DOI: 10.61782/fa.2023.

0989

AN EFFICIENT NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ULTRASONIC WAVE

PROPAGATION IN SOLID MATERIALS FOR ADVANCED NON-
DESTRUCTIVE TESTING

Mounir Tafkirte 1* Adil Hamine 1 Hicham Mesbah 1

1
Laboratory of Metrology and Information Processing
Faculty of Science, Ibn Zohr University, B.P. 8106, 80000 Agadir, Morocco

ABSTRACT*
1. INTRODUCTION
This work proposes a new approach to modeling the normal
incidence ultrasonic signal through a layered structure The transfer matrix method (TMM) is a widely used
immersed in water. The response to the propagation of a technique in mathematics and physics, applied to systems
longitudinal ultrasonic wave in a layered structure is studied represented as a sequence of interconnected subsystems
analytically using the transfer matrix method (TMM), in using transfer matrices. While it finds extensive use in
which the layer is established as a quadrupole formalism various fields like optics, acoustics, and electromagnetics, it
combining stresses and velocities. The transfer matrix is important to acknowledge its limitations. In acoustics, the
method enables us to determine the reflection coefficient of TMM approach, as explored by researchers such as
the layered structure, and the modeled backscattered Thomson [1] and Haskell [2], can encounter stability issues
ultrasound is represented in the time domain. The TMM for certain cases, particularly as the overall thickness of a
method is used to verify the existence of a similar layer or the frequency of waves increases. Additionally, the
agreement to the results obtained experimentally for a TMM becomes more complex and time-consuming. Thus,
transducer with a center frequency of 5MHz. The it is crucial to consider these limitations while applying the
comparison showed perfect agreement between the transfer matrix method to ensure accurate and reliable
modeling results for the time-domain representations of the results [3,4].
backscattered signal in the plates. The numerical simulation The purpose of this paper is to contribute a new and
method established in this work can be proposed as an accurate model for simulating ultrasonic signals
effective complement to experiments and used to backscattered by layered structures immersed in water at
characterize structural materials by simulating ultrasonic normal incidence, even in the presence of different types of
responses for different thicknesses and frequencies, layers, thicknesses, and frequencies. This model is based on
overcoming the problems associated with computational the transfer matrix method (TMM). To address the
instability. numerical instability associated with thickness and
frequency variations, the transfer matrix elements of the
Keywords: Transfer matrix method, Longitudinal layer structures must be robust, simple, and independent
wave, structure Materials, Numerical simulation, [5].
Ultrasonic responses. Analytical calculations are excluded due to the complexity
————————— of the structures and propagation of modes, making purely
*
Corresponding author: [email protected] numerical calculations necessary to simulate the control
Copyright: ©2023 Mounir Tafkirte et al. This is an open-access system, ultrasonic transmitter, fluid propagation, bulk or
article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons guided mode propagation in the structure, and receiver [6].
Attribution 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.

10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association

Turin, Italy • 11th – 15th September 2023 • Politecnico di Torino
3469
In this paper, we present a numerical simulation displacement field in x of a plane wave can be expressed by
methodology that analytically studies the response to the [9]:
propagation of a longitudinal ultrasonic wave in a layered
structure using the TMM [7,8]. The layered structure is (1)
represented as a quadrupole formalism combining stresses
and velocities. By employing the TMM, we determine the
reflection coefficient of the layered structure and model the Where U, ω and are the displacement amplitude, the
backscattered ultrasound in the time domain, as well as angular frequency and the wave number of the plane wave.
assess its feasibility.
We verify the agreement between our modeling results and
experimental data obtained using a 5 MHz center frequency
transducer, demonstrating a perfect match in the time-
domain representations of the backscattered signal in the
plates. Additionally, we provide a 3D representation of the
reflection coefficients in the (X, f) plane. Through an
evaluation of the reflection coefficients as a function of
frequency and thickness, we demonstrate the computational
stability and robustness of our proposed method across a
wide range of frequencies and thicknesses, overcoming
issues associated with computational instability. This
comprehensive analysis confirms the accuracy and
effectiveness of our numerical simulation method, making a
valuable contribution to estimating the ultrasonic
parameters of solid layers and enhancing the field of Figure 1. The schematic of the transfer matrix
ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT).
method for the layer structure. Ve: Input velocity, Te:
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: Section
2 presents the mathematical model of the response of an
Input stress, E: Thickness of layer, O: The origin
ultrasonic wave in an immersed structural material. Section (X=0), Vs: Output velocity, Ts: Output stress.
4 presents the simulation results of the ultrasonic response
of the structures in a time representation, compares the The displacement field in a layer is a combination of two
simulation results with experimental results, and finally, ultrasonic waves (incident and reflected) which is written as
Section 5 concludes the paper and discusses future work. Follows [9]:

2. THE MODEL (2)

The theory and explanation of the proposed model are

elaborated and visually represented in Figure 1. The figure M and N are displacement amplitude.
presents an elastic layer structure immersed in water, In the presented model, the layer can be represented by a
highlighting the incident, reflected, and transmitted wave quadrupole. Adopting the quadrupole formalism and
components. knowing M and N, we can derive Ve and −Te as a function
Figure 1 illustrates the orientation and direction of a of vs and −Ts as state variables.
longitudinal wave incident on an infinitely long layered The expression for stress and velocity can be written [9]:
structure immersed in a fluid medium. The longitudinal (3)
wave is treated as a plane wave, perpendicular to the
excitation surface and propagating along the positive (4)
abscissa axis. More precisely, the plane wave is simulated
using a sinusoidal function multiplied by the Hanning
window, centered at a frequency of 5 MHz. The layer is Where is the longitudinal velocity in the layer.
considered as a homogeneous and isotopic structure. Taking
into account the solution of the propagation equation, the

10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association

Turin, Italy • 11th – 15th September 2023 • Politecnico di Torino
3470
At the interfaces between the fluid and the layer structure, results, long signals are typically employed in the analysis,
the displacement field, stress and velocity at the interface to ensure that any potential echoes or reflections from the
must be continuous. layered structures in the fluid are adequately captured and
The continuity of the stress is: considered in the calculations.

(5) 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSION

The continuity of the velocity is: Currently, a number of computer tools are available to
support numerical simulations for modeling the ultrasonic
signal response. In this study, a simulation of ultrasound
(6)
wave propagation in layer structures is developed using
MATLAB tools.
The relationship between the state variables on the input In our research, we focused on investigating and
and output side of the layer structure can be written in the demonstrating the effectiveness of our proposed numerical
matrix form [9]: simulation approach for different thicknesses of a layer
structure immersed in water (Sound velocity = 1480 m/s
and Density = 1000 Kg/m3) at selected frequency (5 MHz
(7)
in our case). To ensure reliable comparisons, we selected
glass material, with sound velocity of 5790 m/s and density
Where called transfer matrix, are parameters of 2300 Kg/m3 for our experiments as we had access to
depending on the thickness and characteristic of elastic specific experimental data for glass. This enabled us to
layer. The coefficient of transfer matrix has property as directly compare the signals generated by our simulations
follows [9]: with the corresponding experimental measurements.
Significantly, our numerical simulation approach can be
(8) extended to analyze layer structures composed of any
material, making it versatile and applicable to various
(9) scenarios [5,9,10].

Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) is indeed a valuable

technique for analyzing the ultrasonic signal response of
waves in layered structures immersed in a fluid:

(10)

By utilizing the TMM, one can solve a system of linear

equations and determine the reflection coefficient.
Considering the reflection coefficient as a function of
frequency and elastic property is indeed crucial for
accurately predicting the behavior of the backscattered
wave [9].

(11)
Figure 2. The simulated signal backscattered by 3
mm thick glass plate with 5 MHz of center frequency
The acoustic impedance of water, denoted as water. In at normal incidence.
order to capture all possible echoes and obtain accurate

10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association

Turin, Italy • 11th – 15th September 2023 • Politecnico di Torino
3471
 providing valuable insights into its behavior and allowing
for the characterization of the material.
2,0
1,5
1,0
Amplitude (V)

0,5
0,0
-0,5
-1,0
-1,5
-2,0
0 5 10 15 20
Time (ms)

Figure 3. The experimental signal backscattered by 3

mm thick glass plate with 5 MHz of center frequency
at normal incidence.

The availability of experimental data played a crucial role in Figure 4. The simulated signal backscattered by 6
our study. It served as a critical benchmark against which mm thick glass plate with 5 MHz of center frequency
we evaluated the simulated signals. By comparing the at normal incidence.
simulated results with the experimental measurements, we
validated the accuracy of our numerical simulation
approach. This comparison allowed us to assess the
reliability of our model and gain confidence in its predictive 2,0
capabilities. 1,6
we present the results obtained from simulating the 1,2
backscattered ultrasonic signals through 3 mm and 6 mm
Amplitude (V)

0,8
thick glass plates immersed in water at 5 MHz of central
0,4
frequency. These results, illustrated in Figure 2 and Figure 4
respectively, reveal a distinct pattern of regularly spaced 0,0
echoes in the signal. These echoes correspond to -0,4
longitudinal waves bouncing back and forth inside the glass -0,8
plate. In the time domain, these echoes are clearly visible as -1,2
distinct peaks, indicating the presence of multiple -1,6
reflections occurring within the glass plate. -2,0
Importantly, our proposed model demonstrates excellent 0 5 10 15 20
agreement with the experimental results, as demonstrated in Time (ms)
the comparison shown in Figure 3 and Figure 5. This
confirms the accuracy and reliability of our adopted model
in estimating the ultrasonic parameters of the glass plate.
Figure 5. The experimental signal backscattered by 6
The agreement between the simulation and experimental
results validates the reliability and accuracy of the adopted mm thick glass plate with 5 MHz of center frequency
numerical simulation approach. Our model effectively at normal incidence.
estimates the ultrasonic parameters of the glass plate,

10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association

Turin, Italy • 11th – 15th September 2023 • Politecnico di Torino
3472
Furthermore, we provide a 3D representation of the 4. CONCLUSION
reflection coefficients in the (X, f) plane, as depicted in
Figure 6. This representation highlights the computational In conclusion, our numerical simulation methodology has
stability and robustness of our proposed method across a successfully demonstrated its effectiveness in studying the
wide range of frequencies and thicknesses. Overcoming ultrasonic response of layer structure immersed in water.
computational instability issues is crucial in ensuring The simulation results closely align with the experimental
reliable and accurate simulations. that this proposed method data, providing strong validation for the accuracy of our
is computationally stable and robust over a wide range of model in estimating the ultrasonic parameters of the glass
different frequencies and thicknesses, which overcomes plate. Furthermore, the 3D representation of the reflection
problems associated with computational instability. coefficients showcases the computational stability and
reliability of our method across different frequencies and
thicknesses. These findings have significant implications
for the field of ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation,
offering valuable insights and practical applications for
researchers and practitioners.

5. REFERENCES
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multilayered media,” Bulletin of the Seismological
Society of America, 43(1), 1953.
[2] Thomson, W. T. “Transmission of elastic waves
through a stratified solid medium,” Journal of Applied
Physics, 21(2), 89–93, 1950.
[3] J. Zhang, Y. Cho, J. Kim, A. K. U. Malikov, Y. H.
Kim, J. H. Yi, and W. Li, "Non-Destructive
Evaluation of Coating Thickness Using Water
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[4] T. G. Álvarez-Arenas and J. Camacho, "Air-coupled
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[5] M. Tafkirte, A. Hamine, H. Mesbah et al., "Time-
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[6] L. Wang and S. I. Rokhlin, "Stable reformulation of
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10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association

Turin, Italy • 11th – 15th September 2023 • Politecnico di Torino
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[9] M. Tafkirte and A. Hamine, "A transfer matrix model
and application spectral and time-frequency to study
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[10] M. Tafkirte, A. Hamine, H. Mesbah, I. Aboudaoud, D.
Décultot, “A novel approach for modeling of the
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Systems and Signal Processing. 198, 2023.

10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association

Turin, Italy • 11th – 15th September 2023 • Politecnico di Torino
3474