Bistatic scattering of an elastic object using the structural admittance and noise-based holographic measurements.

This paper presents a method to calculate the bistatic response of an elastic object immersed in a fluid using its structural Green's function (in vacuo structural admittance matrix), calculated by placing the object in a spatially random noise field in air. The field separation technique and equivalent source method are used to reconstruct pressure and velocity fields at the object's surface from pressure measurements recorded on two conformal holographic surfaces surrounding the object. Accurate reconstruction of the surface velocity requires subtraction of the rigid body response computed using a finite element approach. The velocity and pressure fields on the surface lead to the extraction of the in vacuo structural admittance matrix of the elastic object, which is manipulated to yield the farfield bistatic response for a fluid-loaded target for several angles of incidence. This method allows the computation of the scattering properties of an elastic object using exclusive information calculated on its surface (no knowledge of the internal structure required). A numerical experiment involving a cylindrical shell with hemispherical caps is presented, and its bistatic response in water shows excellent agreement with a finite element solution.

Weld inspection by focused adjoint method.

This paper reports a methodology for the non-destructive ultrasonic evaluation of welds, based on probing, residue back-focusing and topological energy calculation using an enhanced (focused) adjoint method. The proposed method combines the advantages of time reversal to compensate for the cumulative distorsions experienced by a wave propagating in a heterogeneous medium, and topological imaging to highlight the defect location. The synergistic effect of this combined approach makes it possible to detect anomalies in the most efficient way. The method paves the way towards a matched-insonification imaging of anomalies in anisotropic media.

Experimental estimation of in vacuo structural admittance using random sources in a non-anechoic room.

Identification of unexploded ordinance buried in the sediment in the littoral waters throughout the world is a problem of great concern. When illuminated by low-frequency sonar some of these targets exhibit an elastic response that can be used to identify them. This elastic behavior is embodied and identified by a quantity called the in vacuo structural admittance matrix Ys, a relationship between the sonar-induced forces and resulting vibration on its surface. When it is known it can be combined with surface impedances to predict the three-dimensional bistatic scattering in any fluid-like media and for any burial state (depth and orientation). At the heart of this is the measurement of Ys and it is demonstrated in this paper that this can be accomplished by studying the target in a simple (acoustically unaltered) in-air laboratory environment. The target chosen in this study is a thick spherical shell that was illuminated by a nearly spatially isotropic array of remote loudspeakers. Ys is constructed from ensemble averages of the cross-correlations of eight collocated accelerometers and microphones placed on the surface of the object. The structural admittance determined from the data showed excellent agreement with theory.

Topological imaging in bounded elastic media.

Detecting, imaging and sizing defects in a bounded elastic medium is still a difficult task, especially when access is complex. Adjoint methods simplify the task as they take advantage of prior information such as the geometry and material properties. However, they still reveal a number of important limitations. Artifacts observed on the conventional topological energy image result from wave interactions with the boundaries of the inspected medium. The paper describes a method for addressing these artifacts, which involves forward and adjoint fields specified in terms of the boundary conditions. Modified topological energies are then defined according to the type of analyzed flaw (open slit or inclusion). Comparison of the numerical results with the experimental data confirms the relevance of the approach.

Target localization through a data-based sensitivity kernel: a perturbation approach applied to a multistatic configuration.

A method to isolate the forward scattered field from the incident field on an object in a complex environment is developed for the purpose of localization. The method is based on a finite-frequency perturbation approach, through the measurement of a data-based sensitivity kernel. Experimental confirmation of the method is obtained using a cylindrical tank and an aggregate of ping-pong balls as targets surrounded by acoustic sources and receivers in a multistatic configuration. The spatial structure of the sensitivity kernel is constructed from field data for the target at a sparse set of positions, and compared with the expected theoretical structure. The localization of one or a few targets is demonstrated using the direct-path only. The experimental observations also show that the method benefits from including later arrivals from the tank wall and the bottom/surface reverberation, which indeed enhance the localization.

Prediction of a body's structural impedance and scattering properties using correlation of random noise.

This paper derives a method to estimate the structural or surface impedance matrix (or equivalently the inverse of the structural Green's function) for an elastic body by placing it in an encompassing and spatially random noise field and cross-correlating pressure and normal velocity measurements taken on its surface. A numerical experiment is presented that utilizes a cross-correlation method to determine the structural impedance matrix for an infinite cylindrical shell excited by a spatially random noise field. It is shown that the correlation method produces the exact analytic form of the structural impedance matrix. Furthermore, using standard impedance formulations of the scattered and incident pressure fields at the object surface that are based on the equivalent source method and using this estimated structural impedance, a prediction of the scattered acoustic field at any position outside of the object can be made for any given incident field. An example is presented for a point (line) source near a cylindrical shell and when compared with the analytical result, excellent agreement is found between the scattered fields at a radius close to the shell.

Termites assess wood size by using vibration signals.

Contrary to the common perception that termites are indiscriminant eaters, termites choose their food carefully; however, the methods by which they choose food are not well understood. Using choice experiments and recordings of termites feeding on wooden blocks of different sizes, we show that worker drywood termites (Cryptotermes domesticus) use the resonant frequency of a block of wood to assess its size. Drywood termites showed differences in their response to vibration recordings of termites compared with artificially generated signals, suggesting that they can discriminate the source of vibration. Furthermore, fewer workers matured into neotenic reproductives when recorded termite signals were played, suggesting that vibration signals play an important role in termite communication.