Experimental Characterization of the Propagation of Acoustic Waves in Pipe Strings

Abstract

This thesis explores the propagation of acoustic waves in pipe strings by designing a series of experimental procedures to characterize their behavior. It describes in detail four sets of experiments that were used to characterize the behavior of the acoustic waves as they propagate in pipe strings. First, the Existence Test tried to prove the existence of the dispersion phenomenon in pipe strings by measuring the speed of waves with different frequencies on a small scale version of the field test bed. Second, the Consistency Test tried to determine the circumstances that allow for reliable and consistent measurements as a preparation for the field tests by testing the transmitter, receiver, and coupling consistency. Third, the Dispersion Test aimed at discovering all of the existing vibrational modes and matching them with the theoretical solutions by performing a two-dimensional Fourier Transform. Finally, the Frequency Test attempted to describe the pipe strings response to both narrowband and broadband signals by proving the existence of passbands and stopbands.