Ultrasonics, 3rd Edition

12    Applications of High-Intensity Ultrasonics Based on Mechanical Effects

12.1    INTRODUCTION

In the strictest sense, all high-intensity applications of ultrasonic energy are based upon mechanical effects. All of these result from particle motions. However, as a result of the particle (or mechanical) motion, certain secondary effects are produced. Some of these effects are strictly mechanical, such as both the dispersion and the separation of particles in a liquid. Some others are combinations of mechanical effects working in tandem with certain secondary effects, such as the mechanical eroding of an oxide coating from a metal surface, exposing the surface to chemical attack, which the ultrasonic energy also accelerates.

The applications ...