What Is Ultrasonic and Its Application?

The ultrasonic is defined as sound waves with a frequency exceeding the human audible hearing limit. Ultrasonic sounds are too high for people to hear. Some animals can hear ultrasonic sound. Bats squeak in ultrasonic sound and they use the echo from these noises to locate solid objects in their path.

A single bat’s sonar can track objects within about 10 meters (32 feet), but a bat can hear another bat’s sonar from 160 meters (525 feet) away. Echo locating bats constantly chirp ultrasonic calls, which get faster as a bat closes in on an insect. All these calls provide constant information, allowing the bats to effectively work as a sensor array.

In the similar way humans can use underwater sonar sensing to find submarines and other underwater objects. Ultrasonic sound can pass safely through the human body. It is used in medicine, for example, to look at an unborn baby in its mother’s womb.

It has many uses in industry, for example, to look for cracks and other flaws in metals, high-power ultrasonic sounds are so intense that they’re actually used for cutting, drilling, welding and cleaning. Based on the frequency range of ultrasonic waves, in recent years, ultrasonic applications have been used for food processing.

The field of ultrasonic is still making strides towards perfection, but already many applications of ultrasonic energy have been found in science and technology. The effects of ultrasound on textile finishing especially on bio-polishing have been investigated. Use of bio-polishing in the textile industry has become more popular in recent years.

Content for this question contributed by Jeff Baggett, resident of Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA