5.

2 Echo of a Reflector, DGS Diagram 101

Fig. 5.8. Scattered longitudinal (full lines) and transverse (dotted lines) waves from a small
circular-disc reflector in a longitudinal wave field. a Diameter 2A; b 1; c 112

The sound pressure of the scattered wave according to [441] is directly propor-
tional to the third power of the reflector diameter and inversely to the square of the
wavelength. Therefore very small reflectors cannot in practice be detected with cer-
tainty even by using more sensitivity and higher frequencies.
For the evaluation of natural defects it is of interest to know how far their shape
differs from a circular-disc reflector. Some information can be obtained from mea-
surements at two different frequencies: Eq. (5.3) gives for the frequencies 11 and 12
the ratio of the echo amplitudes
HJIH2 = li/I~
for equal reference echoes from the calibration plate. If this relationship turns out
to be fairly exactly satisfied, we can conclude that the shape of the natural defect
does not differ too much from a flat disc lying perpendicular to the beam. Also
when using the DGS diagram a flat disc-like defect should appear to be nearly of
the same size S for two separate probes differing in frequency and/or size.
We mentioned above that the intermediate range of the DGS diagram cannot
be fully calculated by simple mathematics but the full calculation has been done by
Mundry and Wiistenberg [1086], and in [224]. The exact back-wall echo in this
range has been calculated by Seki, Granato and Truell [1398] and special DGS dia-
grams for normal and angle probes (for both longitudinal and transverse waves)
have been calculated by Kimura et al [785], see also [S 78].
Standard reflector shapes other than circular discs. It is of great interest to know the
reflection characteristics of those reflector shapes which can be readily made for ex-
perimental work in an easy and reproducible manner. examples being spheres, cyl-
inders and strips. The following table gives details of the dependence of the echo
height on the diameter or width, d, the distance z and the wavelength A according
to [276].

Reflector Dimensions at right angles to the beam

surface
small/small large/small large/large

flat circular disc strip back-wall

d 2 /(1 2z 2) d/(13ll Z3/2) lI(lz)
curved sphere cylinder
d/(lz2) ..[d/(lZ312)