MEMBER
                                                       Board of Directors

                                                                                [New 2000 Logo -
                                                                        all rights reserved to UIA.]

INDEX

On the main Ultrasonics Page:
    Applications List.
    Keywords (Applications) Index - moved from Page 3 on 12 Feb 00.
    Probe-type Ultrasonic Processing Equipment.
    Quick Links for Ultrasonic Probe Manufacturers.
    Brain Storming - bright ideas, pipe dreams, pie-in-the-sky?

On Ultrasonics Page A:
    AL-1C - "CONDENSED GUIDE TO ULTRASONIC PROCESSING"
        (A Layperson's Explanation of a Complex Letterhead).
    AL-1P - "A POPULARIZED GUIDE TO ULTRASONIC PROCESSING".
    Failure Modes in Horns.
    Ultrasonic Soldering, Galvanizing, etc..

On Ultrasonics Page 1:
        AL-1V - "A POPULARIZED GUIDE TO ULTRASONIC CAVITATION"
            (A Non-Technical Explanation of "Cold Boiling").
        TUBULAR HORNS (Radial Radiators).

On Ultrasonics Page 1A:
    AL-4 - AMPLITUDE MEASUREMENT.
    Call for Contributions for Book.

On Ultrasonics Page 2:
    More on Cavitation.
    AL-2 - "ULTRASONICS AND FINE PARTICLES -
        BENEFICIATION OF SLURRIES AND FINE-PARTICLE SUSPENSIONS
        [CERAMICS, COAL & ORES, COATINGS, COLUMN PACKINGS, SINTERING, SLIPS].

On Ultrasonics Page 3:
    AM-1 - "ULTRASONIC STERILIZATION and DISINFECTION".
    UM-1 - "ULTRASONICS, HEARING, and HEALTH"
    Keywords (Applications) Index.
    What's New?

On Ultrasonics Page 4:
    Foaming and Aerosoling - moved 28 May 02 from Page 1A.
    Ultrasonic Propulsion (Propulsive Force) - Moving Material.
    Ultrasonic Fountains - Atomization, Nebulization, Humidification,
        Misting, Particle Creation and Sizing.
    Ultrasonics and Nuclear Fusion.

On the ULTRASONICS CLEANING page:
    ULTRASONIC CLEANING {in process}.
        Immersible Transducers.
        What's New?

On this Ultrasonic Cleaning Continuation Page 1:
        Calibration of Ultrasonic Cleaning Tanks.
        MAGNETOSTRICTIVE TRANSDUCERS -
            moved from main Ultrasonic Cleaning page on 13 Feb 2005.
        APPLICATION PAPER AP-3 - SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLEANING JEWELRY,
            CLOISONNÉ, ETC., IN HOME AND HOBBY USE.
            CLEANING SOLUTIONS
            DETERGENTS
            PRECAUTIONS
            SUGGESTIONS
            CLOISONNÉ

[The information on Cleaning Solutions, Detergents, Precautions, and Suggestions, applies equally to any home or hobby uses, as well as to many light industrial applications.]

On the ULTRASONICS GLOSSARY page:
    ULTRASONICS GLOSSARY {in process}.

ULTRASONICS BIBLIOGRAPHY
        Ultrasonic Bibliography Page 1 - Reference Books on Acoustics, Vibration, and Sound.
        Ultrasonic Bibliography Page 2 - Sonochemistry.
        Ultrasonic Bibliography Page 3 - Selected Articles.

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS:  I am working on a book for Marcel Dekker on "High-Intensity Ultrasonic Technology and Applications" (in their "Mechanical Engineering Series", edited by Profs. Lynn L. Faulkner and S. Bradford Menkes).  This book will focus on the practical application of power (high-intensity) ultrasonics, the use of ultrasonic energy to change materials.  Contributions are welcome.

Quoting from MORE ON CAVITATION on Ultrasonics Continuation Page 2, "one of the earliest tests for activity in an ultrasonic cleaning tank was to immerse aluminum foil, energize the tank, and observe the perforation of the foil by cavitation erosion".  This is simple, inexpensive, and reasonably repeatable.  However (and this is a major caveat), the placement of the foil, usually in strips hung vertically, and the parameters of the foil [thickness, hardness, surface finish, and condition (crinkled vs. smooth)] are so critical that only empirical experimentation can give an acceptable level of confidence.

Various hydrophone devices and wands are available to sweep through the tank; they are all subject to variations of placement and, again, can only give an approximation of the results to be obtained.

Just by way of background, the reason that placement of test strips or devices is so critical is that standing waves are set up in the active tank and nodes (zones of reinforcement and cancellation) occur such that effect will vary accordingly.  To counter this, manufacturers have resorted to stratagems such as varying frequency and multiple frequencies (sometimes merely coverups for operational instability).  However, just placing a hydrophone or wand in a tank changes the conditions; no matter how successful such features, no test of an empty tank, or for a loaded tank, for that matter, can compare with testing of the resultant cleaned surface.

MAGNETOSTRICTIVE TRANSDUCERS

2.  DETERGENTS - A special detergent especially recommended for home use [DYNASOAP 104, formerly available from Heat Systems (now Misonix, Inc.)] was recommended in the original of this monograph.  It was a highly concentrated cleaning agent, slightly alkaline, for general use, phosphate-free and biodegradeable, and held dirt in suspension*, and rinsed freely in tap water.  There were two other types of DYNASOAP detergents for home and hobby use.  DYNASOAP 105 was an acidic cleaning agent for stain removal and for cleaning metals; it cleaned rust, oxide, and smut from all metals, especially stainless steel, chromium, and nickel (overuse might have etched aluminum).  DYNASOAP 107 was an alkaline cleaning agent for cleaning glass and precious stones; it was best for oils, grease films, fingerprints, and buffing compounds.  In the absence of these products, appropriate ALCONOX products could be substituted:

                Alconox, Inc.
                9 East 40th Street, Suite 200
                New York, NY 10016
                212-532-4040
                FAX: 212-532-4301

                e-mail:  cleaning@alconox.com

                URL:  "http://www.alconox.com/main/mainmenu.html".

3.  PRECAUTIONS -

            a.  Precious metals with a significant amount of copper alloying
                and any other materials to be cleaned should be tested before
                cleaning to determine the compatibility of the material with
                the cleaning agent.

            b.  NEVER clean pearls in an ultrasonic cleaner!  Pearls are a
                natural accretion of calcium carbonate which may delaminate and
                dissolve in the tank!

            b.  NEVER clean paste jewelry in an ultrasonic cleaner!  The paste
                may dissolve in the cleaning solution!

            c.  NEVER clean opals in an ultrasonic cleaner!  Opals are a
                heavily fractured stone (the fracture planes reflect light and
                give the beautiful coloration for which opal is noted).
                Ultrasonic action (cavitation) in the tank may cause the
                fracture planes to extend and the stone may crumble in the
                tank!

            d.  Do not place items to be cleaned directly on the bottom of the
                tank.  It is activately vibrating and can abrade the surface of
                the item.  Suspend items in the bath or use a suspended beaker
                or the perforated tray made for the purpose.

4.  SUGGESTIONS -

            a.  Cleaning copper, or high-copper alloys, will remove the patina
                and leave a bright pink pure copper color.  Heating the metal
                in warm vegetable oil supposedly restores the darker color.

            b.  When cleaning old jewelry with very small stones (baguettes,
                chips, melée, etc.) always clean the item in a glass beaker,
                rather than directly in the tank.  Small stones are often loose
                and held in place only by dried hand cream, skin oils, and
                soap, and may fall out when these contaminants are removed by
                ultrasonic cleaning.  Stones may be hard to find in the large
                tank, but are easily seen in the bottom of a beaker.

            c.  To use strong acid or caustic solutions without harming the
                stainless steel tank, clean items in a glass beaker as
                indicated below, taking all necessary precautions against
                personal injury.

            d.  To clean items in the solid tray or in beakers, make up a
                solution of warm water to which a small amount of mild soap or
                detergent has been added.  Fill the tank only with the amount
                of solution which will rise to 1" (25mm) from the tank rim when
                the tray or beaker is in place.  Avoid overflowing.  Fill the
                tray or beaker with the desired cleaning solution and allow to
                degas as noted above for the tank itself.

            e.  Watches, clocks, and other timepieces may be cleaned in the
                ultrasonic cleaner, BUT they will then be completely without
                corrosion resistance or lubrication.  Do not clean timepieces
                unless you are able to relubricate and protect the delicate
                surfaces.

5.  CLOISONNÉ - Special instructions for ultrasonic cleaning methods
            unique to cloisonné‚ enamelling can be found in the book CLOISONNÉ -
            The Art of Cloisonné‚ Enamelling and Jewelry Making, by Felicia Liban
            and Louise Mitchell, Chilton Book Co., 1980, Library of Congress
            Catalog Card No. 80-957, ISBN 0-8019-6900-x.

                Ms. Felicia Liban
                251-37 43rd Avenue
                Little Neck, New York  11363

                Mrs. Louise Mitchell
                {formerly of
                  Glen Head, New York}

For more information, please contact S. Berliner, III.

© Copyright S. Berliner, III 1991, 2002 (all rights reserved) Updated: 09 Apr 2002, 17:50

- - - * - - -

* - SEQUESTRATION - not in the original paper, but something that should have been, is the term "sequester".  Sequestration is that action that "held dirt in suspension" as noted in Para. 2., above.  A few words on sequestration are in order here.  The whole point of cleaning (ultrasonic or not) is to remove contaminants, and surfactancy and detergency enhance that ability, as noted.  However, dislodging contaminants and allowing aqueous solutions to "sheet off" cleanly without leaving a film behind is not enough.  It is also necessary to assure that particulates are not left behind on the cleaned surface and that is where sequestrants come into play; they have the ability to hold particulates in suspension so that they rinse off with the cleaning solution.  It is imperative that, when choosing a cleaning solution for applications with particulate contamination, one picks an agent with high sequestering ability.  As this is not a treatise on chemistry, you are advised to quiz your cleaning solution supplier about how they achieve maximum sequestering action and then test, TEST, and TEST again!