Mechanical Vibration Acoustics Mechanics

Absorption of ultrasonic in air 1.5.14-00

What you can learn about

 Longitudinal waves
 Plane waves
 Spherical waves
 Propagation of sound waves
 Sound pressure
 Alternating sound pressure
 Sound intensity
 Absorption coefficient of
ultrasonic waves
 Law of absorption

Principle:
Sound needs a material medium with
which it can enter into reciprocal ac-
tion for its propagation, whereby a
loss of energy occurs. The amplitude,
and so also the intensity, decreases
along the propagation path.

What you need:

Ultrasonic unit 13900.00 1
Power supply f. ultrasonic unit, 5 VDC, 12 W 13900.99 1
Ultrasonic transmitter on stem 13901.00 1
Ultrasonic receiver on stem 13902.00 1
Digital multimeter 07134.00 1
Optical profile-bench, l = 150 cm 08281.00 1
Base f. opt. profile-bench, adjust. 08284.00 2
Slide mount f. opt. profile-bench, h = 80 mm 08286.02 2
Connecting cord, l = 50 cm, red 07361.01 1
Connecting cord, l = 50 cm, blue 07361.04 1

Complete Equipment Set, Manual on CD-ROM included

Absorption of ultrasonic in air P2151400

The change in sound pressure intensity as a function of the distance from the
source of sound.

Tasks:
1. Move an ultrasonic receiver along
the direction of propagation of a
sound wave to measure the sound
intensity as a function of the dis-
tance from the source of the
sound.
2. Plot linear and logarithmic graphs
of the values of the sound intensi-
ty as a function of the distance.
3. Confirm the law of absorption and
determine the absorption coeffi-
cient.
4. Verify that the emitted wave is a
spherical wave near to the trans-
mitter.

PHYWE Systeme GmbH & Co. KG D - 37070 Gttingen Laboratory Experiments Physics 71
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Absorption of ultrasonic in air 1.5.14
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Related topics Tasks

Longitudinal waves, plane waves, spherical waves, propaga- 1. Move an ultrasonic receiver along the direction of propaga-
tion of sound waves, sound pressure, alternating sound pres- tion of a sound wave to measure the sound intensity as a
sure, sound intensity, absorption coefficient of ultrasonic function of the distance from the source of the sound.
waves, law of absorption. 2. Plot linear and logarithmic graphs of the values of the
sound intensity as a function of the distance.
3. Confirm the law of absorption and determine the absorption
Principle coefficient.
4. Verify that the emitted wave is a spherical wave near to the
Sound needs a material medium with which it can enter into
transmitter.
reciprocal action for its propagation, whereby a loss of energy
occurs. The amplitude, and so also the intensity, decreases
along the propagation path. Set-up and procedure
Set up the experiment as shown in Fig. 1. Adjust the transmit-
ter and the receiver to be at the same height on the optical
bench, with their longitudinal axes coincident. Connect the
Equipment transmitter, positioned at the head end of the optical bench, to
Ultrasonic unit 13900.00 1 the TR1 diode socket of the ultrasonic unit and operate it in
Power supply f. ultrasonic unit, 5 VDC, 12 W 13900.99 1 continuous mode Con. Connect the receiver to the left BNC
Ultrasonic transmitter on stem 13901.00 1 socket (prior to the amplifier). Connect the signal received to
Ultrasonic receiver on stem 13902.00 1 the analog output of the digital multimeter to have it displayed
Digital multimeter 07134.00 1 subsequent to amplification and rectification. To ensure pro-
Optical profile-bench, l = 150 cm 08281.00 1 portionality between the input signal and the analog output
Base f. opt. profile-bench, adjust. 08284.00 2 signal, avoid operating the amplifier in the saturation range.
Slide mount f. opt. profile-bench, h = 80 mm 08286.02 2 Should such a case occur and the OVL diode light up,
Connecting cord, l = 50 cm, red 07361.01 1 reduce either the transmitter amplitude or the input amplifica-
Connecting cord, l = 50 cm, blue 07361.04 1 tion.

Fig.1: Experimental set-up

PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen 21514-00 1
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1.5.14 Absorption of ultrasonic in air
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It is purposeful to carry out two series of measurements. In the
first of these, in which the absorption of the ultrasonic wave in
air is to be examined (far field measurement), start measure-
ment with a distance x between the transmitter and receiver
of x
40 cm, then increase this in steps of (5-10) cm. In the
second series, to examine for spherical wave characteristics
of the emitted wave (near field measurement), start measure-
ment with a distance of x
10 cm between transmitter and
receiver, then increase this in 2 cm steps up to 40 cm.
Adjust the signal received to a maximum of 3.3-3.4 V at the
start of each measurement series.
Note:
The experimental results can be influenced by reflected
sound. Such interference can be avoided to a great extent by
installing the experimental set-up as far as possible away from
walls and cupboards. Reflections from the working surface on
which the set-up stands are particularly troublesome. They
can be reduced by laying sound-absorbing material, such as
sheets of foam or a cloth (woollen blanket), over the optical
bench between the emitter and the receiver. Further to this,
the person carrying out the experiment should not stand too
close to the measurement area when taking readings.
Theory and evaluation
Longitudinal sound waves require a medium for their propa-
gation, in contrast to transverse electromagnetic waves which
can also propagate in a vacuum.
Fig.2: Logarmithic representation of the receiver voltage U as
a function of the distance x from the source of sound.
2 21514-00 PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics
Should a loudspeaker diaphragm, for example, vibrate with
the frequency f, then the particles in the air in front of it will be
excited to vibrate with the same frequency. This periodic par-
ticle displacement will cause the density of the air, and so the
air pressure, to be periodically changed at this point (alternat-
ing sound pressure). The displaced particles will pass part of
their momentum onto their neighbouring particles, and they
will similarly excite their neighbouring particles. All particles
will vibrate about their fixed positions, while the momentum
moves on as a so-called sound wave. Further transmittance of
the momentum does not occur without loss, on the contrary,
the greater the distance from the source, the weaker the alter-
nating sound pressure becomes. This is caused by internal
friction in air and temperature equalization between positions
of compression (higher temperature) and rarefaction (lower
temperature).
With plane sound waves, the law of absorption is valid for the
weakening of the alternating sound pressure p:
p1x2
p102e ax (1)
Where p(0) is the initial amplitude of the alternating sound
pressure, p(x) is the amplitude at a distance x, and a is the
absorption coefficient, which only has a fixed value under
constant conditions and is dependent on the frequency, the
temperature, the degrees of freedom of the atoms/molecules
of the gas and their relative humidity. As I r p2 is true for the
sound intensity, it follows that the weakening of the sound
intensity is given by:
I1x2
I102e 2ax (2)
When the wave emitted by the source of sound is a spherical
wave, and not a plane wave, and when the sound energy is
radiated over the whole solid angle, then the energy would be
evenly distributed over a spherical area that is proportional to
x2. The sound intensity I acting on a unit of area therefore
changes by 1/x2.
In this experiment, however, only the alternating sound pres-
sure and not the sound intensity is measured. This is propor-
tional to the square of the alternating sound pressure (I r p2).
A progressive decrease in the sound pressure of 1/x- is there-
fore to be expected.
At larger distances, spherical waves can be assumed to
approximate plane waves.
Fig. 2 shows a semi-logarithmic representation of the receiver
voltage U as a function of the distance x between the trans-
mitter and receiver. It can be seen that in the region of the far
field (x > 0.7 m), with a satisfactory accuracy and under the
given experimental conditions (f = 40 kHz; T = 20C and 50%
relative humidity), the measured values lie on a straight line of
slope:
ln U1  ln U2
a

1.3 m 1 (3)
x2  x1
With a = 1.3 m-1 it follows from equations (1) and (2), after a
distance of 1 m, that:
p/p0 = 0.273 or I/I0 = 0.0743.
PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen
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Absorption of ultrasonic in air 1.5.14
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On conversion to the decibel units that are technically com-

mon, then the weakening L is:

p I
L
20 lg
10
 11.3 dB>m (4)
p0 I0

It can also be seen from Fig. 2 that for distances x < 0.7 m
(near field), the decrease in the intensity cannot be explained
by absorption in air alone.
When it is assumed that spherical waves emanate from the
source of sound, and the air absorption over these short dis-
tances is disregarded, then the intensity must be subject to a
reduction of 1/x (see above). As is to be seen in Fig. 3, this is
the case. Near to the source, the spherical sound propagation
is mainly responsible for the decrease in intensity. It is not until
it has travelled a longer distance that the spherical waves can
be approximately represented by a plane wave, and the weak-
ening can be almost exclusively attributed to the absorption
behaviour of the air.

Fig.3: The receiver voltage U as a function of the reciprocal of

the distance from the source of sound 1/x.

PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen 21514-00 3
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1.5.14 Absorption of ultrasonic in air
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4 21514-00 PHYWE series of publications Laboratory Experiments Physics PHYWE SYSTEME GMBH & Co. KG D-37070 Gttingen