Using Wavelet Analysis to Distinguish Cavitation Acoustic Emissions from Blunt Impact Noise
Publisher: Journal of Biomechanical Engineering
- Date Originally Published: July 2, 2021
- Summary Published to engsys.com: November 2, 2026
This study tests whether wavelet analysis can identify the broadband acoustic signature of cavitation collapse and distinguish it from the noise generated by blunt impact. Experiments using laser-induced cavitation and an impacted surrogate head indicate that the signal may serve as a biomarker for detecting cavitation through the skull.
Read the full article, “Using Wavelet Analysis to Distinguish Cavitation Acoustic Emissions From Blunt Impact Noise,” published in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, for the complete methodology and implications.
Abstract
Cavitation has been shown to have implications for head injury, but currently there is no solution for detecting the formation of cavitation through the skull during blunt impact. The goal of this communication is to confirm the wideband acoustic wavelet signature of cavitation collapse, and determine that this signature can be differentiated from the noise of a blunt impact.
A controlled, laser induced cavitation study was conducted in an isolated water tank to confirm the wide band acoustic signature of cavitation collapse in the absence of a blunt impact. A clear acrylic surrogate head was impacted to induce blunt impact cavitation. The bubble formation was imaged using a high speed camera, and the collapse was synched up with the wavelet transform of the acoustic emission.
Wideband acoustic response is seen in wavelet transform of positive laser induced cavitation tests, but absent in laser induced negative controls. Clear acrylic surrogate tests showed the wideband acoustic wavelet signature of collapse can be differentiated from acoustic noise generated by a blunt impact.
Broadband acoustic signal can be used as a biomarker to detect the incidence of cavitation through the skull as it consists of frequencies that are low enough to potentially pass through the skull but high enough to differentiate from blunt impact noise. This lays the foundation for a vital tool to conduct CSF cavitation research in-vivo.
