Ultrasonic diffraction by a circular transducer: Isogeometric analysis sensitivity to full Gauss quadrature points

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Numerical Analysis
• Transducer Technology

Background:

• Evaluating radiated acoustic fields is crucial for understanding transducer performance.
• Discretization methods are commonly used for acoustic field simulations.
• The choice of discretization parameters significantly impacts simulation accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the radiated acoustic field of a circular transducer.
• To investigate the impact of discretization and numerical integration parameters on accuracy.
• To determine optimal parameters for accurate acoustic field prediction.

Main Methods:

• Discretized a circular transducer surface into 20 Bézier elements.
• Analyzed the radiated acoustic field using numerical methods.
• Varied the number of Gauss points (ngp) to assess its effect on wave amplitude and characteristics.

Main Results:

• Successful evaluation of the radiated acoustic field was achieved.
• Simulation accuracy was highly dependent on the number of Gauss points (ngp).
• Arbitrary ngp selection led to unexpected wave generation with amplitudes comparable to plane waves.
• Near-field points were particularly sensitive to ngp variations, affecting plane and edge wave amplitudes.

Conclusions:

• The number of Gauss points (ngp) is a critical parameter for accurate acoustic field simulations.
• Gradual increase of ngp from the transducer center, rather than just the edge, is necessary for improved accuracy.
• Careful selection of ngp is essential to avoid spurious wave generation and ensure reliable results.