6.

1 Absorption and Scattering 111

Intermediate values are obtained by adding the dB values and multiplying the
ordinary numerical values.
Example. A decrease of the amplitude by 23 dB = 20 + 3 dB corresponds to 10 % of
71 % = 7.1 % amplitude, requiring a gain factor of 10.0 x 1.41 = 14.l.
A table of attenuation coefficients for various materials would be of doubtful
value. Where values have already been reliably measured, which is difficult below
10 dB/m (see Section 33.3), such values, in the case of metals, depend within wide
limits on the various manufacturing parameters (see Section 6.2). Table 6.2, there-
fore, provides only general information.
For a few values of a from 1 to 300 dB/m, Diagram 10 in the Appendix shows
the decrease of the sound pressure of a plane wave as a function of the distance in
the form of a graph. It shows the attenuation in dB, or that of the amplitude in per
cent, if the pulse-echo method is used, i.e. the height of the echo. If the decrease of
the amplitude to 0.1 % is defined arbitrarily as the range, Diagram 10 indicates for
light metals and fine-grained steel (a = 1 to 3 dB/m) transmission ranges above 5 m
when using the echo method, but for grey cast iron (order of magnitude of IX ap-
prox. 300) only 100 mm. This presentation draws attention to the fact-which in
practice is frequently overlooked - that the attenuation increases very rapidly with

Table 6.2. Attenuation of longitudinal waves at 2 MHz and room temperature in various
materials

Attenuation Low Medium High

coefficient IX up to 10 10 to 100 above 100
in dB/m

Material Cast: aluminium, mag- Predominantly absorption

nesium, pure and
slightly alloyed Plastics Plastics and rubber,
Worked: steel, alumi- (polystyrene, perspex, with fillers, vulcan-
nium, magnesium, rubber, PVC, ized rubber, wood
nickel, silver, tita- synthetic resins)
nium, tungsten (all
pure and alloyed) Predominantly scattering
Non-metals: glass,
porcelain Cast aluminium and
magnesium, alloyed
Cast steel, slightly al- Cast steel, highly al-
loyed, high-quality loyed, lowstrength
cast iron cast iron, cast cop-
Worked: copper, zinc, per, zinc, brass,
brass, bronze, lead, bronze
stellite, sintered me- Non-metals: porous
tals ceramics, rocks

Max. thickness 1 to 10 m 0.1 to 1 m o to 0.1 m, may fre-

that can be quently no longer be
tested tested