Ultrasonic waves in diluted and densified suspensions.

A theory of propagation of stress waves in diluted and densified suspensions is developed to make the theoretical basis for analysis of ultrasonic waves through these media. The formulae for the phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient are determined as the function of wave frequency and the suspension structure parameter, which is the volume or mass fraction of the solid phase. These formulae can be use, after suitable calibration, for determination of the solid volume fraction in diluted suspensions, and the solid mass fraction or the water content in densified suspensions, that is, parameters that characterize the structure of a suspension. These structure parameters can be determined by measuring the transition time of ultrasonic wave through a given distance of suspension. The phase velocity dispersion curves and the attenuation coefficients determined theoretically and experimentally are plotted as a function of the volume fraction of the solid phase for dilute suspension, or the solid mass fraction for densified suspension.