In this work we present the design and the manufacturing processes, as well as the acoustics standardization tests, of an acoustic barrier formed by a set of multi-phenomena cylindrical scatterers. Periodic arrangements of acoustic scatterers embedded in a fluid medium with different physical properties are usually called Sonic Crystals. The multiple scattering of waves inside these structures leads to attenuation bands related to the periodicity of the structure by means of Bragg scattering. In order to design the acoustic barrier, two strategies have been used: First, the arrangement of scatterers is based on fractal geometries to maximize the Bragg scattering; second, multi-phenomena scatterers with several noise control mechanisms, as resonances or absorption, are designed and used to construct the periodic array. The acoustic barrier reported in this work provides a high technological solution in the field of noise control.

European Physical SocietyCastiñeira Ibáñez, S.; Romero García, V.; Sánchez Pérez, JV.; García-Raffi, LM. (2010 Abstract. -Acoustic Band Gap materials are suitable materials to construct devices for controlling the propagation of sonic waves by means of the multiple scattering phenomenon. One of their applications is the control of outdoor noise, acting as acoustic filters. Thus, a great effort to increase the non-transmission properties has been done. To do that, a design of acoustic scatterers with added acoustic properties, as absorption or resonance behaviour, has been developed. But to obtain a high acoustical performance in the control of noise, it seems necessary to improve to the maximum level the different involved mechanisms. In this work we present a new arrangement of scatterers based on fractal geometries to increase the multiple scattering phenomenon.

The focusing capabilities of a pinhole zone plate lens are presented and compared with those of a conventional Fresnel zone plate lens. The focusing properties are examined both experimentally and numerically. The results confirm that a pinhole zone plate lens can be an alternative to a Fresnel lens. A smooth filtering effect is created in pinhole zone plate lenses, giving rise to a reduction of the side lobes around the principal focus associated with the conventional Fresnel zone plate lens. The manufacturing technique of the pinhole zone plate lens allows the designing and constructing of lenses for different focal lengths quickly and economically and without the need to drill new plates.

The focusing properties of Fresnel Zone Plates (FZPs) against frequency are analyzed in this work. It is shown that the FZP focal length depends almost linearly on the operating frequency. Focal depth and focal distortion are also considered, establishing a limit on the frequency span at which the operating frequency can be shifted. An underwater FZP ultrasound focusing system is demonstrated, and experimental results agree with the theoretical analysis and simulations.

Zone plate lenses are used in many areas of physics where planar geometry is advantageous in comparison with conventional curved lenses. There are several types of zone plate lenses, such as the well-known Fresnel zone plates (FZPs) or the more recent fractal and Fibonacci zone plates. The selection of the lens material plays a very important role in beam modulation control. This work presents a comparison between FZPs made from different materials in the ultrasonic range in order to use them as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible materials. Three different MRI compatible polymers are considered: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polylactic acid (PLA). Numerical simulations based on finite elements method (FEM) and experimental results are shown. The focusing capabilities of brass lenses and polymer zone plate lenses are compared.

A new open, thin and low frequency acoustic barrier is presented. These barriers, based on arrays of isolated pickets produce high acoustic attenuation in a selective range of frequencies related to their geometry and distribution. These open barriers are acoustically competitive with traditional ones, which are based on continuous and rigid materials. To show its versatility to in attenuating different selected ranges of frequencies, a compact numerical model is presented. Different cases are analysed and compared with experimental results. The accuracy of the experimental results compared to the simulated ones allow us to use the compact model to design these barriers in order to reduce both industrial and traffic noise on demand and to introduce them into the noise control market.

The improvement in the bandgap properties of a set of acoustic scatterers arranged according to a fractal geometry is theoretically quantified in this work using the multiple scattering theory. The analysis considers the growth process of two different arrangements of rigid cylinders in air created from a starting cluster: a classical triangular crystalline array and an arrangement of cylinders based on a fractal geometry called a Sierpinski triangle. The obtained results, which are experimentally validated, show a dramatic increase in the size of the bandgap when the fractal geometry is used.

The image performance of acoustic and ultrasound sensors depends on several fundamental parameters such as depth of focus or lateral resolution. There are currently two different types of acoustic diffractive lenses: those that form a diffraction-limited spot with a shallow depth of focus (zone plates) and lenses that form an extended focus (quasi-Bessel beams). In this paper, we investigate a pupil-masked Soret zone plate, which allows the tunability of a normalized angular spectrum. It is shown that the depth of focus and the lateral resolution can be modified, without changing the lens structure, by choosing the size of the pupil mask. This effect is based on the transformation of spherically-converging waves into quasi-conical waves, due to the apodization of the central part of the zone plate. The theoretical analysis is verified with both numerical simulations and experimental measurements. A Soret zone plate immersed in water with D/2F = 2.5 and F = 4.5λ changes its depth of focus from 2.84λ to 5.9λ and the lateral resolution increases from 0.81λ to 0.64λ at a frequency of 250 kHz, by modifying the pupil mask dimensions of the Soret zone plate.