased arrays is presented. Using the classical time-domain impulse response approach, a simple analytical expression for the impulse response at points lying in the central plane of a narrow rectangular aperture is decided. An expression for the array impulse response is then obtained by superposition. The proposed solution is useful for an efficient computation of transient and continuous wave (CW) pressure fields without requiring any far-field or paraxial approximations. Moreover, the convolution-impulse response approach applied to phased arrays constitutes an important tool for the analysis of array fields. Some numerical examples are presented, in which the advantages of using the array impulse response in the field analysis are shown. Several aspects of array fields not currently described in literature are included in the examples.     

频率-波数域的薄铝板缺陷检测研究

文章将频率-波数域成像算法应用于薄铝板内圆形穿孔缺陷的检测。采用PZFlex软件建立多阵元线性阵列仿真模型,在薄铝板内激发出Lamb波,模拟超声相控阵全矩阵捕获功能。实验中使用M2M公司的超声相控阵仪器对带有通孔缺陷的薄铝板进行全矩阵捕获。基于全矩阵数据完成自发自收模式下的频率-波数法损伤重建,对全矩阵数据进行三维傅里叶变换,利用所有阵列的全部信息完成损伤重建。实验结果表明:频率-波数域成像法能够精确地表征出圆孔损伤的大小和形状,对单缺陷及不同大小、距离的双缺陷均具有良好的检测效果。相对于全聚焦成像法,频率-波数域成像法具有更高的分辨率。     

Trans-skull ultrasound therapy: the feasibility of using image-derived skull thickness information to correct the phase distortion

Recent papers have shown that focused ultrasound therapy may be feasible in the brain through an intact human skull by using phased arrays to correct the phase distortion induced by the skull bone. The hypothesis of this study is that the required phase shifts for the phased array can be calculated from the skull shape and thickness provided by modern imaging techniques. The shape and thickness of a piece of human skull was traced from the serial images and used in a theoretical model to calculate the phase distribution for a phased array. A 76-element phased array was manufactured and used in the tests. The piece of skull and the transducer array were positioned in a waterbath, and the ultrasound field distributions were mapped with and without the phase correction. The image-derived phase correction produced a sharp focus through the skull. These results showed that ultrasound brain therapy may be executed completely noninvasively through an intact skull by using a phased array and the skull thickness information derived from MRI scans.     

无参考Lamb波相控阵结构损伤监测成像方法

超声相控阵结构健康监测中通过计算差信号获取损伤散射信号的方法易受环境和结构变化的影响,针对这一问题,提出无参考信号的相控阵结构健康监测成像定位方法。采用窗函数截取散射信号,剔除直达波和边界反射信号。基于相控阵方法,对结构损伤状态时的传感器响应信号进行处理,无需结构健康状态时传感信号作为参考。该方法在碳纤维复合材料板结构上的实验研究证明,采用无参考信号的超声相控阵方法能够精确实时地监测并清晰表征结构损伤;同时,该方法可以大大缩短监测时间,且不受环境条件变化的影响,为该方法的工程化应用奠定基础。     

Spatial impulse response method for predicting pulse-echo fields from a linear array with cylindrically concave surface

This paper is intended to apply the spatial impulse response method (SIRM) to predict the pulsed-echo fields radiated by a linear array with a cylindrically concave surface. To this end, an approach to computing the spatial impulse response (SIR) of a cylindrically curved, rectangular aperture is proposed. The approach obtains the SIR by applying coordinate transform and then superposing the SIRs of a row of narrow strips into which the aperture is divided in one direction (in which the aperture is curved). The strips are so narrow that they can be considered planar, rectangular apertures whose exact SIRs are available in analytic form. In a special case where the field points are on the center axis of the cylindrical curve, the analytic form of the SIR of the curved, rectangular aperture is found. The SIR of a linear array with a cylindrically concave surface is then obtained using the approach. The pulsed-echo fields from the array (i.e., those radiated by the array, diffracted by a point-like scatterer, and received by the same array) are further simulated and have been measured using a point-like scatterer. The simulated and the measured results are compared, and the comparison shows that the simulated and the measured results are in very good agreement.     

提高阿基米德螺旋相控阵换能器焦点声压的仿真研究

针对阿基米德螺旋相控阵换能器焦点声压不足的问题,通过有限元仿真,分别讨论了换能器阵元形状和频率改变与声场的变化关系,从焦点声压、偏转范围、栅瓣水平、焦域大小等方面进行了研究。结果表明,相同频率下,扇形阵元阿基米德螺旋相控阵换能器的焦点声压比圆形阵元时的焦点声压提高了32.28%,偏转范围为20 mm×20 mm×40 mm;在扇形阵元形状的情况下,频率选择0.9~1.0 MHz,不仅能获得较高的焦点声压,同时还能保证改善聚焦性能。文章的仿真结果为阿基米德螺旋相控阵换能器提高焦点声压,满足深部组织消融治疗需要的高功率要求提供了有用的设计参考。     

Metric tensor approach to surveillance analysis of phased array radar

The author shows that the metric tensor gab is sufficient to accurately derive some of the most important system surveillance characteristics of static and rotating phased array radars. The author presents a novel and generalised method using metric spaces on Riemann manifolds as a viable approach for investigating phased array radar system design characteristics that is mathematically tractable and avoids complex iterative and non-analytic procedures.     

Omni-directional guided wave transducer arrays for the rapid inspection of large areas of plate structures

Omni-directional guided wave array transducers contain a circular pattern of elements that individually behave as omni-directional point transmitters or receivers. The data set acquired from such an array contains time-domain signals from each permutation of transmitter and receiver. A phased addition algorithm is developed that allows an omni-directional, B-scan image of the surrounding plate to be synthesized from any geometry of array. Numerically simulated data from a single reflector is used to test the performance of the algorithm. The results from an array containing a fully populated circular area of elements (Type I array) are found to be good, but those from an array containing a single ring of elements (Type II array) contain many large side-lobes. An enhancement to the basic phased addition algorithm is presented that uses deconvolution to suppress these side-lobes. The deconvolution algorithm enables a Type II array to equal the performance of a Type I array of the same overall diameter. The effect of diameter on angular resolution is investigated. Experimental data obtained from a guided wave array containing electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) elements for exciting and detecting the S/sub 0/ Lamb wave mode in a 5-mm thick aluminium plate are processed with both algorithms and the results are discussed.     

相控阵超声绝对声时法测量底面开口裂纹

针对工件内表面开口裂纹单面单侧定量检测困难的问题,采用相控阵超声绝对声时法(Absolute Arrival Time Technique,AATT)从单面单侧对不同厚度试块中的底面人工开口裂纹自身高度测量进行了数值仿真和实验,并对焊缝中的自然裂纹进行了AATT测量。对比AATT测量结果与常规衍射时差法超声检测(Time of Flight Diffraction,TOFD)测量结果并分析,发现AATT从单面单侧对底面开口裂纹进行定量测量可以达到与常规TOFD同样的测量精度。AATT操作简便,可单面单侧定量测量2 mm以上底面开口裂纹的自身高度。     

Focused beam control for ultrasound surgery with spherical-section phased array: sound field calculation and genetic optimization algorithm

This study aims at a sound field calculation for the spherical-section phased array and an optimization algorithm for the focus patterns of phased array ultrasound surgery. An efficient field calculation formula represented as an explicit expression is derived by the strategies of projection and binomial expansion. An optimization algorithm based on genetic algorithm is constructed by the suitable fitness function and the selection strategies. The simulation results of 256-element spherical-section phased array show the capability of controlling focus accurately and effectively with the combined method made up of the explicit expression method and the genetic optimization algorithm. The simulation results of single focus, multiple foci, on-axial focus, and off-axial focus further convince the feasibility of three-dimensional (3-D) focus steering with excellent acoustic performances. A single focus with the focus dimension of 1.25 mm x 1.25 mm x 7 mm and with the intensity of 6080 W/cm2 is formed. The multiple-focus pattern can enlarge the treatment volume 22 times larger than that of single focus with a sonication. In addition, a comparison between the explicit expression approach and the point source approach testifies to the applicability of the explicit expression approach. The experiment and simulation results of 16-element array actually confirm the feasibility of the combined method.     

Ultrasound therapy transducers with space-filling non-periodic arrays

Ultrasound transducers designed for therapeutic purposes such as tissue ablation, histotripsy, or drug delivery require large apertures for adequate spatial localization while providing sufficient power and steerability without the presence of secondary grating lobes. In addition, it is highly preferred to minimize the total number of channels and to maintain simplicity in electrical matching network design. To this end, we propose array designs that are both space-filling and non-periodic in the placement of the elements. Such array designs can be generated using the mathematical concept of non-periodic or aperiodic tiling (tessellation) and can lead to reduced grating lobes while maintaining full surface area coverage to deliver maximum power. For illustration, we designed two 2-D space-filling therapeutic arrays with 128 elements arranged on a spherical shell. One was based on the two-shape Penrose rhombus tiling, and the other was based on a single rectangular shape arranged non-periodically. The steerability performance of these arrays was studied using acoustic field simulations. For comparison, we also studied two other arrays, one with circular elements distributed randomly, and the other a periodic array with square elements. Results showed that the two space-filling non-periodic arrays were able to steer to treat a volume of 16 x 16 x 20 mm while ensuring that the grating lobes were under -10 dB compared with the main lobe. The rectangular non-periodic array was able to generate two and half times higher power than the random circles array. The rectangular array was then fabricated by patterning the array using laser scribing methods and its steerability performance was validated using hydrophone measurements. This work demonstrates that the concept of space-filling aperiodic/non-periodic tiling can be used to generate therapy arrays that are able to provide higher power for the same total transducer area compared with random arrays while maintaining acceptable grating lobe levels.     

Blocked element compensation in phased array imaging

In clinical applications using large apertures, a significant number of phased array elements may be blocked due to discontinuous acoustic windows into the body. These blocked elements produce undesired beamforming artifacts, degrading spatial and contrast resolution. To minimize these artifacts, an algorithm using multiple receive beams and the total-least-squares method is proposed. Simulations and experimental results show that this algorithm can effectively reduce imperfections in the point spread function of the imager. Combined with first-and second-order scatterer statistics derived from multiple receive beams, the algorithm is modified for blocked element compensation on distributed scattering sources. Results also indicate that compensated images are comparable to full array images, and that even full array images can be improved by removing undesired sidelobe contributions. This method, therefore, can enhance detection of low contrast lesions using large phased-array apertures.     

Slip flow and heat transfer in rectangular and circular microchannels using hybrid FE/FV method

Rarefied gas flows typically encountered in MEMS systems are numerically investigated in this study. Fluid flow and heat transfer in rectangular and circular microchannels within the slip flow regime are studied in detail by our recently developed implicit, incompressible, hybrid (finite element/finite volume) flow solver. The hybrid flow solver methodology is based on the pressure correction or projection method, which involves a fractional step approach to obtain an intermediate velocity field by solving the original momentum equations with the matrix‐free, implicit, cell‐centered finite volume method. The Poisson equation resulting from the fractional step approach is then solved by node based Galerkin finite element method for an auxiliary variable, which is closely related to pressure and is used to update the velocity field and pressure field. The hybrid flow solver has been extended for applications in MEMS by incorporating first order slip flow boundary conditions. Extended inlet boundary conditions are used for rectangular microchannels, whereas classical inlet boundary conditions are used for circular microchannels to emphasize on the entrance region singularity. In this study, rarefaction effects characterized by Knudsen number (Kn) in the range of 0 ⩽ Kn ⩽ 0.1 are numerically investigated for rectangular and circular microchannels with constant wall temperature. Extensive validations of our hybrid code are performed with available analytical solutions and experimental data for fully developed velocity profiles, friction factors, and Nusselt numbers. The influence of rarefaction on rectangular microchannels with aspect ratios between 0 and 1 is thoroughly investigated. Friction coefficients are found to be decreasing with increasing Knudsen number for both rectangular and circular microchannels. The reduction in the friction coefficients is more pronounced for rectangular microchannels with smaller aspect ratios. Effects of rarefaction and gas‐wall surface interaction parameter on heat transfer are analyzed for rectangular and circular microchannels. For most engineering applications, heat transfer is decreased with rarefaction. However, for fluids with very large Prandtl numbers, velocity slip dominates the temperature jump resulting in an increase in heat transfer with rarefaction. Depending on the gas‐wall surface interaction properties, extreme reductions in the Nusselt number can occur. Present results confirm the existence of a transition point below and above wherein heat transfer enhancement and reduction can occur. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sparse random ultrasound phased array for focal surgery

Ultrasound phased arrays offer several advantages over single focused transducer technology, enabling electronically programmable synthesis of focal size and shape, as well as position. While phased arrays have been employed for medical diagnostic and therapeutic (hyperthermia) applications, there remain fundamental problems associated with their use for surgery. These problems stem largely from the small size of each array element dictated by the wavelength employed at surgical application frequencies (2-4 MHz), the array aperture size required for the desired focal characteristics, and the number of array elements and electronic drive channels required to provide RF energy to the entire array. The present work involves the theoretical and experimental examination of novel ultrasound phased arrays consisting of array elements larger than one wavelength, minimizing the number of elements in an aperture through a combination of geometric focusing, directive beams, and sparse random placement of array elements, for tissue ablation applications. A hexagonally packed array consisting of 108 8-mm-diameter circular elements mounted on a spherical shell was modeled theoretically and a prototype array was constructed to examine the feasibility of sparse random array configurations for focal surgery. A randomly selected subset of elements of the prototype test array (64 of 108 available channels) was driven at 2.1 MHz with a 64-channel digitally controlled RF drive system. The performance of the prototype array was evaluated by comparing field data obtained from theoretical modeling to that obtained experimentally via hydrophone scanning. The results of that comparison, along with total acoustic power measurements, suggest that the use of sparse random phased arrays for focal surgery is feasible, and that the nature of array packing is an important determinant to observed performance     

Effects of Broadband Laser Generated Ultrasound on Array Gain

Array gain is a common parameter used in laser phased array research. This paper will present a new parameter called the frequency modulation of laser phased array (FMLPA). The array gain model for laser phased arrays was derived using an assumption that ultrasound from each array member interferes with each other. This would be always true if laser generated ultrasound is narrow band. However, laser generation of ultrasound is broad band. Broad band ultrasound signals have short duration in the time domain. If the time delay between generated wave fronts from each array member is longer than the duration of the broad band ultrasound signal from each array member, the ultrasound signals from each array member will not interfere with each other. The time delay between generated wave fronts from each array member is 0 s at a laser phased array’s beam steering angle and increases away from the beam steering angle. Therefore, ultrasound from each array member always interfere at angles close to the beam steering angle. However, ultrasound from each array member may not interfere at angles away from the beam steering angle depending on the time delay between generated wave fronts and duration of the broad band ultrasound signal. A theoretical model of the FMLPA was developed and experimentally verified for use when ultrasound from each array member does not interfere with each other. It was experimentally verified that current array gain equations still apply when ultrasound from array members interfere with each other. The FMLPA can be used to create new techniques for measuring weld penetration depth, crack location, and dimensions of objects.