Sound Absorption Properties of Perforated Recycled Polyurethane Foams Reinforced with Woven Fabric.

The acoustic properties of recycled polyurethane foams are well known. Such foams are used as a part of acoustic solutions in different fields such as building or transport. This paper aims to seek improvements in the sound absorption of these recycled foams when they are combined with fabrics. For this aim, foams have been drilled with cylindrical perforations, and also combined with different fabrics. The effect on the sound absorption is evaluated based on the following key parameters: perforation rate (5% and 20%), aperture size (4 mm and 6 mm), and a complete perforation depth. Experimental measurements were performed by using an impedance tube for the characterization of its acoustic behavior. Sound absorption of perforated samples is also studied-numerically by finite element simulations, where the viscothermal losses were considered; and analytically by using models for the perforated foam and the fabric. Two textile fabrics were used in combination with perforated polyurethane samples. Results evidence a modification of the sound absorption at mid frequencies employing fabrics that have a membrane-type acoustic response.

Macroscopic acousto-mechanical analogy of a microbubble.

Microbubbles, either in the form of free gas bubbles surrounded by a fluid or encapsulated bubbles used currently as contrast agents for medical echography, exhibit complex dynamics under specific acoustic excitations. Nonetheless, considering their micron size and the complexity of their interaction phenomenon with ultrasound waves, expensive and complex experiments and/or simulations are required for their analysis. The behavior of a microbubble along its equator can be linked to a system of coupled oscillators. In this study, the oscillatory behavior of a microbubble has been investigated through an acousto-mechanical analogy based on a ring-shaped chain of coupled pendula. Observation of parametric vibration modes of the pendula ring excited at frequencies between 1 and 5 Hz is presented. Simulations have been carried out and show mode mixing phenomena. The relevance of the analogy between a microbubble and the macroscopic acousto-mechanical setup is discussed and suggested as an alternative way to investigate the complexity of microbubble dynamics.

Bistable and dynamic states of parametrically excited ultrasound in a fluid-filled interferometer.

In this paper the problem of parametric sound generation in an acoustic resonator filled with a fluid is considered, taking explicitly into account the influence of the nonlinearly generated second harmonic. A simple model is presented, and its stationary solutions were obtained. The main feature of these solutions is the appearance of bistable states of the fundamental field resulting from the coupling to the second harmonic. An experimental setup was designed to check the predictions of the theory. The results are consistent with the predicted values for the mode amplitudes and parametric thresholds. At higher driving values a self-modulation of the amplitudes is observed. This phenomenon is identified with a secondary instability previously reported in the frame of the theoretical model.

Cavity solitons in bidirectional lasers.

We show theoretically that a broad area bidirectional laser with slightly different cavity losses for the two counterpropagating fields sustains cavity solitons (CSs). These are complementary; i.e., there is a bright (dark) CS in the field with larger (smaller) losses. Interestingly, the CSs can be written or erased by injecting suitable pulses into any of the two counterpropagating fields.

Domain wall dynamics in an optical Kerr cavity.

An anisotropic (dichroic) optical cavity containing a self-focusing Kerr medium is shown to display a bifurcation between static--Ising--and moving--Bloch--domain walls, the so-called nonequilibrium Ising-Bloch transition (NIB). Bloch walls can show regular or irregular temporal behavior, in particular, bursting and spiking. These phenomena are interpreted in terms of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the extended patterns connected by the wall, which display complex dynamical behavior as well. Domain wall interaction, including the formation of bound states is also addressed.

Ising-Bloch transition for spatially extended patterns.

The Ising-Bloch transition for domain walls in spatially extended nonlinear systems is a known phenomenon. We show a similar transition for extended patterns, such as labyrinths and stripes. The analysis is performed in the frame of the parametrically driven Ginzburg-Landau equation, which is a paradigmatic model for a variety on nonlinear systems showing the Ising-Bloch transition of domain walls.

Pattern formation in parametric sound generation.

Pattern formation of sound is predicted in a driven resonator where subharmonic generation takes place. A model allowing for diffraction of the fields (large-aspect-ratio limit) is derived by means of the multiple-scale expansion technique. An analysis of the solutions and its stability against space-dependent perturbations is performed in detail considering the distinctive peculiarities of the acoustical system. Numerical integration confirms the analytical predictions and shows the possibility of patterns in the form of stripes and squares.