We in the ultrasonics industry have long been aware of an effect which is sometimes called “ultrasonic shadowing.” In general, this is what happens when parts being cleaned are positioned in such a way that parts cast an “ultrasonic shadow” which prevents parts in the shadow from being effectively cleaned. This phenomenon, although we know …
Some time ago I wrote a paper entitled “What is a Watt.” Although this paper seems lost in history (I can not find a copy of it), I can remember the point that I was trying to make when I wrote it. In essence, it made the case that a watt is only an instantaneous …
I usually try to make sure I’ve done my research prior to posting a blog. As I was thinking about the post about the ceramic ring test, however, it occurred to me that there are a couple of variables that I had not previously considered – – the pencil and the means of applying the markings to the …
Other than to say that there is no perfect, infallible way, the blog has not addressed assessing ultrasonic performance. In an earlier blog, I did suggest that any of many methods are appropriate to compare ultrasonic performance of an ultrasonic system from day to day but that no further inference should be made. One test that’s …
One of the problems with using the number of watts consumed to produce a particular output of another form of energy (light, motion, heat, etc) is that there are always losses when one form of energy is converted to another. Although the law of conservation of energy always applies, energy lost in conversion to other forms of …
Over the years, there have been several anecdotal references to otherwise unexplained changes in the properties of surfaces exposed to ultrasonic energy in a liquid. In some cases, it would make sense that the change was due to increased cleanliness. In others, however, the benefit of cleanliness alone would seem questionable. One incident in particular …
Watts per gallon as a measure of ultrasonic cleaning tank capability is under growing scrutiny. In a series of blogs over the next several weeks, I hope to explore the origin of watts per gallon and the changes and ambiguities which have brought its continued use as a measure of ultrasonic capability into question. Also, if …
In the process of parts cleaning, capillary flow can be our friend or our enemy – sometimes both at the same time. So let’s take a minute or two to understand this interesting phenomenon. Capillary flow is a property that is exhibited when liquids spontaneously penetrate narrow passageways. The classic example of a capillary (narrow passageway) …
We have all heard of servos (short for servomechanism) but exactly what characterizes a “servo” is often a cloudy topic. Most sources are in agreement that the centrifugal ball governor invented by James Watt and used to control the speed of steam engines was the first application of a powered servo mechanism. This eloquently simple …
Viscosity and surface tension are properties that are often intuitively linked to one another. Because these properties are of primary importance in cleaning it will be worth the while to understand them a bit better. Surface tension is the property of a liquid that exists at the interface of the liquid with another media (usually …
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