The invention relates to an ultrasonic method for estimating a nonlinear shear wave elasticity of a medium, the method comprising the following steps: A1. a first collection step in which a first set comprising one shear wave elasticity data point of the medium is collected at a first level of deformation applied to the medium, A2. a second collection step in which a second set comprising one shear wave elasticity data point of the medium is collected at a second level of deformation applied to the medium different to the first level, A3. a deformation estimation step in which the difference of deformation between the first and the second level of deformation is estimated, B1. a calculation step in which a gradient between at least two data points respectively belonging to the first and the second set is calculated as a function of the difference of deformation between the first and the second level of deformation, B2. an elasticity estimation step in which the nonlinear shear wave elasticity of the medium is estimated as a function of the gradient.

A nondestructive method for a volumetric examination of a blade root of a turbine blade while the turbine blade is installed in a turbine shaft of a steam turbine includes attaching a bracket to the turbine blade, the bracket conforming to the geometry of the turbine blade, positioning an ultrasonic phased array probe within a slot formed in the bracket to enable the probe to translate along the geometry of the turbine blade to a desired position for generation of a scan of a portion of the blade root, generating a scan of the desired position by directing ultrasonic waves via the ultrasonic phased array probe, and capturing reflected ultrasonic waves by a receiver to generate the scan and comparing the scan to a reference scan of the blade root to determine defects within the blade root.

Non-destructive inspection systems (10) and methods for inspecting structural flaws that may be in a structure (15) based on guided wave thermography. The method may include sweeping a frequency-phase space to maximize ultrasonic energy distribution across the structure while minimizing input energy, e.g., via a plurality of actuators. The system may include transducer elements (12, 14, 16, 17) configured to predominantly generate shear horizontal-type guided waves in the structure to maximize thermal response from any flaws.

A lithium tantalate single crystal substrate for a surface acoustic wave device that is a rotated Y-cut LiTaO3 substrate whose crystal orientation has a Y-cut angle of not smaller than 36° and not larger than 49° and which has such a Li concentration profile after diffusion of Li into the substrate from the surface thereof that the Li concentration at the surface of the substrate differs from that inside the substrate. A shear vertical type elastic wave whose main components are vibrations in the thickness direction and in the propagation direction and which is among those elastic waves which propagate in the X axis direction within the surface of this LiTaO3 substrate has an acoustic velocity of not lower than 3140 m/s and not higher than 3200 m/s.

A light-acoustic system and method for detecting an anomaly in a structure are provided. The system includes a light source configured to emit an excitation light and at least one excitation element attached to a surface of a structure. The at least one excitation element includes a photostrictive material and is configured to receive the excitation light for generating an oscillating strain. The oscillating strain generates an acoustic wave in the structure. The system also includes a detector configured to detect the acoustic wave.

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for the characterization of a potential microtexture region (MTR) of a sample, component, or the like. The methods may include determining a threshold width of spatial correlation coefficient and/or a threshold spatial correlation coefficient slope for an actual MTR, characterizing a potential MTR as an actual MTR or a defect, characterizing an actual MTR as an acceptable MTR or not, and/or characterizing various components with potential MTRs as defective or not. The characterization may include calculating a width of spatial correlation coefficient and/or a spatial correlation coefficient slope of the potential MTR and comparing the width of spatial correlation coefficient to a threshold width of spatial correlation coefficient and/or comparing the spatial correlation coefficient slope to a threshold spatial correlation coefficient slope for the potential MTR to be characterized as an actual MTR or a defect (crack).

A solid mount resonator sensor has a substrate. An anti-reflector stack is disposed proximate the substrate. The anti-reflector stack includes one or more acoustic interference layers. A first electrode is disposed proximate the anti-reflector stack. A second electrode having a first surface facing towards the first electrode and an opposing second surface facing away from the first electrode. A substantially quarter-wave piezoelectric material layer is disposed between the first and second electrodes.

An electro-magnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) having an electromagnet array is provided. The electromagnet array includes electromagnets. Each electromagnet includes a magnetic core and a wound coil wrapped around the magnetic core. The electromagnet array generates bias magnetic fields having different patterns when the wound coils are energized differently. For instance, the electromagnet array generates a bias magnetic field having a given pattern, for the EMAT to transmit a first type of ultrasonic wave such as shear-horizontal wave, when the wound coils are energized in a given manner; and generates a bias magnetic field having a different pattern, for the EMAT to transmit a second type of ultrasonic wave such as a Lamb wave, when the wound coils are energized in a different manner.

A staggered magnet array (SMA) based electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) system and method for controlling the direction of the ultrasonic waves in the electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) using staggered magnet array (SMA) configurations, is disclosed herein. The EMAT device proposed herein comprises at least one conductive racetrack coil and at least two magnet arrays wherein the magnet array comprises of permanent magnets, where each magnet is oriented according to a specific configuration to produce ultrasonic waves in order to form an ultrasonic beam by shifting the position of the magnet arrays up or down creating a SMA configuration.

Methods of forming a shear-mode chemical/physical sensor for liquid environment sensing on V-shaped grooves of a [100] crystal orientation Si layer and the resulting devices are provided. Embodiments include forming a set of V-shaped grooves in a [100] Si layer over a substrate; forming an acoustic resonator over and along the V-shaped grooves, the acoustic resonator including a first metal layer, a thin-film piezoelectric layer, and a second metal layer in an IDT pattern or a sheet; and forming at least one functional layer along a slope of the acoustic resonator.