Juliette Pierre

A technique for measuring velocity and attenuation of ultrasound in liquid foams

We describe an experimental setup specifically designed for measuring the ultrasonic transmission through liquid foams, over a broad range of frequencies (60-600kHz). The question of determining the ultrasonic properties of the foam (density, phase velocity and attenuation) from the transmission measurements is addressed. An inversion method is proposed, tested on synthetic data, and applied to a liquid foam at different times during the coarsening. The ultrasonic velocity and attenuation are found to be very sensitive to the foam bubble sizes, suggesting that a spectroscopy technique could be developed for liquid foams.

Acoustic characterisation of liquid foams with an impedance tube

Acoustic measurements provide convenient non-invasive means for the characterisation of materials. We show here for the first time how a commercial impedance tube can be used to provide accurate measurements of the velocity and attenuation of acoustic waves in liquid foams, as well as their effective “acoustic” density, over the 0.5-6kHz frequency range. We demonstrate this using two types of liquid foams: a commercial shaving foam and “home-made” foams with well-controlled physico-chemical and structural properties. The sound velocity in the latter foams is found to be independent of the bubble size distribution and is very well described by Wood’s law. This implies that the impedance technique may be a convenient way to measure in situ the density of liquid foams. Important questions remain concerning the acoustic attenuation, which is found to be influenced in a currently unpredictible manner by the physico-chemical composition and the bubble size distribution of the characterised foams. We confirm differences in sound velocities in the two types of foams (having the same structural properties) which suggests that the physico-chemical composition of liquid foams has a non-negligible effect on their acoustic properties.Graphical abstract

Acoustic absorption of solid foams with thin membranes

We measured the acoustic absorption, in the 0.5–6 kHz frequency range, of polyurethane foams with mean pore diameters between 0.6 and 3.2 mm. Two types of foams were investigated: classical open-cell ones versus membrane foams, in which thin polyurethane membranes were preserved during solidification. Interestingly, the latter presented better absorption abilities, indicating that membranes could be an asset for sound absorption.

Investigating the origin of acoustic attenuation in liquid foams

Abstract.Liquid foams are known to be highly efficient to absorb acoustic waves but the origin of the sound dissipation remains unknown. In this paper, we present low frequency (0.5-4kHz) experimental results measured with an impedance tube and we confront the recorded attenuations with a simple model that considers the foam as a concentrate bubbly liquid. In order to identify the influence of the different parameters constituting the foams we probe samples with different gases, and various liquid fractions and bubble size distributions. We demonstrate that the intrinsic acoustic attenuation in the liquid foam is due to both thermal and viscous losses. The physical mechanism of the viscous term is not elucidated but the microscopic effective viscosity evidenced here can be described by a phenomenological law scaling with the bubble size and the gas density. In our experimental configuration a third dissipation term occurs. It comes from the viscous friction on the wall of the impedance tube and it is well described by the Kirchhoff law considering the macroscopic effective viscosity classically measured in rheology experiments.Graphical abstract

Synchronized diffusive-wave spectroscopy: Principle and application to sound propagation in aqueous foams

We present an experimental method to measure oscillatory strains in turbid material. The material is illuminated with a laser, and the speckle patterns are recorded. The analysis of the deformations of the optical path length shows that the speckle patterns are modulated at the strain frequency. By recording those patterns synchronously with the strain source, we are able to measure the amplitude and the phase of the strain. This method is tested in the specific case of an aqueous foam where an acoustic wave propagates. The effects of material internal dynamics and heterogeneous deformations are also discussed.

Shaving foam: A complex system for acoustic wave propagation

While liquid foams have applications in an increasing number of industrial areas (food, cosmetic or petroleum industry), it remains difficult to non-invasively probe their structure and/or composition. Since the propagation of acoustic waves is very sensitive to parameters such that the liquid fraction, the bubble size distribution, or even the nature of the liquid phase, acoustic spectroscopy could be a very powerful tool to determine the structure and/or composition of liquid foams. In this context, we present an investigation of the acoustic properties of a useful and common foam, often considered as a model system: shaving foam. Phase velocity and attenuation of acoustic waves in a commercial shaving foam (Gillette) were measured over a broad frequency range (0.5 to 600 kHz), using four different experimental setups: an impedance tube (0.5-6 kHz), an acousto-optic setup based on Diffusive Wave Spectroscopy (0.4-10 kHz), and two transmission setups with narrow-band (40 kHz) and broad-band (60-600 kHz) transducers. We present the results and discuss the advantages and shortcomings of each setup in terms of a potential spectroscopy technique.