Ultrasound and Elastic Waves: Frequently Asked Questions

Ultrasound has found an increasing number of applications in recent years due to greatly increased computing power. Ultrasound devices are often preferred over other devices because of their lower cost, portability, and non-invasive nature. Patients using ultrasound can avoid the dangers of radiological imaging devices such as x-rays, CT scans, and radioactive media injections. Ultrasound is also a preferred and practical method of detecting material fatique and defects in metals, composites, semiconductors, wood, etc.

Detailed appendices contain useful formulas and their derivations, technical details of relevant theoriesThe FAQ format is used where a concept in one answer leads to a new Q

1. Introduction
2. Definitions and Background
3. Wave Propagation Concepts
4. Wave Interactions
5. Hardware: Equipment Concepts
6. Software: Data Processing
App. 1 Stress, Strain, and Elasticity (Also Vectors and Tensors)
App. 2 The Generalized Hooke's Law
App. 3 States of Stress or Strain in Waves
App. 4 Balance of Forces and Newton's Law of Inertia
App. 5 Theory of Wave Propagation
App. 6 Solutions to the Wave Equations
App. 7 Dispersion, Group Velocity
App. 8 Transducer Beam Forming
App. 9 Solutions for Anisotropy
App. 10 Oblique Interactions between Waves and Boundaries
App. 11 Lateral Stress and Strain in Rods under Axial Loads
App. 12 Bending Waves in Beams and Plates
App. 13 Time-Domain Analysis