C6: Attenuation Flashcards
Define attenuation
weakening of sound as it travels
1 Bel = how many decibels (dB)
10
how many dB is 100% power in US
0dB
what is the formula for dB?
dB = 10log (new Intensity/original Intensity)
can the dB formula also be used to calculate power and voltage?
yes… substitute intensity in the original formula for power or voltage
how does a 3 dB drop effect intensity?
a drop of 3 dB will half the original intensity
how does a 10 dB drop effect intensity?
a drop of 10 dB is 0.1 of the original intensity
definition of attenuation coefficient
the amount of attenuation that occurs with each one centimetre travelled
how many dB of attenuation occurs in soft tissue for every 1 cm travelled per 1 MHz
0.5 dB
what is the attenuation coefficient for soft tissue
1/2 frequency
whats the formula for total attenuation in soft tissue?
TA = 1/2 (f in MHz) x Path length in cm
the attenuation coefficient if 1/2 (f) in this case
what is the half value layer
the distance that sound must travel in a material to reduce the intensity to half its original value (3 dB loss in equal to 1/2 the intensity)
attenuation varies with which 3 things
nature of tissue
frequency
depth
what are the 5 reasons that attenuation occurs
WARRS:
Wave-front divergence Absorption Reflection Refraction Scatter
what is the most dominant factor effecting attenuation and what % of attenuation does it account for
absorption
80%
define absorption
the conversion of sound into heat
3 factors that effect absorption
which is the most dominant factor
viscosity
relaxation time
frequency
frequency is the most dominant
describe viscosity and how it effects absorption
- the ease at which molecules slide past one another
- increased viscosity provides greater resistance and more friction… this friction converts the sound waves to heat which increases attenuation
describe relaxation time and how it effects absorption
- time it takes a molecule to come to rest after a mechanical force is applied
- if a molecule cant come to rest before it is stimulated again, than more force is needed to stimulate this molecule again which produces heat.
is relaxation time relatively constant
yes
how does increasing frequency effect relaxation time
increased frequency means there is less time for molecules to come to rest because sound waves are being produced at a faster rate… this increases absorption and attenuation
what are the 2 types of reflection, describe them
-specular:
occurs when a sound wave hits a large, smooth surface, larger than 1 wavelength
-non-specular:
occurs when a sound wave hits a small, rough surface, smaller than 1 wavelength
intensity of reflected sound depends on what two things
angle of incidence (90 is best, sound comes straight back)
acoustic impedance of the two media
what is the formula for acoustic impedance
acoustic impedance (Z) = density (p) x velocity (c)