Applications Of Ultrasound

Key Notes:

🔹 What is Ultrasound?

• Ultrasound consists of sound waves with frequencies higher than 20,000 Hz (above human hearing).
• These waves can travel through solids and liquids and get reflected from different surfaces.

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🏥 Medical Applications

• Ultrasonography: Used to see internal organs like liver, kidneys, and uterus.
• Pregnancy scans: Helps monitor the growth and health of the baby.
• Detecting stones: Used to locate kidney stones and gallstones.
• Echocardiography: Creates images of the heart to check blood flow and heart function.
• Therapeutic ultrasound: Helps in breaking kidney stones into smaller pieces (lithotripsy).

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🏭 Industrial Applications

• Detecting cracks and flaws: Finds internal defects in metal blocks and machine parts.
• Thickness measurement: Measures the thickness of sheets and pipes.
• Cleaning: Used to clean delicate instruments like electronic components and surgical tools.

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🌊 Navigation & Research

• SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging):
  • Used to measure sea depth.
  • Helps locate underwater objects like submarines and shipwrecks.
  • Used by fishermen to detect schools of fish.

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🔬 Other Uses

• Welding plastics: Ultrasound is used to join plastic parts.
• Animal studies: Helps observe internal organs of animals without surgery.

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✅ Key Advantages

• Non-invasive and painless
• Does not use harmful radiation
• Provides real-time images

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🧠 Quick Recall

• Ultrasound frequency: > 20 kHz
• Medical imaging device: Ultrasound scanner
• Underwater detection system: SONAR