A Critical Analysis of the Theoretical Basis of Ultrasonic Scattering Measurements

There are three elements involved in the backscattering from inhomogeneous media; the scattering properties of a single particle or scattering element, the scattering associated with a group of such particles and the relationship of the scattered wave to the measured signal. Ideally it should be possible to obtain information about the material microstructure from ultrasonic backscattering measurements. However, a number of assumptions and approximations must be made before the problem becomes tractable, and it is the purpose of the present investigation to compare the various approaches available in the literature in an attempt to quantify the errors involved with some of these approximations