Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
08:19
Induction of Microstreaming by Nonspherical Bubble Oscillations in an Acoustic Levitation System
Published on: May 9, 2021
Acoustic levitation with self-adaptive flexible reflectors
1Department of Applied Physics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|August 3, 2011
Summary
Flexible reflectors enhance acoustic levitator stability for high-density, high-temperature samples. Self-adaptive designs enable stable levitation and containerless processing of challenging materials.
Area of Science:
- Acoustic manipulation
- Materials science
- Physics
Background:
- Acoustic levitators are crucial for containerless processing.
- Levitating high-density and high-temperature samples presents stability challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To improve the stability of single-axis acoustic levitators.
- To enable stable levitation of high-density and high-temperature materials.
Main Methods:
- Development and examination of two flexible reflector types: deformable surface and elastic support.
- Testing with high-density iridium and eutectic alloys (In-Bi, Ag-Cu-Ge).
- Utilizing laser assistance for melting and solidification experiments.
Main Results:
- Stable levitation of iridium (22.6 gcm(-3)) achieved with both soft and elastically supported rigid reflectors.
- Successful containerless melting and solidification of In-Bi and Ag-Cu-Ge eutectic alloys.
- Flexible reflectors demonstrate self-adaptive properties to acoustic radiation pressure.
Conclusions:
- Flexible reflectors significantly enhance acoustic levitator stability.
- The proposed designs are effective for handling challenging materials.
- This advancement facilitates advanced materials processing and research.
Related Concept Videos
01:06Echo
The human ear cannot distinguish between two sources of sound if they happen to reach within a specific time interval, typically 0.1 seconds apart. More than this, and they are perceived as separate sources.
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
01:17Magnetic Damping
Eddy currents can produce significant drag on motion, called magnetic damping. For instance, when a metallic pendulum bob swings between the poles of a strong magnet, significant drag acts on the bob as it enters and leaves the field, quickly damping the motion.
If, however, the bob is a slotted metal plate, the magnet produces a much smaller effect. When a slotted metal plate enters the field, an emf is induced by the change in flux; however, it is less effective because the slots limit the...
If, however, the bob is a slotted metal plate, the magnet produces a much smaller effect. When a slotted metal plate enters the field, an emf is induced by the change in flux; however, it is less effective because the slots limit the...
01:11Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies
In fluid mechanics, buoyancy and stability are key concepts for understanding the behavior of submerged and floating bodies. When a stationary body is fully or partially submerged in a fluid, the fluid exerts a force on the body known as the buoyant force. This force acts vertically upward through a point called the center of buoyancy, which is the center of the displaced fluid volume. According to Archimedes' principle, the magnitude of the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid...
01:26Influence of Earth's Curvature and Atmospheric Refraction on Leveling
During leveling, the Earth's curvature and atmospheric refraction introduce deviations in the line of sight from a true horizontal reference. When the line of sight is leveled, it remains perpendicular to the plumb line only at a single point. Beyond this, it deviates due to the Earth’s curvature, represented by the correction C. For a sight distance D, the deviation can be derived using the relationship:This relationship shows that the deviation increases quadratically with distance. Over a...