Correction for partial reflection in ultrasonic attenuation measurements using contact transducers

This research investigates the influence of partial reflection on the measurement of the absolute ultrasonic attenuation coefficient using contact transducers. The partial, frequency-dependent reflection arises from the thin fluid-layer interface formed between the transducer and specimen surface. It is experimentally shown that neglecting this reflection effect leads to a significant overestimation in the measured attenuation coefficient. A systematic measurement procedure is proposed that simultaneously obtains the ultrasonic signals needed to calculate both the reflection coefficient of the interface and the attenuation coefficient, without disturbing the existing coupling conditions. The true attenuation coefficient includes a correction based on the measured reflection coefficient--this is called the reflection correction. It is shown that including the reflection correction also reduces the variation (random error) in the measured attenuation coefficient. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated for a material with a known attenuation coefficient. The proposed method is then used to measure the high attenuation coefficient of a cement-based material.