Today we would like to introduce you to ultrasound testing 🔊 this time instead of discussing the technical aspects, we will focus on its history. How did this method enter medicine and industry, becoming the most growing branch of NDT testing?🔍.
The origins of materials testing using sound waves date back to the time when metal parts were sharpened with a hammer, listening for characteristic sounds indicating damage 🔨 However, the real theoretical basis began to be developed in the 19th century.
👨🔬🔍 In 1822, Jean-Daniel Colladen and Charles-Francois Sturm conducted an experiment on Lake Geneva, comparing the speed of sound of an explosion on the surface with the speed of sound of striking a bell underwater. This event determined the speed of sound waves in water to be 1,435 m/s 🌊 A value very close to that already determined by more modern methods by those trained in an ultrasound course.
However, the foundation for the use of higher-frequency sound waves was developed in the mid-19th century thanks to the discoveries of James Joule (magnetostriction effect), Peter Curie (piezoelectric phenomenon), and the theory of sound described by Strut, Baron and Rayleigh at the end of the 19th century. 💡
Read on for our series that will show how ultrasound has evolved over the years to reach today's super modern level. 📚✨