Ultrasonic waves can be used to transfer power and data to low power electronic devices placed in inaccessible locations such as the human body, deep in the ocean, or in metallic enclosures. The upstream communication from the device can be transmitted using a minimal power by modulating the impedance of a piezoelectric transducer to switch between absorbing incident ultrasonic waves and completely reflecting it. The absorbed ultrasonic power in this configuration is supplied to an energy harvesting circuit for powering the device. Piezoelectric transducers are commonly optimized either for power applications only (narrow bandwidth and high sensitivity) or data applications only (broadband and low sensitivity). This work explores piezoelectric transducer design for simultaneous power and data transfer using acoustic and electrical impedance matching. A broadband transducer is designed to receive uninterrupted ultrasonic power at 1.3 MHz while transmitting upstream data at a different frequency band with a bandwidth of 300 kHz. The factors affecting power/signal reflection due to impedance mismatch are analyzed analytically, and an approach for simultaneous acoustic and electrical impedance matching is introduced to maximize the bandwidth and sensitivity. Several air-backed underwater transducers with different matching layers are fabricated, and their electrical and acoustic reflection as well as their electrical impedance are experimentally measured and compared to analytical predictions. A circuit for maximizing the bandwidth and sensitivity of the transducer for data transfer is then tested experimentally. Another circuit for achieving uninterrupted simultaneous power and data transfer using a single transducer is also implemented and tested.
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic components allows for the fabrication of functional metallic components with complex geometries. During AM, unexpected variations in the process parameters may lead to microscale defects which compromise the product functionality. We investigate the use of phased array and guided wave ultrasonic testing as cost-effective and safe quality assurance techniques to detect typical defects generated in selective laser melting (SLM) components. In a typical SLM process, a powdered material is deposited layer by layer then fused together using a laser source to create the desired part geometry. A variation in the laser power or speed can lead to lack-of-fusion or gas porosity defects which might not be detectable during manufacturing. In this work, typical defects are generated in SLM components with thick and thin geometries by deliberately reducing the laser power below the normal values at prespecified locations of the AM samples. The density and shape of the generated defects are first identified using X-ray computed tomography and optical microscopy. A phased array ultrasonic testing probe is then used for imaging pin shaped defects in thick rectangular components. The defect images are also compared to that obtained from numerical simulations using the finite element method. Partially fused defects down to 0.25 mm diameter are detected using this approach. Additionally, a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer is used to image guided waves generated by piezoelectric transducers bonded to thin SLM components. The guided waves are used to detect powder filled cylindrical defects down to 1 mm in size.
KEYWORDS: Transducers, Acoustics, Finite element methods, Receivers, Scattering, Systems modeling, Rayleigh scattering, Reflection, Wireless energy transfer
Piezoelectric transduction has lately been employed in wireless acoustic power transfer (APT) for powering electronic components that cannot be accessed easily, such as deep-implanted medical devices. Typically, the axial (or thickness) vibration mode of piezoelectric materials is used to generate acoustic waves that propagate through a medium, which are then converted back into electricity and delivered to an electrical load at the receiver end. The piezoelectric receiver can have various aspect ratios (length/diameter) in a given APT application. This work aims to develop and compare various models, such as the classical theory, Rayleigh’s theory, and Bishop’s theory, as well as finite-element model simulations, for different aspect ratios with an emphasis on those with comparable dimensions. Following analytical modeling and numerical simulation efforts, both in air and fluid loaded impedance frequency response functions are compared to report the valid aspect ratio ranges of the respective theories and their limitations, along with comparisons against experiments.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.