Propagation of nonlinear acoustic plane waves in an elastic gas-filled tube

This paper deals with modeling of nonlinear plane acoustic waves propagating through an elastic tube filled with thermoviscous gas. A description of the interactions between gas and an elastic tube wall is carried out by the continuity equation of a wall velocity. Simplification on the basis of the local reaction assumption enables to model an acoustic treatment on the tube wall by using a wall impedance. Because there are considerable losses due to wall friction, the influences of the acoustic boundary layer were also considered. Using certain assumptions a special form of the Burgers equation was derived which enables to describe the propagation of nonlinear waves in the elastic tube. This model equation takes into account nonlinear, dissipative, and dispersion effects which compete each other. Characteristic lengths of the supposed effects and numerical results with respect to the source frequency were used for a qualitative analysis of the model equation. Applicability of this model equation was demonstrated by series of measurements. By application of the long-wave approximation the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers and Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equations were derived from the modified Burgers equation.